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Hearing loss much worse due to ear wax and CHRONIC ECZEMATOUS OTITIS EXTERNA

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I am a new forum member. I have read many of the topics and not only find these discussions interesting but also helpful.
I have moderate hearing loss and have been using Phonak the went to EARLENS HA which was an interesting adventure and now I’m using COSTCO Phonic HA. My issue with hearing is the rapid buildup of wax and a white mucous like substance (diagnosed as a type of Eczema) that builds up quickly and eventually blocks my hearing. I have my clean my ears every 4 to 8 weeks but after 2 weeks the build up of wax and edema (which hardens) in my ears reduces my hearing drastically. This is very frustrating situation. Sometimes I can’t get ear cleaning appointments for 2 months with Kaiser and my hearing ability shuts down. I wonder if Hydrogen Peroxide treatments at home would help ? Or maybe Debrox ? I now use steroid drops daily which helps some. Would appreciate any suggestions ?

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I suggest emailing your doctor and asking him. Due to many childhood surgeries, the shape of my ear canals are weird. Mu outer ear opens directly onto my middle ear. Put liquids in there is not advised without consulting my specialist-NOT a GP, who tend to not understand my situation.

Also, what kind of dome or mold is on the receiver/speaker that goes IN the ear? I ask cuz I am VERY allergic to any acrylic or firm silicone mold. My ears itch, burn, swell up and I end up with otitis if I have molds made from these materials.

GOOD LUCK finding some relief from your condition. I totally empathize cuz when the ears plug up for whatever reason - allergy, cold, sinusitus, etc., - it’s just plain scary. I’d be doomed without my ears being clear and domes that don’t cause a reaction.

Welcome to the forum @Curt1.
The Debrox does also come as a kit. But before you use the kit, you need to speak to your specialist, and get his permission to use it and for him to show you how to use it.

I think if you could do this at home you would benefit greatly, by using the kit as soon as you feel your ears blocking again.
Good luck with it.

This definitely sounds like a reaction to the shell materials used.

Titanium might be worth considering or other hypoallergenic finish. We used to gold plate some shells to combat the issue. Oddly enough, injection moulded domes don’t always cause the same issue because there’s a complete molecular surface without evaporate gaps.

In reply to @Deaf_piper

Thanks for your suggestion. The last things I want to do is make it worse by compacting the wax and dead cells (white substances) with Debrox. Let’s see what my says?

My husband’s doctor used something along these lines and pretty much ruined the hearing in his left ear. I could hear him yell (my husband) in the waiting room, it hurt him that much. I honestly would not let anyone do this to me or attempt it myself. I do think there is risk. JMHO

Is the eczema a result of wearing the aid, or is this something you have dealt with previously? My husband deals with this, and generally speaking, flushing the ear canal is not recommended. That doesn’t mean that a “debrox” type treatment or similar wouldn’t help, but I would definitely talk to my and maybe a derm. This condition can be difficult to diagnose properly and can be due to eczema, bacteria, or even fungal in nature. It is worth culturing the exudate if you have not previously to make sure exactly what you are dealing with. I have trigeminal neuralgia that manifests in one sided ear pain and was given a compounded medication in cream form to use to calm it down. I was surprised to find that the excipient is calamine lotion. It was explained that it tends to act as a drying agent, which is why they chose to combine it with the liquid medication that actually treats the condition. My husband uses an ointment that in addition to treating the ear canal is also designed to help keep it dry and acidify the environment. They specifically said that the ear environment is fairly moist and this helps avoid a secondary infection. Doubtless this could be exacerbated by wearing and so you need to be very careful with any treatment. I remember the Kaiser system from my childhood and in my experience you have to advocate for allergy treatment or anything of this nature. So definitely talk to them, and hope you find some help with this.

Sigo:

Thank you for your post. The answer to your question as to how long have I had it, it does, curiously correlate to when I first started using EarLens . I had used an earlier Phonak basic HA then decided to try the Ear Lens HA which is very different approach than conventional HAs. A hearing sensor is attached to their drum and a blue tooth transmitter inserted in the outer ear communicates sounds to the ear drum sensor. My theory is that ear drum sensor might have somehow triggered the production of wax and exudate. As long as I had Ear Lens I had to visit their designated to clear off the wax from the sensor.
I have communicated to my ENT the hypothesis of an allergy to my current COSTCO HAs may be triggering the exudate by my ENT does not think so. I did get an opinion from a Dermatologist that it seemed to be either Excema or some skin disease but unknown how to treat other than my current treatment of application of liquid steroid drops daily? I will give my ENT credit that he has referred me to an ENT that specializes with skin diseases so that’s more hope for me. I like your suggestion to get a culture of the exudate. I will suggest that to my new ENT referral. I appreciate your interest and suggestions very much. And since you are familiar with the Kaiser system you know about the challenges for treatment. Thank you.

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