Ear Wax: Did I cause damage by constantly removing it?

Question

Hello,

For the past 6 months I became obsessed with clearing my ears every morning of earwax. It's hard to explain why but it always annoyed me every morning. It didnt hurt, but it made me aware of my ears too much.

Anyway, I go in really deep with the q-tip, a few times I go in so deep I feel/hear a suction type sound and feeling.

Now for the past month or so I am walking around with a lot of headaches and dizzyness. When I lay down, I feel pressure in my head. I feel I might have damaged myself from either going in to far, or by not keeping my ear wax.

I cant afford a doctor right now, could I have done some kind of brain damage? I get insurance in a few months, but can I wait?

Thank you,
Adam

thank you so far!! if i damaged my ear, can it be repaired so I can fix normal again?

Thanks!!!!!

Answer 1

Your inner ear is basically the control center for your sense of balance. So by shoving a Q-tip into that area, you've got it all out of whack. Cotton swabs are really only meant to clean the outer ear area but if you're actually going to use them in your ear you should just barely put them inside. The ear is pretty much self-cleaning and if you leave it alone and there's still a large buildup of wax a doctor can properly take care of that for you. I'm sure you don't have any sort of brain damage but you definitely could have damaged your inner ear or eardrum. The wax is there for a purpose, it helps keep dust, dirt, and other foreign material out of your ear. Leave it alone.

Answer 2

First of all, you should never go in deep with a Q-tip because you can rupture your eardrum, which you may have done already because of the headaches and dizziness. Secondly, it opens you up to ear infections and hearing loss. Don't be cheap, go to a walk in clinic, pay the $30 bucks or whatever it is and get yourself treated. You don't need to have insurance for minor things like that, and with the high deductables you will have, you will end up paying for it anyway. It is always better to fix things early, rather that suffering the consequences of letting a problem become a major issue.

The pressure in your head is probably not earwax anymore, and if it is, it is much better to use drops and rinse your ear out with warm soapy water using a syringe; which the doctor can set you up with. DO NOT DO THIS until someone has checked your ears!!!!

Answer 3

I would say ear mites! Is there any dry blood or scabs on your cats ear? Thats a good sign of ear mites gone bad take him to the vet and have it checked out, its the only way to know for sure. I can also say take a cotton ball and clean out his ears pretty good with just water and maybe pet friendly shampoo, dry it after words really well, you dont want to cause an ear ache... and see if that helps any!

Answer 4

whether you can afford it or not, get yourself to a doc. they'll take payments. you may have damaged your eardrum. q-tips are only for cleaning the outside of the ear.

Answer 5

yes you can mess up your inner ear which could cause dizziness and headaches. you can also puncture the inner ear which could lead to infections.

I wouldn't wait, you could lose your hearing.