General Chat

Linda, I was recommended Earol spray by the ENT nurse at one of our county hospitals.
I have to go to the outpatients department and see the ENT nurse roughly every 3 months, who uses micro suction to clear my ears. Earol makes the process easier.

A general nurse at a GP clinic can't use syringing, as I have had a perforated drum for many years.

The microsuction makes a world of difference,especially when using the phone.
Generally though, I hear better on the phone if I remove my hearing aid and hold the phone really close to my ear.

The family doctor removes ear wax here, and it is covered by BC Medical Plan so free

I don't know whether the ENT specialist would also do it .............. he did examine my ears for the ear drum problem, but never mentioned wax.

All appointments at the hearing aid clinic seem to be face-to-face, though I was told to phone if I had any problems and they would try to fix it over the phone to "save you coming in".

Our doctors have stopped offering an earwax removal service at all. Everyone has to go privately, Specsavers are about the cheapest, but we don’t have one in town. A new hearing aid and wax removal clinic has opened here recently, but it a lot more expensive than Spec savers. Heaven help you if you can’t afford it.
Earol spray is easier to use, it is just olive oil, but it has a spay top on it which you poke into your ear, so the oil gives right in. It is much easier to use than a dropper.

Sylvia, here we have to see the nurse for wax removal, at least we did, I did hear that they were not doing it at the surgery now, we would have to go somewhere else. Places like specsavers I think do it but not free as it would be at the surgery. I have always put my own ear drps in.

ZZzz I recently had new aids , I did get a face to face for the test so they are doing it for that, but a long waiting list and few appointments available, it may have changed but I don't think so. The new aids came by post, I had to fit them for myself and judge if they worked, somebody from hearing clinic phoned me 2 weeks later to ask if they were OK. If they weren't I would have had to post them back for adjustment. I have worn them for over 20 years so was able to judge. a friend had aids for the fist time, arrived in the post and she had a lot of trouble working out how to put them in etc. She managed in the end. There are now hearing 'clincs' set up away from the hos[ital but I am not sure who they are run by but it is possible, if you can get to them, to have a face to face appointment. It is all very strange and very sad because we had a great service before. This is all the result of Covid.

The hearing aid clinics do not do anything like that here. If they see wax or whatever in your ear, they tell you to go see the doctor.

Ours are seeing you face to face ................ I'm in the trial stages of finding the correct aids. Masks are of course mandatory. I've had to take mine off momentarily a couple of times, she never has.

You can put drops in your ear if you have to, it is tricky, and best not to wear a decent top when doing it. or put a towel over the pillow.

Lay on your side on the bed, hold the outer part (the ear flap or pinna) of your ear out using the hand on top (ie, the left hand if lying on your right side). Experiment with exactly where to do this to best open the entrance to the ear canal .............. I find it best about half way between the top and the bottom of the ear. Then use your other hand (the side you are lying on), and put the dropper close the the ear canal.


The one that has always made me laugh (sometimes!)is that OH for over 50 years has insisted that I put eye drops in myself because it is "easy".

So he has to have cataracts removed .............. and immediately says he can't do it himself, so I have to do it for him. :-| :-P :-S

Each time, it was drops before the operation, then 3 or 4 different ones to be put in at regulated times for 2 or 3 weeks, and he STLL couldn't do it.

I guess you can think what I thought of all that after having been told how easy it was! :-D

I had to really hang on to my temper!!

Didn't they offer to text or email you?
It seems amazing, that in 2021, companies - let alone a hearing aid company, doesn't use the facilities available! :-0

Gosh that's not good if like me you need to see them face to face.

Sadly the clearing clinic here is no longer seeing people face to face.

If I as on my own I would have driven or got a bus to the nearest hearing clinic.

Sadly when left on your own with the same problem you have to cope somehow. :-(

he should have said he was you. that would have foxed them because it would be very un pc to not believe him just because he has a mans voice, Numpties indeed :-(

I have two hearing aids and having problems with them, also I have to put drops in both ears for a week or two, so hubby phoned hearing aid people to see if they could syringe my ears, they said they needed to speak to me...... hubby said erm no she won't hear you. Numpties. :-(