Yes, “Ear Wick”.
Doesn’t sound nice, does it?
That’s what I’m currently enjoying – a wick, in my ear, to do some “wicking”.
Over the past couple of weeks, I’ve had quite a nasty ear infection. Strictly speaking, I’ve had two nasty ears infections: one in each ear. Actually, if I’m to be 100% accurate, I’ve probably had about five ear infections as they’ve been bouncing back and forth. Regardless, it’s been unpleasant.
Thanks to a doctor who appears to enjoy a “hands off” approach to curing ear infections – and by this I don’t mean he amputates the bits at the ends of people’s arms – I ended up visiting the local hospital today so that the experts could have a look. The wonderful woman at the Ear, Nose, and Throat clinic at the Royal Infirmary has taken some steps to sort me out.
By which, I mean she inflicted quite a lot of pain on me, and has left me in more discomfort than I was prior to visiting her. But, as they say, no pain; no gain. After inserting some sort of ear-widening device, she proceeded to hoover all the nasty, infection-debris from my ears. This is a weird sensation – you can hear, and more alarmingly feel – bits of icky gubbins being forcibly extracted from your ears. She did this on both ears, using increasingly wider widening tools each time.
But I’d had this done before. It was fine: I knew what was coming, and in all honesty looked forward to it; once they’d been hoovered, I’d feel better, right?
Sadly, this time the infection was sufficiently nasty as to close up my left ear. This explained why I couldn’t hear very well. In order to combat this unhelpful closure, a wick was inserted into my ear. And by inserted, I mean rammed. Hard. And, as I said in an email to my boss following the experience, it hurt like a very hurty thing.
And there’s nothing like applying the prescribed drops into the ear, placing cotton wool neatly inside – as advised by the nice woman at the hospital: this would absorb the drops that I’d put in – and discovering that your ear is now bleeding, thanks to the forced insertion of said wick. Blood from the ears – particularly my blood, from my ears – is something I’m not particularly fond of.
Hopefully, thanks to the power of the wick, ear drops, and the human body’s ability to heal, I’m on the mend. An ear infection is a pretty minor thing to contend with in comparison to more dramatic and life-threatening ailments, but I thought I’d share my current predicament in the hope that someone finds it entertaining. And I’m sure some people will – you sick, sick individuals.
They couldn’t flush it? I’ve been dealing with Volkswagen-sized hunks of wax in my ears all my life: my nurse practitioner’s procedure is always to soften things a bit with a dozen drops of sweet oil (or baby laxative!) and then flush the mess out with a big metal syringe and plenty of warm water. (I once had an ear emergency-cleaned with a wire loop– I woke up “deaf” one morning and panicked– and the doctor doing it managed to punch a very tiny hole in my eardrum! Which has since healed: but still.) Word of advice: make sure the water’s nice and warm, or you’ll experience the cheapest of highs when your inner ear goes cold…. (I can’t believe I’m discussing earwax on a blog–!) Anyway: sorry to hear of your experience. Ears are very touchy animals.
Yes, tremendously amusing, thanks for the laugh…
Seriously though – I’ve only ever had mine syringed, which is peculiar enough. I wouldn’t wish what you’ve gone through on anyone.
That’s horrible to happen to such a decent fellow.
But it’s lso a delightful read and it raises one of those wry smiles.
Avoid syringing as that’s bad for the ears. As are earwigs, sticklebacks and sharp implements.
Ah, but sticklebacks aren’t just bad for the ears, as enny Roman kno.
Thanks for the well wishes gentlemen.
The wick is now no longer a part of me, and I’m slowing getting used to being able to hear in stereo again!
Now, if I could just stop feeling dizzy all the time, I might be feeling better.
Hah! I hear (pun intended) little plugs of raw potato stuck in your ear overnight are supposed to draw out the infection and help cure it. Never tried it myself, but a friend of ours who’s into natural remedies said it worked all the time on his daughter and son, and no, there were no side effects. In other words, infection gone, hearing good.
Hi…I enjoyed reading about your pain! Well..maybe enjoyed isn’t the right word but you had interesting and true speaking points. Ironically I am currently with wick and expecting to have this baby pulled out tomorrow. Your post made me laugh because it is so true how painful and weird the treatment is along the way. I too thought that after the excruciating pain of having whatever was in my left ear sucked out that all of the pain would be gone. Instead I am still deaf and have a slight throbbing noise echoing in my head. I look forward to the upcoming days when I can hear the garbled NYC subway messages again and hear the tremendously loud music the fellow passenger sitting next to me is playing in his or her IPOD. Feel better Dan!
Ang – hope you’re feeling better youself!
I’m on the mend now. Occasional twinges in the left ear, but I’m not using the drops any more and I’m really starting to feel good again.
And Raoul – Potatoes? Wow. My parents always used to say when I was little “you’ll be growing spuds in those ears” (thanks to the wax). Maybe I should try that next time…
Went to the doctor 4 days ago for asthma she looked in my ears
and stated that I had a lot of wax and a infection in both
ears well yesterday I went to the hospital because I thought
my ear drum had burst I was in so much pain the whole side
of my face hurt Well long story short no ear drum ok Just
needed a ear wick wow that was painful. But I got relief right
away Im a new woman
I am going through a fun filled ear wick experience. You are correct. It is not a fun experience, my face is puffy on the side and it hurts to chew. I have had a wick when I was younger. Never put anything in your ear bigger than your elbow. Having an ear infection sucks.
This is an odd gather all ear wick together experience. I must concur it does indeed suck. But I take heart that you all seem to have survived (thus far).
Hello, I thought I’d leave my comments about my ear wick experience on this site as it comes up on the first page of a Google search for “ear wick” and it scared the life out of me reading this knowing I was going to have one myself…
I’ve had ear infections for over a year and have had some lax doctors and bad treatment. Syringing and suction have made my infections flare up and I’ve been half deaf and in a lot of pain for months.
So of course, I dreaded the ear wick having read about it here.
BUT – my experience was different, it was amazing!
I went in and had my hydrogen peroxide put in my ear to ‘fizz out’ the debris and this was gently suctioned by the doctor. Then he inserted the wick and I didn’t feel a thing. For a few days I had to administer drops into my ear which would get to the wick and treat my ear. It has felt brilliant ever since. My neck ache has gone, the ear pain has gone, no fever, no cold symptoms, just dulled hearing which I assume is because there is a wick in my ear.
I had it replaced yesterday (again, no pain) and might be having it removed next week.
The point of this comment is to let other people know that yes, there is a chance your wick may hurt but there is also a chance that if a good, gentle health person does the treatment, it might be heavenly!!!
oh thank you, i found someone who has went through what im going through now just be googling ear wick. I am on day 4 with one ear infection and day 1 with a new ear infection it is hell. The first day I was in so much pain by evening I was taken to emergency, day 2 was no better screaming pain every 2 – 4hrs where I had to take a pain killer, day 4 better I went a whole day without pain killers but when to the doctors to have it checked out and got the sringe full of water treatment and not one but both my ears with ear wicks, now its late at night and its driving up the wall with 1. what is an ear wick? and 2. im getting a feaver so its freezing for me while my partner is boiling hot. Tonite is going to be fun debating weather to have the aircon on or off. in the meantime these ear wicks are driving me insane, im to keep up the treatment perscribe on sun and on friday morning see the doctor, one day to go now and ill be counting. The doctor said ill feel a lot better tommrrow I really hope so. my partner just came in and said it was huge she was probably refering to my post, definatly not my dick. Wish me luck im going through hell.
That is the first thing everyone does, Google ear wick when they get it. When the doc said i had to leave the wick in my ear for the next four days and then come back to him to have it removed I said “you gotta be kidding”!!!
It is not a nice feeling, but if it helps me then i will just have to put up with it,….. easy to say on day 1.
It is not painful, but really uncomfortable, and not something i want to have again.
Get well soon Cliff. It’s amazing how many people have to have these things in, I’d never heard of them when I had mine!
You hit the nail on the head though: if it helps to fix the problem, so be it.
Good luck!
It is amazing the dates on the thread for this post… but i would have to say it’s mainly to do with being the in the top ten google results for ‘Ear Wick’. Wouldn’t that be one for blog records… ‘Blog becomes famous for Ear Wick search…’ In any event, i too suffer from frequent ear infections and just recieved my wick a couple days ago… just have to comment that getting your ear irrigated as they say in the states (pumped with water from syringe) is actually rather bad for you…
They did it too me a few months back during one of my outer ear infections and the ENT (Ear Nose Throat) Dr. berated the General Practitioners for doing such a thing, and told me never to let them do it again. That instead I should see him and he would be a good fellow and use his special tools to suck out the gunk.
Also if you prone to outer ear infections you might want to get a certain type of prescribed ear drop. Due to the nature of my ear, the skin in my outer ear that flakes off does so more frequently then most. Mix that with water and it often leads to outer ear infection. So if you find yourself with another nasty outer ear infection talk to your ENT dr. He knows a lot more about ears then the General Practitioners…
and on with fame and fortune from ear wick searches…
(Also note, I usually don’t respond to blog enteries; this is my first time and I just felt compelled)
I also google’d. I have had an ear infection for about a year now, a newlywed, and I ran out of medical money a while ago so I can’t afford to go to another doctor who will waste my time. I’ve been through seven full courses of antibiotics and, thanks to their lazy negligence, I’m not only still sick with what I figured out myself is “swimmer’s ear”, but I am also practically immune to two families of antibiotics. But anyway. I’ve been deaf on my left side for about a week now; I put my finger in my ear because it itched and I pulled out what looked like mayo. Then it hardened, my jaw is locked, and my face is swollen. I can buy these wicks in the store, and I have a nice supply of ear drops…do you think a wick is something I could put in myself?
Needing help here; going through hell.
Paul
fallingblack@gmail.com
Yes, I just had a wick inserted in my ear and it is so very painful. The doctor inserted one, took it out and put another one in. The irony in this is that I went to the doctor to feel better, but now I feel worse.
lol this is the only website that had anything about ear wicks. i just had mine put in today. god its painfull. i went to the doctor because my ear drum exploded and the discharge clogged up my ear. so i went to the doctor to have it cleaned. and then he placed an ear wick covered in cream inside of my ear and closed it with a cotton ball while repeating to me serverl times not to let water in my ear. i have to keep this on for 2days. while taking an anti biotic for 7 days. after the 2 days i remove it and start using ear drops. now let me say one thing. asprin is useless. im having 6-8 a day adn there useless. the pain is unberable i cant even sleep.
Man, good to hear other’s going through the same experience I’m going through.
I got the ear wick done yesterday night and I have to say it’s really uncomfortable. I got it after my infection was mostly treated though, I had been to the ER twice and both times they simply gave me antibiotics instead of drops, the first time amoxicillin (which the infection just got worse on) and the second time Cefprozil which actually helped clear up the infection and a lot of the pain.
I got the wick put in and the drops too and reapplied the drops this morning (boy was that fun holding a mirror up while lying down while trying to get the drops in without touching the sides of my ears. It was like a game of operation without a buzzing red nose.
I made the mistake of doing it before I took my shower though, and I think I have shampoo/conditioner trapped in my middle ear now. I’m really worried this is going to cause another infection and just worsen things. Stupid earwick is actually preventing me from clearing out my ear since I can’t get the water out now and the earwick is so deep in my ear I can’t get a grip on it with my fingers.
If my ear gets worse I’m going to be extremely mad. They didn’t say anything about having to be careful when showering or anything, I just assumed a little water and such from showering would simply flush itself out. However the wick is blocking everything was exiting my ear, it’s like a one way trap door. I’m not even entirely sure that the drops are still doing their job since the shower may have rinsed them all out.
im 11 and i have swimmer’s ear and it is very painful. i went to a walk-in clinic at a hospital because i was on vacation when i got it and he perscribed me drops and the “z-pack” in case i had a middle ear infection. but im pretty sure it is just the swimmers ear. it is so painful that i couldn’t sleep last night at all. im going to the doctors today, and im afraid they will put in the ear wick!!! everyone says it is so painful, but thats why im scared! help!
Yikes, I have had this wick in for 2 days now. Still I’m crying in pain. Now I wonder if the wick is making things worse. How does the wick come out? The doctor led me to believe it will fall out on its own. True? Thanks all, glad to know someone understands this pain. My best friends for the last 2 days have been Vicadin and Percocet. Not easy to take those and act even half on the ball at work!
Hi Debbie,
Mine came out on its own. And it’s one hell of a feeling of relief when it does, I can tell you!
Thanks to all those who’ve commented on this post btw. Never thought it’d still be acquiring comments after all this time!
add me to the list of googlers. i am in almost the exact predicament, both ears, one is wicked due to extreme inflammation, the sucking thing was unnerving at best but my favorite was the jamming of foreign utensils into my infected, and fragile mind you, ear canal. apparently theres even fluid BEHIND my ear drum. honestly i could have managed without the wick. its causing more pain than before. this is the third and worst case of swimmer's ear ive gotten, and i dont swim. wish me luck gents
No offense to you but im glad i wasnt the only one dealing with the pain of those damn wicks! lol
to be honest that was the most painfully weird thing i've ever experenced. I lost a little hearing in my left ear from my ear infection last year…and unfortunatly for me i have an ear infection as i am writing this….ahhh i hate the smell of my ear drops! 
glorious life.
My very highley recomended ear nose and throat doctor put [unpleasently shoved] them down my ears…..yes the instrument he used looked soooo much like something a dentist would use for a cavity
Dan-
My doctor says that my left canal was completely swollen and infected….I have had an ear wick in my ear for the last two days. I can honestly say the the ear wick was MUCH more painful than the infection itself. The pain was so bad, I could not get much sleep-only a few”cat naps” here and there. Good news though- the infection did not reach my ear drum. My left ear is totally deaf(due to the wick), and I am waiting for the earwick to fall out or I have to wait to see the doctor in three days. Thanks for the blog: misery loves company!
-Eric
wow! I can’t believe it, I too, googled “ear wick” after having mine inserted and was brought to this page.
These things are horrible! I get mine taken out later today and I am praying that the world will be back to normal.
I am deaf in my left ear, hopefully due to this wick, but I can hear everything inside my head amplified and that is the WORST! I hear my pulse pounding, the ringing. I literally think if this is not gone the minute that wick comes out I am going to need some other kind of meds. Something to calm my nerves! I cannot live the rest of my life like this, is there such a thing as an amputated ear drum, because I would rather have it removed than hear like this forever! Seriously!
I've been having ongoing ear infections for quite a while now, so decided finally to see an ENT specialist. He uses a vacuum to clean the ear instead of the syringe flush that my regular doctor did. He put a wick in 2 days ago and I go back tomorrow to get it removed.
He told me to keep using the prescribed eardrops to keep the wick moist – this allows the drops to work continually.
He also told me to avoid, at all costs, getting water in there from showering, etc.
It hasn't been painful, just uncomfortable. I hope this clears things up once and for all.
"It hurt like a very hurty thing". Now THAT is comedy! Anoher Googler here. Just got the wick rammed in today after a week of no success with drops due to the ear canal being 100% closed. He had to inject anethesia because he had to push so hard. Nice!
I have surfer's ear so ear problems are a chronic problem> I probably got some nasties in my ear in the ocean. The last time it closed up from the surfer's ear I had to have a new ear canal drilled. I've had both ears drilled. Not fun, not! I'm only 70% closed now so the rest is inflammation. According to Dr. Pain it could take 2 weeks for the ear to even open up. I'm also a semi-pro musician so I've had to play a number of gigs half-deaf.
Ah well, surfing is worth it.
Just had this done yesterday night, was told it was just a piece of stiff paper, as soon as it was in I was kicking and biting my lips, tossing and turning like a baby, I had to walk home and get my money then go get my prescription of Tylenol-3 and the killers eased the pain. I can take outer pain easily like a baseball bat to the head or falling from a survivable height, but internal pain like from the inside the kind you can't do anything about really brings out the worst in me, I throw tantrums, break stuff, disrespect my family and friends, but I will say if any S.O.B. touches or hits my ear I'll definitely give them a nice long stay at the hospital, btw Im 20 years old and im PISSED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
OMG, years worth of misery documented. Just to add my 2 bits. Been to the local doc in a box to treat my ear infection and got antibiotic ear drops and pills. After 2 days of no progress he determined I needed ear wicks due to the swelling. No issues getting them in, but now I feel like my head is being pried apart from the inside from these damn things. Vicodin doing for this type of pain. Really considering yanking them out myself. Not even sure they're working, think they're just soaked with drainage from the ear so the medicine probably isn't getting through. Sucks!!!
I got my ear wick in yesterday…it wasn't TERRIBLE my ear was already hurting so bad it really hasn't made a huge difference in the pain. I have infection in both ears but my left ear is the 2nd in the past three weeks. So the ear wick is only in that ear. If not healed this time I will have to go see the ENT. Isn't it funny how everyone just looks at you like your big baby when you say your ear hurts! Oh well I guess I am the BIG baby because my ear HURTS! My question is…can the ear wick get to far in your ear?
I am wondering the same thing, I feel like this thing is falling into my brain… i dont know, i am experiencing everything everyone above is blogging… First doctor gave me CiproHC optic ear drops that were disgusting and made the blockage worse… I had the primary physician do the syringe wth warm water twice! I fnally went to the ER last night and they did the wick, im totally deaf in my Left ear. Going to the ENT on monday… im happy to learn that once this thing falls out it is a relief… My boss says "you look fine"… if he only knew … i cant concentrate and everytime i yawn or burp the pain is truelly ridiculous… GOOD LUCK!
Had an ear wick rammed into my ear yesterday. It brought tears to my eyes. So so painful.
I had been on Anti Biotics and ear drops for 3 weeks which hadn't touched the infection and finally got an appointment at the ENT clinic at my local hospital. Currently taking both paracetamol and ibuprofen together just to get some sleep from this damn ear wick. At least the doctor did warn me it was going to hurt. "This might sting a bit" WHAM….
Never, Ever, let a Doctor (Quack if he uses an ear wick on ANYONE)! Hear me out! I let a little dip shit (he had a gold oak leaf cluster on his lapel) put a stink "Ear Wick" in your ear(s), NEVER! Those damn things should be outlawed forever. There are lots of
ear medication to deal with all ear problems. This dip shit kept changing that damn thing for MONTHS and no let up on pain. I slicked my paper work and went to an ENT clinic elsewhere and told him about the damn ear wick and its torture. He said that will
cease, he discovered a couple of "germs" in there, put in some drops and gave me a small bottle to use for just a short while. I was pain free in just a few days! That first S.O.B. should have had his credentials DESTROYED AND NEVER WORKED AS A DOCTOR AGAIN, EVER, NEVER! Been wanting to say that for long time. NEVER USE EAR WICKS, EVER. NO NEED FOR THE CRAP THINGS! BB
Never, Ever, let a Doctor (Quack if he uses an ear wick on ANYONE)! Hear me out! I let a little dip shit (he had a gold oak leaf cluster on his lapel) put a stink "Ear Wick" in your ear(s), NEVER! Those damn things should be outlawed forever. There are lots of
ear medication to deal with all ear problems. This dip shit kept changing that damn thing for MONTHS and no let up on pain. I slicked my paper work and went to an ENT clinic elsewhere and told him about the damn ear wick and its torture. He said that will
cease, he discovered a couple of "germs" in there, put in some drops and gave me a small bottle to use for just a short while. I was pain free in just a few days! That first S.O.B. should have had his credentials DESTROYED AND NEVER WORKED AS A DOCTOR AGAIN, EVER, NEVER! Been wanting to say that for long time. NEVER USE EAR WICKS, EVER. NO NEED FOR THE CRAP THINGS! BB
Well, Bob, while ear wicks may hurt, they are definitely needed in some cases: I went to my normal doctor after about a week and a half of pain in my ear and was prescribed an antibiotic to take orally and some ear drops. Well, after putting in the drops and using the antibiotic, my ear canal became completely swollen shut and the whole side of my face and jaw ended become tender and swollen. So, I went to an ENT who dilated my ear canal, sucked out all the infected debris, including some fungus (gross), and then inserted a wick to hold my ear open enough so the drops I originally got could even reach my ear drum!
Lots of people seem to be reporting severe pain when they get the wick in, but I've noticed nothing but some slight discomfort, however, it's a fair trade off for the relieved pressure in my ear! Over all, the pain sucks, but the wick allows the medicine to get to where it needs to go! I'm already in a ton of pain, what's a little more to make it end quicker?
Good luck!
Just got my ear wick in today after bringing home some nasties from the south west Florida coast. Here is the strange part, my doctor left the room to get the wick and WENT TO LUNCH! No kidding, HE LEFT FOR LUNCH!!!
After an hour nap I woke cranky went into hallway where his head nurse said she would help me out. IT DIDN'T HURTwondering if it was inserted properly. Can you imagine my surprise when I came home to google the instructions and information on this wick and saw this………Ear Wick…..IS THERE FOOD!!!!! Hope your lunch was good Dr. you know who you are, thanks for the nap time …….glad you don't charge me…..get what you pay for. : )
Thanks for the heads up!!! I am getting one of those wicks in my ear tomorrow. I was thinking positive, but now all i can think about is my soon to be bleeding ears:]!! The only difference is that I have a totally terrible case of swimmers ear. I just came back from vacation in North Carolina and I go to the doctor thinking they will give me drops and I will be on my merry way.WRONG. Turns out the drops weren't getting into my ear so now they need to put a wick in. HELP ME!!!!!!!
omg I also googled "ear wick"…i got TWO put in last night after a horrifically painful swimmer's ear infection. My fiancee rushed me to the ER where they flushed out my ear with peroxide and boy did that hurt…my left ear isn't as bad, but she still put a wick in there for the drops. My right ear, the one with the most discomfort is literally THROBBING right now, I couldn't make it past the night…She gave me some drops to inset every 6 hrs for 7 days and I get these torture cotton sticks out on Monday….ouuuuch!!!
hoping to have my "wick" removed tomorrow,cannot wait,i am fed up having to reply "what" to everyone who speaks to me,didnt realise just how painfull an ear canal infecion could be.My left ear has been infected for over two weeks now and i feel so tired,its so difficult to sleep with buzzing and the pain and the throbbing.I got the infection on a holiday in Greece,and move out there permanantly in a month, i just hope its not a reaccuring problem,otherwise it wont be a "happy move"
I just got an ear wick put in yesterday. I found it gave me relief as my ear canal was pressing in on itself. I get it removed in two days. They gave me drops (topical), an oral anti-biotic and hydrocodone (which does *nothing* for me). I find myself taking copious amounts of ibuprofen and tylenol so I can sleep and make it through the work day. I really hope that this is over soon
(moments prior to ear wick insertion)…DOCTOR (ENT) GRABS MY HAND, LOOKS ME IN THE EYES AND SAYS: " THIS IS GOING TO FEEEEL LIKE YOU ARE GOING TO HELLLLL" That basically sums up MY experience with that! I now see a counsellor for post traumatic stress disorder (ok..thats not true). But really though, WORST PAIN EVER IN MY LIFE!!!!!!!! I have diffuse otitis externa with a sealed, swollen , shut the door ear!!!! So, with no freezing other than a nurse holding my head down, away she went with the insertion of my "wick". I'm pretty sure I lost control and never screamed so loud in public in my life! Followed that up with some crying and she sent me home with some new drops ….wow!! Ill never forget it.. (PS: this was the 4th doc to look at my ear…..all meds were not working) And yes, it does work!!!!!! Thank the LORD!!!!! After 2 days of putting drops in my wick..lol, the percocets are now actually working!!! wow!!!! (This after 4 consecutive nights of rocking and crying in pain on percocets with zero sleep) So, for those who say this didnt hurt…your infection just wasnt bad enough. For those who had it bad enough,I feeeeel your pain …ooohhhhh i feel it!!!.
ear infections had them all my life and surgerys but today friday october 16th 2009 i go to the emergency room over a painful nasty ear infection… he sticks a long fucking q tip in my ear to gather some stuff to send to the lab to make sure the drops are going to work or if its something else but……. he sticks this fucking ear wick into my left ear which is the ear i have always had problems with….. does this shit not itch like crazy?….. i mean i know the pains are rough….. i have had my right arm broken twice my left elbow broken once my wrist sprained and couldnt play guitar…….. my left hip dislocated……. and other things with the knees but……. other than this ear hurting it is itching like so fucking bad and no one will let me pull this ear wick out……. what to do? drops doesnt make it better…. just tickles more…… anyways thats my experience with the whole wick thing….. keep taking the meds and dont scratch your ear and push the wick inside like i think i just did
I am another google searcher of this. I had to wicks put in yesterday as i have been suffering from the worse pain in my life. less then 12 hours later though they both fell out on their own, almost like my body pushed them out. has anyone else had this happen to them? should i put them back in? or go back to emerg to get new ones put in? They were painfull for a bit when they were inserted but the doc his a badly infected part, but once they were in and i had some drop put in my ears the mind numbing pain subsided for a while.
i had a wick put into my left ear this morning after not sleeping for 3 nights and painful shoots of pain every couple soconds my doctor is amazing he really cares about his patients so he did everything he could to make me comfy he even found this numbing stuff that he gently forced into my ear and after about 10 minutes he inserted the wick it was a little painful but gave me some kick ass meds and about 4 diffrent prescriptions this is my first night sleeping on it but im not to worried i have a very high pain tollerance but ear infections get me everytime ! I doubled up on pain meds and am ready for bed !!! the pain i feel right now is only a dull throbing which is very annoying but would rather have then the sharp shooting pains i had for the past four days so good night!!
p.s. im 15 years old
Dan Dan Dan, although this post was three years ago, I wanted to inform you that I can now identify with your (once endured) pain. And when the hell is this ear wick supposed to fall out? It is incredibly uncomfortable and downright AWKWARD!
I’ve had a wick put in my ear before, but today I got wicks in both ears. They don’t “come out.” You (or the doctor) have to remove them. I have a call in to the doctor right now to find out when they should be removed. My doctor put the wicks in to enable the drops to get into my swollen ear canals. I woke up with my left ear swollen shut this morning. I took three ibuprofen (like Advil or Motrin, only generic), which is good for swelling. I have recurrent ear infections, and always before they have been exceedingly painful. When I woke up with my ear swollen shut this morning, I knew what I was in for, so got to the doctor fast. This being Friday, I knew that if I waited I would likely end up in the emergency room this weekend because of the pain, which can be excruciating. I was surprised that they were bad enough to need wicks, since the pain is almost non-existent at this point — so far, and knock wood.
So I see a lot of people telling about their Ear Infection/Swimmer’s Ear experiences, and hope that my question would be answered lol So I’ve had my ear wick in for about 3 days now..and the drops and oral antibiotics I’ve been taking have reduced the swelling almost completely. My left side of my face, and ear are no longer swollen. But now to my question…Did you guys have to have your ear wick removed, or did it literally ‘fall out’ on it’s own. Cause mine appears to be coming out little by little. But I don’t know. And the doctor I went to didn’t say anything about needing to make an appointment to remove it, or anything. Just that it would ‘fall out’ in a few days.
Rofl..not even a second after I hit post comment the last comment by RLW answers my question. So I could take it out, if the swelling has passed?
I have had an ear infection all week end now its driving me nuts, I went to the ER at like 4 am thurs night and the doctor sucked. Now it is Sunday and yay I get an Ear wick, The insertion wasnt so bad but now that it is in there boy does it suck. Cant wait till i get my pain killers, Btw any one know how to take this thing out i dont wanna pay for some one to do it if i can Thanks all!!!!!!
Wonder of all wonders the blasted thing will fall out on its own. I have one in my right ear right now. YAY! Once the swelling goes down it will just fall out. All I can say is thank the good Lord cause if one more thing goes in out out of my poor miserable ear I think I will just shoot myself!
I have a double infection in both ears, very limited hearing. VERY painful and ear canal was swollen shut they had to insert a ear wick so the antibiotics would reach the problem. They didn’t hurt at all being put in.. I can actually see them just sticking out a bit of the opening. Perhaps ever insertion is different I was told as well they would fall right out. Just took a few Ibroprofin for pain and heating pad and nap. Hope this helps some =)
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Ahhhhhhh ear wicks. My dr said ear wicks and since I couldn’t hear well I thought of the little ear bugs from star trek-the wrath of Kahn. “This IS ceti alpha five”
Haha! I was entertained cause you are so sarcastic! I was wondering how do you wick your ear?
So, of all you folks that have had this lovely experience, did they bother to tell you how to wash your hair with this thing in? I was told that it had to stay in for about a week and be taken out by an ear, nose and throat doctor…I’m NOT going for a week without washing my hair!!! However, I don’t want to get more water in my ear (apparently that is how I got the infection to start with). I’ve done subject searches on several sites with no luck.
Update…
After much searching and many phone calls to emergency rooms and ask a nurse lines, one of the nurses on the phone asked if I lived alone. When I indicated that I did, she suggested that I take a small plastic cup and hold it over the ear while I got my head wet. She also said that I should have my back to the water flow and tilt my head back to rinse the shampoo out.
After going to classes and staying busy all morning, I finally had a chance to sit down and take a rest. (I’m in school to become a baker and pastry chef, so I’m on my feet and moving all day for production). About 15 minutes after I sat down, I started to notice that my sinuses hurt, the back of my throat was swollen, and my body ached all over! Normally I wouldn’t think anything of it…just another annual flu season, but since I’ve already been in the emergency room twice this week (including last night when I had this lovely thing inserted) I decided to call my regular medical provider.
For the second time in as many days, I received no response from her office, so I called the “Ask a Nurse” hotline. When I informed the woman on the other end of the line what had been going on, and that my provider wasn’t responding, she said that I needed to get back to the ER within 4 hours! I finished what I was doing and made my way back ASAP! When I got back to the hospital (with the same people behind the desk as last night!) I was taken back to the same section of the ED as yesterday.
The nurse came in and I recounted my story to her, then she left to find the Dr…And who should walk in but the Physician that treated me just yesterday! Needless to say, I didn’t need to give him much of a history, just the newest issue.
Long story short (sort of) what started as a simple ear infection has migrated into a sinus infection! :^(. I’m starting to feel like a pharmacy here…I have 2 types of ear drops (one is supposed to decrease pain, but as far as I can tell, it doesn’t work), an oral antibiotic for the sinus infection, 2 types of pain pills (Vicodin and ibuprofen), and a decongestant! If I were to walk into someone’s house and see all of that laying around I would think that they were some sort of addict!!!
Maybe one of these things will knock me out tonight? I haven’t been as unfortunate as some of these posters who have gone for days with no sleep, but I’ve only managed a few hours each night, and I’m waking at around 3am most nights (don’t have to be up till close to 6 on school days). I hope that everyone that finds this entry in the future (yep, I found it on Google :^)!) will enjoy the antics here as I have done, and may find some of the information useful for more than a laugh during a time of severe pain.
Good Luck to ALL!
Sounds like the same bloody A-hole who did the same number on me.
I feel for you mate, I’ve been “wicked” as well. I believe I was two seconds from shoving my fingers into the doctor’s eyes, after they shoved their’s down my ears.
Best of luck
and tons of good health,
Pstash
Your post was funny to read…very sarcastic. I’m going through the same thing right now. Double ear infection…wicks inserted, antibiotics taken, and motrin for the pain.
Jennifer – The nurse told me to use a cotton ball that is saturated with vaseline and stick it in my ear while I shower. It’s suppose to keep the water out! So you could give that a try.
I also googled ear wick. I have had severe left ear infections for years. I have been to family doctors and ENT’s over the years. Always on antibiotics, ear drops, steriods. Ear drains then crusts(gross), bleeds, strange sensations, sounds like sand in head, not to mention major pain. I have had ear wick before.
I went to ER yesterday as I am getting very scared. I googled cronic ear infections and didn’t like the idea of mastioditis. After so many years I was afraid of that.
I also got ear swab back showing MRSA, in ear, sinus CT showing acute sinus infection.
I have never replied, not much time to spend at computer, but has anyone had MRSA in ear?
They did put the wick in yesterday as all these years the drops would just run down. I have to go back to ENT Monday.
Also googled “Ear Wick”. Have had mine in for a couple hours in my right ear for acute otitis externa (aka swimmer’s ear). I did this search because just wanted to double check that I heard the doc correctly when he said to leave it in for a week.
By the way, don’t listen to the other posts above about having the wick put in. It is really not that bad. Yeah it hurts being put in. And is uncomfortable. But you shouldn’t fear the pain. Really. It’s not that bad. Don’t let it stop you from seeing the doc. IANAD, but according to the inter-webs, serious complications can’t result from an untreated ear canal infection.
CAN CAN CAN CAN CAN CAN. WHAT I MEANT TO SAY IS CAN
CAUSE SERIOUS COMPLICATIONS..
“IANAD, but according to the inter-webs, serious complications can result from an untreated ear canal infection.”
Wow. After reading this I practically pissed my pants in the doctors office. It wasn’t that painful. Sure it hurt a little, but it wasn’t nearly as terrible as this thread makes it seem. It’s totally worth the procedure because it actually does allow the drops into your ear and allowed me to hear again and get rid of this horrible ringing/buzzing and pain. I’m very glad I had it put in. When I put drops on it, nothing runs out of my ear, which never happened before!
Wow.. your doctors kinda suck.
I had sudden onset ear pain one afternoon, was up all that night rocking back and forth and crying and groaning from the pain in my left ear. By morning, my ear, jaw muscle, and neck were swollen. I went to the local doctor, because I was in too much pain to drive the thirty minutes to my usual doctor, and he said I had combo swimmers ear and inner ear infection. He prescribed oral antibiotics, ear drop antibiotics, and ear drops for pain. He also said to take Motrin and Tylenol. Later in the day, I had to call him to get some Lortab, because the pain was still unbearable.
That night, I was still crying and groaning in pain, so I got up this morning and went back to see the doctor again. He said my ear canal was completely swollen shut and no drops were getting to where they needed to be. He said he wanted to wick it, and warned me it would hurt. At that point, I didn’t care.
Putting the wick in was somewhat painful, but the ear pain I was already having seemed to keep me distracted. The worst part for me has been when I have to put the drops in and the wick “swells up” from the fluid. I am hoping to get some major relief in the next couple of days.
Oh… and the cool thing about my doctor? I told him I just wanted to be unconscious for a while, since I had gotten very little rest. He gave me a shot for pain, and then a shot to knock me out. I came home and slept for six hours, pain free. It was glorious.
I just got back from the ER and the Dr put in a wick. Got swimmers ear, I knew thats what it was as I have had it before. When he explained what the wick whats and how it would help I was kinda excited cause I thought it would give me instant relief. It does hurt a little but I think thats cause the nurse touched my eardrum when inserting the wick…I wanted to slap her… lol! And it seems to itch a bit more but I think thats cause its wet now… guess we will see in a couple of days. Hopefully the uncomfortable feeling goes away SOON!
i actually had the same thing done last night but mine come with more pain before i had it in and it swollen to were the wick wont even tlet the drops go in my ear!! its so uncomfortable i cant eat or sleep.. i want to take it out! anyone know how?
You can add me to the looooooooong list of people that have been wicked. OMG, it was so painful. Well, painful enough to make me cuss and bring tears to my eyes. That was a few days ago, she said I would be able to take them out today or come and see her and she would do it if they haven’t fallen out on their own. They haven’t, so I hope that isn’t a bad thing. and I’m praying the removal isn’t as painful as the insertation lol. I’m so ready to hear again. I’m so tired of looking at people like their aliens cause I can’t hear a damn thing they say at all. They have to practically yell so I can hear. Hopefully, once these are removed I’ll be able to hear again. They are in both ears, so I can’t even hear out of the other. Top it off, we are in the middle of moving and were supposed to have movers here today, but with my infections we are way behind on packing. Should be finished today though and moved in tomorrow. I always get sick at the worse times! (had swine flu and pneumonia the day after my wedding and spend most of honeymoon sick)
This wick(ed) thread will never die!! Thanks Google! It’s helpful (and frightening) to hear other people’s experiences. The fact that some of you have suffered for weeks and/or years is incomprehensible to me.
I wanted to share my experience: I was woken up two mornings ago from the pain of a moderate ear ache. I had not had ear pain since I was a toddler when I needed tubes put in my ears, so this felt very unnatural and I knew there was a problem (I am 31 now). I did a little research and self diagnosed myself with swimmer’s ear.
I went to the doctor first thing on the morning I experienced pain and he looked in my ear and confirmed an infection. He then proceeded to try and “scrape” out some of the blockage in my ear and prescribed ear drops. This was very painful, but bearable and I made it through the remainder of the day using the ear drops as prescribed, with moderate pain, but feeling relativley okay.
I struggled to fall asleep that night and took an Ambien. Two hours later I awoke in absolute agony. The pain in my ear was far more intense and had spread to now include pain in my jaw. I had moderate relief from advil, but had to go to work as I had to give two presentations that day . By noon I had completed my presentations, but I was in severe pain and so I called the doctor to explain that things seem to be getting worse.
The doctor agreed to see me again and attempted to ‘irragate” my ear using warm water and a syringe ( I should also note that I witnessed him test the temparature of the water using his bare hand dripping over the same tub he was using to draw water to the syringe). This process was failry painful, and now he prescribed vicodin and a new ear drop to try. I left the office in tremendous pain that was getting progressively worse by the minute to the point that my eyes were watering until I had the prescription filled and took a pain killer.
The pain killer provided some moderate relief, but quickly wore off and a subsequent pill proved ineffective. The entire left side of my head/face from the ear down felt like it was going to expode, I lost all hearing in the ear. At this point I went to the ER, and little did I know that the pain I had experienced prior to this was nothing compared to what was to come.
The ER gave me an oral antibiotic and inserted the dreaded/blessed wick. The insertion of the wick itself was very painful, but paled in comparison to the pain I experienced for the next five hours aftter. It felt like someone was stabbing my ear with a nail and twisting it. Ultimately, at 5:00 in the morning I took three advil/ibuprofen and this finally reduced the swelling, provided overwhelming relief, and allowed me to fall asleep.
I only slept for about two hours, but I awoke relatively pain free. I still had discomfort and could not hear from the ear, but at least the pain had subsided. I continued to be pain free until about noon today. When some pressure/pain started creeping back I took a pain killer and two more advil. This is where I stand now and the pain is under control.
Sorry for being so long-winded, but I appreciate the opportunity to share my experience. My take-away is that if you have a wick put in, advil or some kind of anti-inflammatory should be your best friend. Advil seems to help far more than the pain killer, and makes the wick tolerable, while allowing the ear drops to reach the infection.. Also, I wonder if those that had a relativaly pain free wick experience had a middle ear infection as opposed to swimmer’s ear. Intense sensitvity and pain in the outer ear is associated with swimmer’s ear and not middle ear infections.
Thanks for reading, and may you have a pain-free ear recovery!!
Wow… this amazes me that this one blog post is still receiving comments. But as aforementioned, it’s still one of the top posts on the subject.
I had never heard of them until I had to get one the other day for a really bad bout of swimmer’s ear. I guess I’m one of the few that was fortunate enough for it not to hurt. There was some mild discomfort is he slipped it in my ear, but now I barely notice it… With a combination of ear drops, amoxicillin, and tramadol for pain, I can actually sleep!
Hey everyone. Like so many people here I found this site on google, and it’s still the only place I could find people going through the same thing as me. I currently have external ear infections in both ears, and it’s been one brutal week for me to say the least! My face is really swollen and I look like I should be a linebacker or something by the way my jaw is set.
I just wanted to share my story, as I am finally starting to feel better and I can tell both ears are only 1-2 days off from being completely better. My ears were very, very swollen but not completely shut. The doctor at the ER said I was lucky because when they’re completely shut I would need to get a wick. I had already been to the walk-in clinic two days before and had gotten anti-biotic drops.
When my second ear became infected, I went back to the walk-in clinic and the doctor said to keep using the drops and also gave me some oral anti-biotics (KEFLEX 500mg) “because of the severity”. These anti-biotics have done far more than the drops, especially seeing as how I suspect the drops were barely or not going into my ears due to swelling.
Long story short: oral anti-biotics have worked far better for me. Maybe it could be an option for the rest of you as well. I’ll admit from your stories it seems like ear wicks are effective, yet sound pretty painful!
So…. I to googled ear wick and was brought here. I awoke last night with shooting ear pain, I made it through the night with the heating pad but headed for the local ER first thing this morning, and was diagnosed with Swimmer’s Ear and was informed that I had to be “wicked”. I was slightly scared at this new “treatment” as I’ve had ear infections all my life and this is the first time I’ve ever been “wicked”. I’ve made it through the day still no sleep I’m thinking that I’m not going to work in the am because I still can’t hear out of my right ear. I just want to thank Dan for complaining about his wick and opening up this thread for us fellow wickers!
Well here it is, January 2012…and low and behold I stumble onto this thread about ear wicks. It all started last week with a minor ear ache…which by the time the weekend hit had turned into the ear infection from hell. I haven’t had one since I was a kid…and thank god. I spent the weekend taking painkillers since I don’t have the insurance to go to the doctor. By monday I was so miserable and couldn’t even get my butt out of bed to go to work that I decided to go to the E.R. A friend suggested going to a local urgent care instead and after some debate I decided that I didn’t care what they billed me I had to go.
The doctor poked around a little, and told me I would need an ear wick. My reaction was WHAT THE HELL IS AN EAR WICK?? It didn’t sound very pleasant. He showed me what it looked like ( I must have looked terrified because the nurse kept rubbing my back and giving me sympathetic smiles) and then shoved it into my ear.
Holy Hell…First of all, it hurt. Alot. After the inital discomfort it’s not too bad. the first day was pretty bad and my ear was really sore but it’s day three today and it doesn’t feel near as swollen . I also got the ear drops and the oral antibiotics to take. I was pretty annoyed at having to go back to the doctor to get it taken out but I’m hoping that it will work its way out on its own. I can’t afford TWO doctor bills.
Thank God there are other poor souls out there that have experienced this….I felt like a freak telling people that they put a wick thing in my ear..Haha.
Hoping to NEVER have to experience this again.
Thanks for cheering me up.
B-in Pa