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20 years
My right ear produces excessive amount of wax since I was born .. And every now and then since 5 months I feel that it aches me .. Esp in eustachian tube .. Is this normal ? .. what shall I do?
Aug 3, 2014

Dr. Rania Mousa General Medicine
No that is not normal ,earaches(ear pain) may be caused by injury, infection, or irritation in the ear. Earaches may also be caused by referred pain. Referred pain is pain that is felt somewhere other than the site of the infection or injury. Pain originating in the jaw or teeth may be felt in the ear.
There are different causes of the earache one of them is the one you mentioned which is wax build up ,and it seems that your case is a chronic case ,unremoved earwax buildup can lead to infection,ear cotton buds can lead to blockage ,and thus your feel because of all this earache or pain .
The wax protects the ear from dust, foreign particles, and microorganisms. It also protects ear canal skin from irritation due to water. In normal circumstances, excess wax finds its way out of the canal and into the ear opening naturally, and then is washed away.
When your glands make more earwax than is necessary, it may get hard and block the ear. When you clean your ears with the cotton buds you can accidentally push the wax deeper, causing blockage. note that wax buildup is a common reason for temporary hearing loss.
The causes of wax build up are some people are prone to producing too much earwax ,and so when trying to clean the ear they are pushing their wax inside the canal and thus blocking the canal producing pain and maybe infections and hear temporary decrease loss,also you are more likely to have wax buildup if you frequently use earphones or hearing aids,the cause also might be from the nose if you have sinusitis draining to your ears .
You must check with an ENT doctor to look for your ear and seee if there is any infection ,and he can check you sinus and nose ,it should be treated, you may be given wax-softening ear drops. This may cause the wax to fall out on its own. Your doctor may also flush it out of your ear.
IMPORTANT ,don't use ear cotton buds as a an instrument to clean your ears this will worsen the situation .
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