Hearing

[loveallnatural]

I have never been able to hear as well as other people. I remember my dad taking me to the doctor to check my hearing when I was very small. Apparently, I passed. Now, I'm 41 and hearing has gotten slowly worse especially when people don't enunciate. If there's background noise I can barely understand conversation. Is there somethimg over the counter I can buy to clean out my ears. I have always loved swimming in the summertime. Could this be water related?

[Purple98Lady]

:) Hi,
I was reading your post regarding your ears/hearing. Did you swim alot and have ear infections when younger. Could their be inner ear fluid preventing you hearing/or damage from the fluids? One relative of mine used to clean her ears the wrong way with q-tips and over the years she could not hear. Turns out she had been pushing ear wax for years. When cleaned by a Doctor he removed a hugh solid mass of ear wax.
There are over the counter ear solutions for cleaning most contain diluted peroxide. I wish you good luck and hope you just have clogged ears (which can be cleaned).

Sincerely,

Purple98Lady

[Dr. Joshua]

Thanks for your contribution Purple98Lady -- I'm concerned that there may be a more complicated underlying cause for this, I recommend that you, loveallnatural, see an ENT (Ear, Nose, and Throat) specialist or audiologist. THe main thing is to find out the cause and treat that - if there's a mechanical problem, surgery may be needed. If the loss is what we call sensorineural (sensory nerves), a custom-made hearing aid is required. Other, underlying causes such as hypothyroidism need to be ruled out.

See the doctor!