I sleep with silcone earplugs in my ears at night ecause my bf snores horribly so. well last night I had them as usual, I got up inthe morning took a shower and when I got out of the shower, I must have been sleepy because i took a q tip and cleaned out my ears without taking one of the two earplugs out. Now one of the earplugs is so far jammed inside my ear I cannot feel it or touch it. I am without ins right now what are my best options I was thinking a saline or warm water flush? Help -K
Stupid silicone earplugs?
Question posted by kittycatgirl2 on 21 March 2012
Last updated on 22 July 2015
7 Answers
YaVonnie22
20 July 2015
My daughter was sleeping and a lot of noise was coming from upstairs and she accidentally pushed her is love so far into her ear and we tried to get it out send only ended up against her ear drum. I took her to the emergency room and they gave her a medicine but they didn't think it would work and said she needed to see an ear nose and throat doctor. She said it doesn't hurt anymore but she is leaking Orange... I guess I will have to make for the appointment. I know what it's like to not have insurance and feel like you have nowhere to go but there must be a clinic or something in your area. Sign up for medi-cal.
Delila
20 July 2015
Hi YaVonnie, yes please do make that appointment, any discoloured (not clear) discharge is a warning that something serious is going on, infection possibly... I hope your daughter gets sorted out soon. Best wishes
YaVonnie22
22 July 2015
Thanksand I hope all is well with you.
Inactive
22 March 2012
Wow Kitty, how scared you must be!! If you have absolutely no money to see a doctor, and I would NOT go to an internest, or GP, I would go to an ENT, then GO TO THE EMERGENCY ROOM!! They have to treat you whether you have insurance or not, and your hearing is nothing to play games with!! Not only that, but if you get an infection behind the earplug, it could go to your brain! I'm not trying to scare you, I just want you to know how serious this is, and it will not just pop out on it's own. Please listen to everyone!!
Also, Joey is right!! Your BF needs a sleep study. It sounds as if he has sleep apnea, and it can cause heart disease! Snoring is no joking matter, and there are machines that blow air to keep the airway open, while you are sleeping, and they stop the snoring. Neither one of you are getting a good nights sleep, so please, take care of both of you!!
Thor283
22 March 2012
Yea, I also agree with what was said so far. If you can no longer feel this thing, go to a Doc, and make sure it's a good Doc. I let the Sub Doc look in my ear after I hurt myself with a Q-tip and he hurt me more. Didn't know what the heck he was doing. And stupid me shouldn't have even let him touch my ears. So go to one of the places mentioned. They should all have reputable Docs.
Let us know what happens.
DzooBaby
21 March 2012
I totally agree with JoeyNV. If you try to flush that out with water or saline you could drive it in deeper or trap fluid behind it. If you cant get into a Dr office then a walk in Urgent Care is the next best bet and the easiest on your pocket book. And yes, take the other one in so he/she knows if they got it all out! You can really damage your hearing trying to get those out yourself.
JoeyNV
21 March 2012
Hi K:
This may not be what you want to hear, but if you can no longer see or feel the plug with your fingers, go to urgent care (not emergency, but the little urgent care clinics that seem to be everywhere.) Take the other plug with you so the doctor knows what tool to use to extract it.
Its very important to do this correctly because you could do more damage or even put a hole in ur ear drum. The urgent care places here charge around $80 for cash pay. I know that's money no one wants to spend, but I always felt that my sight and hearing are very important.
I'm scared about the saline flush with the ear syringe because it may cause the plug to go deeper or water could become trapped inside your ear which may start an ear infection.
Your BF should have a sleep study done to rule out sleep apnea. There is an effective laser treatment for snoring. It usually costs $1500, (I know that's a lot of money right now, but maybe in the future. :) what a great birthday or holiday gift that would make. :) that's a gift I would luv if I was a heavy snorer. Only time I snore a little is if I am taking Zanaflex or Amrix at the time. I'm not sure of your bfs cause of snoring. But things that may attribute to it is being overweight, smoking, drinking alcohol before bedtime and some medications (including testosterone). This is not a complete list. But just a few suggestions to think on.
Hope you get that plug out of ur ear.
Joey
Taller
21 March 2012
I would not try to flush it. It could drive it deeper in. I know you don't have insurance but I would go to a med center. It's cheaper than the ER. Maybe have someone take a look at home and see if they can get it with tweezers but if they can't do it easily I would go in. Or if your regular doctor has free after hours call in service call them and see what they suggest. Maybe it is something that can wait till tomorrow in their office which is usualy cheaper than the med center. I would just be cautious with the home remedys. Sincerely-Taller
linda0982000
21 March 2012
Most emergency rooms by law have to see you wether you can pay or not. You need to get out pretty quick to prevent infection, and ear infections are NO fun.
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