Recent Articles of Interest

I used to believe that the constant ringing or buzzing in my ears was a symptom that I couldn't do anything about, and so I ignored it. In the long run, the ringing became more and more pervasive and difficult to ignore, and I found that it got to the point where it was unbearably irritating. It was definitely something to worry about.

After thinking the issue would "just go away", I finally gave in and went to the doctor to investigate my hearing difficulties. While sitting and waiting, I thought about it, and realized the delay was possibly a huge error. I really needed to sit down and speak with my doctor before the trouble became constant and very loud. Treatment probably could've been much simpler than I forced it to end up being.

My first discovery was that my use of an ear scraper to clean my ears had punctured my eardrum. I prefer an ear scraper to cotton swabs because my earwax is dry. This type of wax is more easily removed by a scraper. However, my doctor informed me that a scraper is very dangerous. He let me know that scrapers increase my chance of injuring my ears. Scrapers are dangerous, and I didn't know.

That is exactly the situation I am in now. I punched a hole in my eardrum by cleaning my ears by using a scraper and reaching too far inside the ear with it. I heard a very soft ringing sound in my ears, which was the first sign something was wrong, but I just ignored it. I still continued to use the ear scraper and caused more injury to my eardrums. The ringing in my ears is stronger, too, since there is more injury in my ears.

This is a lesson learned for me, not to ignore any symptom which I may feel in the future because it can be a sign of an impending health problem. Early detection helps to solve the problem easily and in my case it could have prevented me from bringing more injury to my eardrums. If I could have consulted a physician the moment I started hearing that mild ringing in my ears, I could have stopped using an ear scraper and saved myself from having to experience tinnitus.