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After syringing it is a good plan, especially in cold or windy weather, to keep a small plug of cotton wool in the ear until you get home. Elderly patients should not go for a syringing appointment alone. They frequently go very dizzy for a few minutes after the ears have been cleared out, which can be dangerous once they get outside the surgery and have to travel home.
Quite often, an early sign of wax may be an itching just inside the ear, as well as a slight loss of hearing. But do not be disappointed if syringing does not cure your deafness.
There any many other causes for loss of hearing, such as nerve deafness often due to working in constant loud noise or after being exposed to a loud bang or explosion - or otosclerosis, a complaint where tiny bone deposits form in the middle ear which prevent the bony mechanism moving properly. The main thing to remember is that constant poking and prodding by the patient can do more harm than good.
Teacher: Michael Many articles taken from 'A word with the doctor', by Dr. John Windsor.
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