One ear produces wax but not the other ?

[JonErik]

Hello everyone.  

I'v always had problems with my ears since i was born producing to much ear wax, when i was little i had to do to the doctor's and get them flushed out and the words of my mom " tons came outa my ear" off and on throughout the years i had earwax build up's that didnt cause many problems and were fixed by over the counter ear drop's or warm water.  

Now 2 years ago i had a major problem in my left ear, im not sure what it was maybe a ear infection or a blocked ear full of wax but my whole face and ear were swollen and hurt so bad i littery cried sometimes and i was 19 years old.  Being dirt poor and not able to afford Insurance or to even go to doctor for simple checkup's i decited to tough it out even tho it was so bad i was dizzy and sleeping for like 18 hours a day for a week.   The problem eventually went away and my hearing came back but i noticed that i have lost a little bit of hearing in that ear.  I have problems hearing faint sounds for example i have a fish tank in my room and when i sleep at nite if i am laying on my left side with my left ear on the pillow i can hear the bubble's in the tank in my right ear just fine, when i switch positions i can barely or not even hear the bubble's in the left.  

I can hear normal things like people talking me typing or other things ect i dont really notice this unless i try to hear the faintest sounds.  

Anyway to get to the point my right ear is fine and still produces tons of wax like usuall i littery have to use like 10 q-tips sometimes to get it all out and lemme tell you there always full.   My left ear however is wet, the wax is white-yellow if you even call it wax its more of a liquid doesnt drain or anything doesnt cause me any problems besides when i take a shower water gets in easily.  

Why did my left ear stop producing wax, or at least the normal brownish thick wax it used to that my right ear still has ?

[Eric P Wilkinson, MD]

It may be that you have a cerumen (wax) impaction in that ear, and you are accumulating the water that enters the ear during bathing/showering.  The best thing would be to have it examined to ensure that you don't need removal of a wax impaction.

Hope this helps.  Good luck!

This answer is not intended as and does not substitute for medical
advice - the information presented is for patients education only.
Please see your personal physician for further evaluation of your
individual case.

[JonErik]

Ok, but what about the ear not producing wax anymore.  Like i said my left ear there is nothing, its just liquid if i put the q-tip in there nothing comes out, but the q-tip is wet almost like water

[Eric P Wilkinson, MD]

Jon, It sounds like you produce large amounts of earwax.  If you have a hard time getting to the ENT physician to clean out the wax under the microscope (the best way to get cleaned), you can use over-the-counter earwax removal products like Debrox or use baby oil (a drop or two every few days) to soften the wax and allow it to come out on its own.

Q-Tips tend to push wax toward the eardrum, and if the ear canal is blocked completely your hearing will diminish.

It may be time to have an ENT physician clean your ears.

Hope this helps.  Good luck!

You may want to see an ENT physician and have a full exam and balance testing to determine the cause of your dizziness.  It doesn't necessarily sound like it's from the inner ear, though.  Testing can determine if this is the case.  They can also decide if you need imaging of your brain.

Hope this helps.  Good luck!

This answer is not intended as and does not substitute for medical
advice - the information presented is for patients education only.
Please see your personal physician for further evaluation of your
individual case.