Awful Health Clinic Experience and I Need Your Opinions

[Blueridge]

I took my dd to the local community clinic today, since wax builds up in her ears and every 2 years or so we have to have them washed out. Our schedule is so compressed that appointments are difficult to work in, so I compromised by going to the small place close to home. I stood at the check-in window for 15 minutes, while the lady asked me questions related to her file information already on her computer. After deleting and re-entering all our personal info, I realized that she was looking at someone else's file. Ooops, she said, and then I had to tell her all our information again. We waited in the waiting room, with sick and coughing people. When my dd was called, I waited patiently. 30 minutes later, someone came and asked for me. I stood in the hall listening to her explain that one ear she was able to SCRAPE OUT with her TOOLS (instead of washing), but that she saw a hole in the membrane. Then she kept repeating that it was an OLD PERFORATION...and I started to worry that she had done the damage. Then she wanted to refer dd to a specialist because that hole would need to be patched surgically. She didn't even try with the other ear, the one that was actually giving dd trouble hearing. Apparently she was worried about her abilities. :001_huh: I am beside myself and don't know how to proceed. We don't need to go to the doctor very often, thankfully, and this experience has not given me confidence.

[Jean in Newcastle]

Have you ever irrigated an ear?

 

http://www.ehow.com/how_2053417_clean-ear-canals.html

 

You can use a syringe to do it instead of a bulb syringe but make sure you aren't pushing the water too hard. I use one of those big syringes that the dentist gives you after you've had a tooth extraction.

 

Don't do the ear with the perforated membrane. I looked this up because I wanted to make sure I told you right, but this site confirms what I thought - most perforations heal up by themselves in a couple of months. http://www.emedicinehealth.com/perforated_eardrum/page6_em.htm

Edited March 29, 2010 by Jean in Newcastle

[FaithManor]

I too, get a lot of ear wax build up. As a kid, I was sent to an ENT because the doctor was just certain I had perforated ears and scar tissue, though except when they were clogged, my hearing was fine.

 

Don't have her ears washed until you do confirm or not. E.N.T.'s know what they are doing. My ear drums had absolutely nothing wrong. There were some dried, white, flakes of wax on the eardrum itself and to the untrained eye of the g.p., they looked like scarring. The E.N.T. had a special tool for retrieving them, didn't hurt at all, his nurse washed my ears, and I had a fun hearing exam that gave me a clean bill of health.

 

He told my mom to buy an ear syringe ( those blue bulb syringes made of rubber at the pharamcy) and mix warm water and drop of vinegar together and clean my ears every couple of months. I was fine.

 

If your dd has had a lot of ear infections, it is important to get this looked at just so you will know if it is okay to clean her ears at home or not.

 

Tell her not to be scared. Every E.N.T. I've ever known (there have been several due to family health issues), has been very gentle and very nice.

 

Faith

[Kim in Appalachia]

That does sound like an awful experience.

 

It is not unusual to remove wax with a tool. There is a special little tool, I think it has a loop on the end, used to get wax out. It should not cause a problem, but....

 

I would get your dd to someone else right away. You need to have her ear looked at quickly. It's hard to know if they (the clinic) used the correct tool, or if the person did the procedure correctly.

 

I would not go back to that clinic.

[Perry]

I took my dd to the local community clinic today, since wax builds up in her ears and every 2 years or so we have to have them washed out. Our schedule is so compressed that appointments are difficult to work in, so I compromised by going to the small place close to home. I stood at the check-in window for 15 minutes, while the lady asked me questions related to her file information already on her computer. After deleting and re-entering all our personal info, I realized that she was looking at someone else's file. Ooops, she said, and then I had to tell her all our information again. We waited in the waiting room, with sick and coughing people. When my dd was called, I waited patiently. 30 minutes later, someone came and asked for me. I stood in the hall listening to her explain that one ear she was able to SCRAPE OUT with her TOOLS (instead of washing), but that she saw a hole in the membrane. Then she kept repeating that it was an OLD PERFORATION...and I started to worry that she had done the damage. Then she wanted to refer dd to a specialist because that hole would need to be patched surgically. She didn't even try with the other ear, the one that was actually giving dd trouble hearing. Apparently she was worried about her abilities. :001_huh: I am beside myself and don't know how to proceed. We don't need to go to the doctor very often, thankfully, and this experience has not given me confidence.

 

Traumatic perforations are usually very painful, so if she actually caused it there would have been lots of pain. Irrigation and removal of wax with a curette are both used, but you wouldn't want to irrigate an ear with a hole in the eardrum. So in this case, it's a good thing she didn't irrigate. Holes in the eardrum often heal by themselves, but I would take her to your regular doctor, or an ENT, to find out what's really going on.

 

Sounds like they need new office help.

[mommaduck]

That does sound like an awful experience.

 

It is not unusual to remove wax with a tool. There is a special little tool, I think it has a loop on the end, used to get wax out. It should not cause a problem, but....

 

I would get your dd to someone else right away. You need to have her ear looked at quickly. It's hard to know if they (the clinic) used the correct tool, or if the person did the procedure correctly.

 

I would not go back to that clinic.

:iagree:

[Blueridge]

Thank you all. I called the ENT nurse that they had made an appointment with, and she has me scared to death. She said this often happens when 'people don't know what they are doing'. Then she apologized for the appointment being next week instead of tomorrow. I asked her about washing out the other ear, and she said it might hurt, depending on what he had to do. I do not want that. Do I have options? Should I take her to the ER tonight and have a regular physician check her injured ear/wash the other ear out? Wait for a week and have her be harmed further? I am not handling myself well today.

[Starr]

I think I would go to the ENT and find out what is going on before I did anything else. She can wait to have her ear cleaned out. Or see your family doctor if she can get you in sooner.

[Mommyof4ks]

My son had his ear drum bust on its own, and we were given several drops for his ears. It did heal on its own, but we were not able to get any water in his ear for more than a week (maybe two?). It did heal fine, and he can hear fine too. I don't know how much damage this woman did, if any, but hopefully she will be fine. If your doc did not send your dd straight to the ER, then I would not be too worried.

 

ETA: I did not even know anyone scraped ears anymore! I had that done once, yikes! Water irrigation is the way to go. I really don't see how this is cheaper either, so I don't know what the excuse is for doing it this way. No more community clinics!

Edited March 30, 2010 by dwkilburn1

[RanchGirl]

My son gets wax build up frequently and he had a very painful ear cleanout once when he was little. Now we really find it unnecessary. I have done the irrigation myself when it gets bad -- using the method linked above -- warm water and hydrogen peroxide and a suction bulb (the blue ones you get from the hospital when you have a baby -- I never knew what else to do with it!).

 

We haven't needed to clean out for several years now because I regularly put peroxide drops or vinegar drops in there every now and then and especially when he swims. This keeps it clean and avoids swimmers' ear which has been his primary issue -- the wax keeps the water in there and it gets infected. The peroxide cleans it out and the vinegar raises the ph so nothing can live in there.

 

If the wax were interfering with hearing, I would not hesitate to try irrigating myself but not in the ear that the supposed medical professional damaged today (nor would I try drops until it has healed). I'd be complaining and getting a refund on that appointment. SHEESH there are some idiots out there. I've never seen that so if your dd is in any pain, I would keep the ENT appointment. If she is not in pain and that isn't the ear with the hearing issue, I would let it heal but keep an eye on things and keep asking her about pain/hearing on that side.

 

So sorry your dd had to go through that. Ears can be sooo painful.