The General Chat Room

[BBMmk2]

Thanks guys!

[Joseph K]

Well, I was going to post a video of myself playing the fugue from BWV 998, since it is exactly a year when I posted my first one, but:

a) In all honesty, it is still premature. Still a case of needs more practice. Also, both my ears are blocked.

b) I made an alarming discovery this afternoon. Bit of a long story - basically, I have been spring-cleaning to make space to move both the beds in my bedroom, in preparation - making space - for the people to come and change the windows, one of which we haven't been able to open for years, and the other I stopped being able to open since November last year. I think this is the first time my room (which I shared growing up with my younger brother) has actually had a proper thorough clean, and as you can imagine, I have hoovered up a hell of a lot of dust. Thrown away lots of accumulated crap too - NME magazines from my early teens, for example. But, I found moving my bed quite difficult, as though it was snagged on something. Oh dear. The far corner of the bed had sunk into the floor, which at that corner, because of damp, was collapsing. So now, I am faced with the prospect of having to move everything out of the room so a new floor can be put in - yes, the entire floor will have to be changed because of this, there's no other option. And I have a hell of a lot of books, not to mention quite a few CDs. But also, this room has been a bit of a dumping ground for other people's crap. So I have my work cut out, and me and my mum have a bit of weight on our minds. I cleaned a lot today, but this is a job that I am going to have to devote my afternoons to for the next week or so.

[Richard Tarleton]

This all sounds very expensive, Joseph - key question (as for the windows) - none of our business really - is whether the property is owned or rented......

But as far as BWV998 is concerned - too many excuses! - a) would have done (both of them) - no pressure! I look forward to it. I love this piece, esp. the double fugue.

[Petrushka]

Well, I was going to post a video of myself playing the fugue from BWV 998, since it is exactly a year when I posted my first one, but:

a) In all honesty, it is still premature. Still a case of needs more practice. Also, both my ears are blocked.

b) I made an alarming discovery this afternoon. Bit of a long story - basically, I have been spring-cleaning to make space to move both the beds in my bedroom, in preparation - making space - for the people to come and change the windows, one of which we haven't been able to open for years, and the other I stopped being able to open since November last year. I think this is the first time my room (which I shared growing up with my younger brother) has actually had a proper thorough clean, and as you can imagine, I have hoovered up a hell of a lot of dust. Thrown away lots of accumulated crap too - NME magazines from my early teens, for example. But, I found moving my bed quite difficult, as though it was snagged on something. Oh dear. The far corner of the bed had sunk into the floor, which at that corner, because of damp, was collapsing. So now, I am faced with the prospect of having to move everything out of the room so a new floor can be put in - yes, the entire floor will have to be changed because of this, there's no other option. And I have a hell of a lot of books, not to mention quite a few CDs. But also, this room has been a bit of a dumping ground for other people's crap. So I have my work cut out, and me and my mum have a bit of weight on our minds. I cleaned a lot today, but this is a job that I am going to have to devote my afternoons to for the next week or so.

That's the trouble with having a big clean; you start finding a lot more that needs doing!

You've mentioned a few times on here about your ears being blocked. I had terrible trouble for most of last year with severe eustachian tube problems and had to stop listening to music for many weeks. My GP prescribed Mometesone Furoate nasal spray and that, together with some of the techniques to be found on youTube, eventually cleared it on, of all the days in the year, Christmas Eve.

Hope all goes better soon.

[Joseph K]

This all sounds very expensive, Joseph - key question (as for the windows) - none of our business really - is whether the property is owned or rented......

But as far as BWV998 is concerned - too many excuses! - a) would have done (both of them) - no pressure! I look forward to it. I love this piece, esp. the double fugue.

That's the trouble with having a big clean; you start finding a lot more that needs doing!

You've mentioned a few times on here about your ears being blocked. I had terrible trouble for most of last year with severe eustachian tube problems and had to stop listening to music for many weeks. My GP prescribed Mometesone Furoate nasal spray and that, together with some of the techniques to be found on youTube, eventually cleared it on, of all the days in the year, Christmas Eve.

Hope all goes better soon.

Thank you. Yes, this is a recurrent problem for me. For me, however, it's just wax in the ear canals. I still listen to music, but at a higher volume...

[BBMmk2]

Thank you. Yes, this is a recurrent problem for me. For me, however, it's just wax in the ear canals. I still listen to music, but at a higher volume...

I know this very well. As I suffer from hay fever, my ears get blocked quite easily.

[Richard Tarleton]

For me, however, it's just wax in the ear canals. I still listen to music, but at a higher volume...

I used to use Earex on these occasions, but that seems to be out of favour as being too harsh - Otex preferred these days, or some stuff from the chemist which is basically just olive oil.

[Pulcinella]

I used to use Earex on these occasions, but that seems to be out of favour as being too harsh - Otex preferred these days, or some stuff from the chemist which is basically just olive oil.

Nowt wrong with 'just olive oil'; needn't be top notch stuff either.

[Dave2002]

Nowt wrong with 'just olive oil'; needn't be top notch stuff either.

Otex works, but might cause crackling noises while it does its job. It can also irritate the ears, which isn't good, so olive oil or almond oil (which can also be used for the inside of wooden recorders) might be preferred. Syringing under medical supervision might help - though nowadays this is done with a gadget which it seems I don't get on with, so I have micro-suction instead. I didn't really have a problem with syringing, but now the medics won't do that because of the possibility of perforated eardrums.

A few other issues seem related to wax build up.

1. Water in the ears. This doesn't seem to help - so maybe try to keep water out while showering. One doctor I went to advised against getting water into the ear canals.

2. Swimming. I suspect that occasionally swimming without any particular protection for the ear canals, doesn't cause problems. Indeed, on one occasion I found that swimming actually released a lump of wax from my ears, with an immediate improvement in my hearing. However, it can also compact any wax which has built up, and if water gets below that, there is a condition called swimmer's ear, which is unpleasant, to be avoided, and may require anti-biotics to clear up.

3. Not all problems are caused by wax. Wax might be a symptom of something else. Taking anti-histamine tablets for hay fever might help to keep the eustachian tubes clear, and help to drain the ears if there are infections, and then nature might take its course and things get better.

4. Colds are bad news. Problems seem to get worse after having a cold.

5. Anti-inflammatory drugs, such as ibuprofen might also help, but don't over do them.

6. I suspect that using headphones doesn't help.

7. Going on aircraft doesn't help - and I've tried with ear plugs, and without.

A few drops of olive oil (not flooding the ear canals) perhaps once a week, may stave off wax build up. Don't let the wax become compacted which will make one almost completely deaf. Do seek medical help if it's a big problem, though sometimes getting an appointment for micro-suction may take so long, that olive oil will have resolved most of the problems before treatment.

If the problem is really severe don't leave it too long before seeking medical help. Most wax problems should - in theory - clear up by themselves without medical intervention, but I get this problem every few years, and the "theory" doesn't seem to work for me. Most doctors say that the problems they see are often caused by patients trying their own solutions - but I think there are definitely people (maybe I'm one) for whom wax build up is going to be a recurring problem.

[Joseph K]

Thanks for the replies.

[LMcD]

I used to use Earex on these occasions, but that seems to be out of favour as being too harsh - Otex preferred these days, or some stuff from the chemist which is basically just olive oil.

Earol spray works for us (seriously, there IS a product called 'Earol').

[cloughie]

Earol spray works for us (seriously, there IS a product called 'Earol').

What is really needed is Enrique Iglesias - he sang ‘Let me be your earhole!’

[Dave2002]

Earol spray works for us (seriously, there IS a product called 'Earol').

It’s basically olive oil in a spray bottle,- a bit more convenient perhaps than using a dropper.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

(seriously, there IS a product called 'Earol').

Doesn't surprise me - there's a haemmorhoid ointment with a ... "similarly inclined" name.

[burning dog]

Doesn't surprise me - there's a haemmorhoid ointment with a ... "similarly inclined" name.

Which a rather "refined" relative assures me is pronounced An-you-sole