We now have an eye-wash thing to hold against the eye and wash out any dirt speck or something else. We have an adult mouth thermometer, with protective sleeves that fit over it, each time used. Have a complete First-Aid Kit, including mouth resuscitator and stethoscope. And, coming from Amazon: spray bottle ear wash and home otoscope. After going to the audio doctor, at the VA, last Tuesday, and she sprayed out my left ear and used a otoscope to see if anymore wax was in it, we thought it would be really beneficial to use to own both. I was extremely surprised at how much wax buildup was in my left ear. Yep, that's what happens when a person uses a Q-Tip to clean wax out their inner ear. The wax was pushed up right against my eardrum. No wonder, even with my hearing aid in, I couldn't hear a thing out of that ear.
At my last ear exam 3 weeks ago, my ear doc ENT told me that there is now a process where a catheter is used to insert a small balloon through the nose to open a blocked Eustachian tube.This process can bring relief to children and adults who suffer from chronic eustachian tube dysfunction, such as me. I had a myringotomy tube placed in my ear 2 years ago. At my last exam, my ENT doc told me he would likely use the new process, discovered and first used at Duke University, I think. When the eustachian tube is blocked from a cold, sinus or nose problems, or ear infections, air can no longer pass through, but with this new process, they can. So I may be one of the first in my town to have the process done.
My hearing doctor told me, straight out, that the hearing aids I bought online aren't really hearing aids, even though they are advertised that way. They are more like hearing amplifiers. She said, "don't trust everything you see advertised online". She also told me "never, ever use Q-Tips to try and get built-up wax out of your ear. A Q-Tip will simply push the ear wax further into the ear and up against the eardrum." That's exactly what happened to me! I'm getting new hearing aids, top-quality ones, from the VA, at no cost to us. At least, the doctor told me "no cost to you".
Having been a paramedic, I have a bunch of stuff, such as a thermometer, pulse oximeter, blood pressure monitor, a blood sugar testing kit, and a first-aid kit that would double as a trauma kit. I've got some heavy-duty trauma stuff in there that I take with me when I go up north, particularly if I'm going to be playing with the chainsaw or something. I do have an eye-wash unit. I bought that after getting something in my eye one day. It was too late for that event, but I wanted to have something on hand for the next. I even have a couple of bag-valve-masks around somewhere, and I am thinking about getting one of my friends who is still working in EMS to order a used diagnostic heart monitor/defibrillator for me. Given that new models are coming out every year or two, the older ones shouldn't be very expensive, and cardiologists are very expensive, you know.
We have the standard stuff; first aid supplies, OTC meds for allergies, colds, etc., a few blood pressure monitors--both upper arm and wrist models, a glucose monitor and test strips, several thermometers, blood 02 meter, etc. I think my husband has one of those ear wax wash kits.
We have about 3 first aid kits, extra bandages for sprains, about 5 boxes of gloves, cotton swabs, cotton balls, oximeters, thermometers, digital BP machines, gram scale, stethoscope, Apple watches and bunch of other stuff including a case of WD-40. WD-40? Great for sprains. One thing about the ear wax thing. I flush my ears using a baby ear and nose aspirator. I put some warm water (wrist warm) in the sink and fill the bulb with it and stick the stem just a little way into my ear and flush all the junk out. Easy Peezie and takes about 3 minutes tops and I’m never in danger of damaging my ear drums.
I got a whole bunch of stuff, including thermometers (several), the typical first aid stuff, eyewash kit, witch hazel, alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, Tecnu, pulse oximeter, all sorts of pain relievers (every type of NSAID), antacids, glucose meter & strips, surgical bandages, Velcro-style bandage wraps, 911 on speed-dial, etc etc etc The only thing I'd like to add is a blood pressure cuff.
Earwax -- I followed the age-old advice: "Never put anything in your ear sharper than your elbow." I do twist the washcloth around inside my ear with my finger, but have never had a wax problem. I am a bit hard of hearing, but that's been there since I was a kid, shot a lot of handguns back in the day before anybody knew about ear protection. I just got this toothpaste squeezer a couple of days ago, cuz of arthritic hands. Works quite well. Getting old is great!!
Thanks! I just ordered one. I have an Amazon order that's still fresh, so my Free Shipping window for adding items is still open. I made an appointment with an audiologist because of a hearing issue from building firewood racks...a large hammer and some boards were involved. They squeezed me in for a November appointment.
I was never a Paramedic, but was an EMT, so, like Ken, that's my reasoning behind the stuff we have and now getting. Also, have a blood pressure monitor the VA gave me. I keep a bottle of Pepto Bismol by the bed as well as take a Digestive Gold twice a day. The Pepto is more for diarrhea. Also keep some Hall's Cough Drops/Throat Lozenges handy.
BTW, we bought an ear wax remover kit, that included a solution and syringe. The solution didn't work! This is why we just bought the ear wax spray bottle and home otoscope. First thing I'll do, when it comes in, will be to check my wife's ears for wax. She, at times, has too much trouble hearing me............OR, could she simply be ignoring what I said??
The VA Medical gave me a Life Source one. Don't know what it costs, because it was free to me from the VA. But, it sure doesn't look cheap.