Stopple The Pain! Stopple The Noise! - Flents Ear Stopples Saved My Sanity
Written: May 31 '03 (Updated May 31 '03)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Blocks out most noise, comfortable, easy to use, inexpensive.
Cons: May take a little time to get used to.
The Bottom Line: Sleep with a chronic snorer? Day sleeper? Have an earache? Give Flents Stopples a try!
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| Freak369's Full Review: Flents Wax and Cotton Ear Stopples (NRR 25) |
I never know what they were called.
I never knew I’d need them.
After 72 hours of excruciating pain, I’m glad that I broke down and gave them a try.
Earlier in the week I started to feel a stabbing sensation in my ear. It went away after a few minutes so I didn’t think much of it. An hour or so later, the pain returned … and it brought along some friends. After about an hour of increasing discomfort I called my doctor and tried to explain what was going on – he was puzzled and told me to come in later in the week if the pain kept up. What? You want me to see if it just “goes away?” Normally I have a very high threshold for pain but this was starting to effect my coordination and my hearing was almost completely blocked. If you have ever had water trapped in your ear, that is the muffled sound that I was able to make out when someone spoke to me. Believe it or not, I was starting to get scared. “I knew it was only a matter of time before all that loud music caught up with me”… was the thought that went through my mind. After seeing a doctor at the Urgent Care clinic I still wasn’t satisfied with the “wait and see if it gets better” attitude. Luckily I ran into a friend who is in medical school and he gave me a quick once over and determined the problem. “Something” had bitten me in the ear - namely in the outer ear canal. The little nasty was more than likely a spider since we get more than our fair share this time of year.
I was faced with ten days of eardrops, extreme discomfort and limited hearing in one ear. Normal day-to-day noises like using the electric can opener, the television or even flushing the toilet sent me through the roof. While my hearing was reduced - meaning that I couldn’t hear things clearly - the overall sound was distorted but greatly amplified. For the better part of two days I wore ear muffs to drown out the noise but it wasn’t exactly practical to wear them outside the house. My pharmacist suggested that I try Flents Ear Stopples to try and protect my eardrum from loud noises. Since I had to put the drops in my ear to reduce the swelling and get rid of the infection I also had to deal with the fact that I had a liquid in my ear that would act as an amplifier – again – you can’t hear anything clearly but every noise and spoken word is intensified to a most painful level. When I first tried one I managed to keep in for about ten seconds before I ripped it out, my ear canal was far too sensitive to tolerate the pressure when it started to expand and mold to my ear. I grabbed my trusty BC Powder, opened a packed and chased it with some juice and tried again when the pain started to die down. It took a little time but I was able to finally get one in and have it in place without too much discomfort. If you have an earache or infection, I highly suggest these to keep the liquid antibiotic in your ear as well as protecting it from drafts, noises and embarrassing leaks.
Flents Wax And Cotton Ear Stopples
If you’ve never used any type of earplug before you might have to play around with them before you get the perfect fit. When the pharmacist first handed me the pack and it was priced at $5.99 I almost didn’t buy them. “Six bucks for some cotton and wax?” If I knew how much of a difference these made in reducing the noise level around me and reducing my overall discomfort – I can honestly say that if these were $100.00 a pack I wouldn’t think twice. They have made a world of difference and saved me from a nervous breakdown. I’d worn earplugs of this type in the past but never on a consistent basis – in most cases I was paranoid about it slipping into my ear canal and me not being able to get it out. These are sold in a two pair pack as well as a six pair pack. I purchased the latter for $5.99 and I’m glad that I did because I needed to play around with several of them to get them in the right spot.
To use these, wash your hand first – this isn’t something that is mentioned but if you are dealing with an ear infection or irritation – it’s better to be safe than sorry. Remove one of the earplugs and roll it between your fingers to smooth it up and role it into a tight tube. Slide in into your outer ear canal but don’t force it in – after a few seconds it will start to expand and mold to your ear and ear canal. The wax will heat up a little when the earplug is first inserted so you will get a nice tight fit. To remove them, simply grasp the end of the plug and pull out gently. I change mine every few hours and give my ear a little bit of breathing time in between plugs but this isn’t necessary. You can wear the plug for more than a few hours without any discomfort or soreness when you go to remove it. I put one in my ‘good ear’ to see how much noise it would block out and I was surprised that they worked as well as they did.
NRR Noise Reduction Rating
Until this all happened I never knew anything about ear protection, safety levels and how products are gauged. Any product that is marketed to reduce noise, even those made just for blocking a person that snores, has to be labeled with the protection level it offers the wearer. These are NRR25 which means it will block out a minimum of 25 decibels of sound. The number that is listed on the package is the minimum it will remove so you might actually be getting a little more protect than the number shown. As an example, here are some of the common decibel levels of common household items; alarm clock 60 – 70, blow dryer 70 – 80, washing machine 60 – 80, vacuum cleaner 70 – 80, air conditioner 60 – 70. While it might not seem like an ear plug with a NRR25 rating would do much against common household noise, you would be surprised at how much noise it actually filters out. I wore one of these in my ear when we went to see the movie Finding Nemo in the theater and I think the earplug was the only thing standing between me running out of the theater in excruciating pain. If a tiny little wad of wax and cotton can help reduce theater noise and keep me from snapping – it will surely be able to provide you with the necessary noise reduction in your home.
The Bottom Line
Using these has finally allowed me to get some much-needed rest. When I was finally able to lay down and try to sleep, I had to make sure that the effected ear was not touching anything since the whole ear was sensitive. This meant having to sleep on my right side so my left ear was exposed – and you guessed it – any noise, no matter how slight, sounded like a marching band. Now that I have these I can take a nap or get some rest without having to worry about the slightest noise sending me through the roof. These would be great for anyone that works in a noisy environment, wants to ignore co-workers [use the old “I have an earache” excuse], needs to get sleep during the day, sleeps with a person that snores or for students trying to study or read. These are comfortable and only take a minimal amount of time to get used to. The feeling of having something in your ear is a bit strange at first but after a while you get used to the sensation. My situation may be a bit strange but I can say with confidence that these are earplugs that really do work to drown out noise and I might just start using these from time to time when I need a little bit of “quiet time’” but the wee people in my life have other plans.
As always, thanks for the visit!
^V^ Freak ^V^
© 2003 Freak369
Related 'over the counter' medicines to help kill the pain …
Aleve
Tylenol Sore Throat
Now if only I could get BC Powder listed in the database….
Recommended:
Yes
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