Allergic to ear plugs, now what?

[Gauss44]

I'm allergic to foam ear plugs. I don't like the silicone/wax ear plugs because they fall off, sometimes get stuck in my ear canal, and I have difficulty putting them on in less than 30 minutes without causing a weird vacuum or pressure problem in my ear that hurts.

What other options are out there? Has anyone solved these problems?

I might see an ENT to find out if I could get custom ones made that would be more comfortable. I would ask if they can custom make ear plugs out of material that I'm not allergic to. I would also ask if they can take molds of my ear canals to ensure that the new plugs fit properly. Figured I would check here first anyway so I might know what to request or inquire about.

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[Czarcasm]

I know this might seem odd, but have you ever considered putting something on the exterior of your ear plugs ...like saran wrap lol. Might be a little uncomfortable, but the net effect would be the same, plus it would essentially prevent the ear plugs from coming into direct contact with your ear. Aside from that, my only suggestion would be to invest in some quality noise reduction headphones. Boise has some good ones, but they're pricey.

 

[OneDoctor]

I'm allergic to foam ear plugs. I don't like the silicone/wax ear plugs because they fall off, sometimes get stuck in my ear canal, and I have difficulty putting them on in less than 30 minutes without causing a weird vacuum or pressure problem in my ear that hurts.

What other options are out there? Has anyone solved these problems?

I might see an ENT to find out if I could get custom ones made that would be more comfortable. I would ask if they can custom make ear plugs out of material that I'm not allergic to. I would also ask if they can take molds of my ear canals to ensure that the new plugs fit properly. Figured I would check here first anyway so I might know what to request or inquire about.

Have you ever tried the over-ear noise cancelling headphones?

 

[Jason12]

I'm allergic to foam ear plugs. I don't like the silicone/wax ear plugs because they fall off, sometimes get stuck in my ear canal, and I have difficulty putting them on in less than 30 minutes without causing a weird vacuum or pressure problem in my ear that hurts.

What other options are out there? Has anyone solved these problems?

I might see an ENT to find out if I could get custom ones made that would be more comfortable. I would ask if they can custom make ear plugs out of material that I'm not allergic to. I would also ask if they can take molds of my ear canals to ensure that the new plugs fit properly. Figured I would check here first anyway so I might know what to request or inquire about.

buy noise canceler.... they're expensive but are worth it!! if its a good one and u have someone scream beside your ear while wearing it, you'll hear nothing!

 

[1TB4RKSB4CK]

Earplugs+Bose noise-cancelling headphones is the best lol
you can literally shout a meter away from me and I can't heard anything

 

[Czarcasm]

Earplugs+Bose noise-cancelling headphones is the best lol
you can literally shout a meter away from me and I can't heard anything

Haha, I use something similar. I bought beats by dre studio beats headphones a while back and use them in conjunction with hearos earplugs and literally can't hear a thing. It's actually scary sometimes because knowing I can't really hear anything, my roommate sometimes would be standing 1 foot away from my face waiting for me to turn at some point. Makes me paranoid as f**k.

 

[jetsfan1234]

Have you tried taking practice tests without ear plugs? I used them at first, but honestly they felt kind of disorienting. I was better off without them.

 

[Czarcasm]

Yeah, I agree with above. I usually use earplugs when reading or studying. I think it's important that when simulating actual test conditions, you should avoid using earplugs if possible. I don't know about everyone else but I found the proctors to be extremely disruptive and rude. They were actually shouting out peoples names (during the exam), letting people in the room, door slamming, hovering over people, talking loudly to people asking questions, and all the while, I could hear cars zooming past the building (beeping as well). Their headphones do very little. I think it's good to prepare yourself to tune out those distractions as much as possible just encase you do encounter them.

However, they did allow me to bring earplugs during the exam (they required me to squeeze them in front of them before bringing them in and I could only bring in 1 pair). But during the exam, I found my heartbeat was more distracting than anything else and ultimately just tossed them aside lol.

 

[legcannon]

This is just an idea - kind of far out (not something I would go as far as doing). If custom-made ear plugs of any hypoallergenic material end up failing for you, there is always the option of requesting or applying for accommodations (like a separate room) - depending on when your test date is because it may take up to 60 days to process requests.

According to the AAMC MCAT Accommodations FAQ:
What types of conditions or impairments might need to be accommodated? The most commonly accommodated conditions are disabilities that are covered by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). This includes individuals with:
Learning disabilities
Visual impairments
ADHD
Emotional disorders such as major depression
Physical impairments

So if your ENT thinks your allergy is enough of a physical impairment to where you both feel that you would be performing at a real disadvantage compared to everyone else who CAN wear plugs without bleeding out the ears, then you coooooould go that route. I know that a number of classmates from my postbac program qualified for accessibility and utilized the school's accessibility center to take all of their exams. My tinnitus bugs the crap out of me and affects how I learn, but I opt to just grit my teeth and keep going. Good luck!

 

[CharmanderMD]

I think you should try to learn to focus without complete silence. It's a useful life skill.

 

[Czarcasm]

This is just an idea - kind of far out (not something I would go as far as doing). If custom-made ear plugs of any hypoallergenic material end up failing for you, there is always the option of requesting or applying for accommodations (like a separate room) - depending on when your test date is because it may take up to 60 days to process requests.

According to the AAMC MCAT Accommodations FAQ:
What types of conditions or impairments might need to be accommodated? The most commonly accommodated conditions are disabilities that are covered by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). This includes individuals with:
Learning disabilities
Visual impairments
ADHD
Emotional disorders such as major depression
Physical impairments

So if your ENT thinks your allergy is enough of a physical impairment to where you both feel that you would be performing at a real disadvantage compared to everyone else who CAN wear plugs without bleeding out the ears, then you coooooould go that route. I know that a number of classmates from my postbac program qualified for accessibility and utilized the school's accessibility center to take all of their exams. My tinnitus bugs the crap out of me and affects how I learn, but I opt to just grit my teeth and keep going. Good luck!

I was told in the past that typically, your score is denoted with an asterisk to adcomm when a test taker is given special accommodations due to a disability. I don't know how true this is, or if it still applies today, but I would look into that as well.

 

[Jepstein30]

uh in terms of the MCAT, I highly doubt they will let you bring in headphones of any sort into the testing center. Earplugs, yes. Headphones, I'd check the Prometric policies.

best bet is learning to do without or exploring custom earplugs (which I'm sure exist but will be a matter of expenses).

 

[Gauss44]

I know this might seem odd, but have you ever considered putting something on the exterior of your ear plugs ...like saran wrap lol. Might be a little uncomfortable, but the net effect would be the same, plus it would essentially prevent the ear plugs from coming into direct contact with your ear. Aside from that, my only suggestion would be to invest in some quality noise reduction headphones. Boise has some good ones, but they're pricey.

I'll try the plastic wrap idea. Thanks!

 

[nemo123]

I know this might seem odd, but have you ever considered putting something on the exterior of your ear plugs ...like saran wrap lol. Might be a little uncomfortable, but the net effect would be the same, plus it would essentially prevent the ear plugs from coming into direct contact with your ear. Aside from that, my only suggestion would be to invest in some quality noise reduction headphones. Boise has some good ones, but they're pricey.

Does that work? On top of that, I don't think prometric would allow the OP to go into the testing room with saran wrap on his/her ears (If I remember correctly, they only let you bring in your ID and a set of ear plugs if you bring them along with crap paper and a pencil)...

 

[Darrencolons]

I have been using moldable ear plugs. I was allergic to foam ones. They were very uncomfortable to my ears. But now these one are good.

 

[lNVlNClBLE]

My testing center provided headphones.

 

[basicallyno]

Earplugs+Bose noise-cancelling headphones is the best lol
you can literally shout a meter away from me and I can't heard anything

It's funny you mentioned because I was just thinking about buying the Bose. Do they cancel out talking noises as well? Or just "flat, constant" noises?

 

[Sed8&Intub8]

The Bose quiet comfort 15's are fantastic! So comfortable and you can't hear anything and if you decide to play music the sound quality is superb! But they are like $350. If you don't have that kind of money or simply don't want to spend that much on headphones the monoprice noise canceling headphones are like $99 and they are quite impressive, especially at that price point.

As for earplugs some are worse than others, you aren't really allergic, but I guess sensitive to them. But I used to use some and they were uncomfortable and wax would build then I tried these ones that my university provided for free, and they were amazing! So comfortable no wax build-up just awesome. I tried to see if I had any left so I could tell you that brand but I couldn't find any

 

[Darrencolons]

Well, I think you could be allergic to the substance that is made from.Find ones that you don’t have any reaction.

In my opinion you should have to use Aussie Ear Plugs world’s Finest Ear Plug. Hope this helps you

 

[valkener]

You can get used to studying/taking the test without earplugs. Honestly, I've always felt that they do very little but if you study around noisy places you can get used to focusing on the test without paying attention to your surroundings -- "selective attention."

 

[justadream]

Do you guys actually wear the provided headphones over your earplugs?

 

[j9260]

I find that the headphones provided by the testing center (at least the one in Philadelphia - Walnut Street) are very good with "noise-cancelling." I'm pretty sure they basically just use white-noise audio. So, I sometimes use white-noise audio from YouTube to get myself acquainted to it when I study.