Ear canal stopped producing earwax

Dear Dr. Roach: I am turning 68 years old tomorrow. For the past couple of months, my ear canals have been very itchy. Now for some reason I no longer produce earwax. Do you have any idea what may be causing this? A doctor looked in my ear and said the ear canals look fine. — R.K.

Happy birthday. Itching in the ear canals is common, but usually an exam is able to lead the examiner to at least suspect a diagnosis. An incipient ear infection is one common reason, but your issue has been going on for months. Skin conditions that itch, such as eczema, is another common one. Just having dry skin is a common cause, especially in winter. I often see people make their problem worse by using inappropriate therapies, especially peroxide, and also by putting objects in the ear to scratch it. I would get the ear looked at again, and if there still is nothing to see, one treatment is a mild prescription steroid drop for a period of time.

Dear Dr. Roach: I am 76, female, healthy, do not take any meds and am scheduled for a total knee replacement in three days. During the testing, they made an incidental discovery on the CT scan of “two prominent right external iliac lymph nodes, measuring up to 15 and 13 mm in short axis.” My surgical team did not respond, and my internist says “do not worry,” with no explanation. — L.M.

The external iliac lymph nodes are structures in the hip, and like all lymph nodes, may enlarge in the presence of infection or inflammation. Yours are definitely enlarged, with less than 8-10 mm considered normal. After you recover from surgery, it may be worth taking another look to see if they have shrunk. If they are persistently enlarged, especially if they are growing, some physicians would recommend a biopsy to be sure it is nothing to worry about.