Worst pain I ever experienced was that time MongolTaig corrected me for saying their instead of there. Struggled with internetting ever since to be honest.
There is self applying stuff if you want to do it. I suffered with a crackle in my left ear for years, thought it was to do with work or listening to Julie's constant nasal whining but I used some ear cleaning stuff and the crackle disappeared after huge big brown lumps of wax left my ear canal and I felt like I could hear things from miles away. Even drying my skin came with a soundtrack. Cleaning your ears with cotton buds is what caused my ears to became partially blocked and you should just let the wax come out itself. Don't get me wrong, you'll look like a Taig but that's a risk you need to assess for yourself.
I have to use the stuff for a week then go to the nurse as well. The liquid just softens it up for the real deal for me.