Hi. It sounds like you have impacted ear wax. The pain is because it swells up after water enters the ear during a bath or after application of ear drops. The bluetooth device could have also helped in pushing the wax deeper into the canal where it gets narrower and worsened the situation. It is recommended that you see an ENT specialist and have the ear wax removed under microscopy or syringing. You may continue to apply eax dissolvant ear drops such as Otorex to keep the wax soft for easy removal. Do not use earbuds to remove the wax as this may push it deeper. There is a small possibility that this is not impacted ear wax if the ear clogging started after a cold or blocked nose. In which case it may be a eustachian tube blockage for which the treatment is different. You ENT specialist will be in a position to identify the cause accurately and treat you for the condition. Here is some trivia on ear wax that you may find useful: ar wax is produced by glands present in the outer part of the ear canal which is close to the ear pinna. The skin in the outer ear canal grows outwards at the speed of 1 to 3 mm per day. Wax that is produced is expelled out on its own along with the growing skin. Therefore there is no need to try and remove the wax from within the ear canal. By inserting an ear bud the wax is pushed inside the canal into a narrower bony region from where the skin is tightly adherent to the bone and hence does not grow outwards. Hence the wax stays there, dries up and gets impacted. This can cause decreased hearing and also pain if it gets infected. The best way to remove ear wax is by cleaning the ear canal superficially by the edge of a towel or handkerchief after a hot water bath. For those with large amounts of sticky wax may need to put drops that help dissolve wax. Remember, ear wax is protective. It prevents entry of dirt, reduces infection and even prevents insects from entering into the ears.