How to safely remove a bug from your ear

As we have discussed in previous articles, having a live insect in your ear can be very disconcerting to say the least. The natural human tendency is to try and get the bug out of your ear as soon as possible. Unfortunately, this isn't the easiest task to accomplish and if done incorrectly can lead to permanent hearing loss.

How to know if a bug is in your ear

• People with a bug in their ear often report the following symptoms: popping, crunching, fluttery, ticklish, or buzzing sound in the affected ear.

What types of bugs can get in your ear?

• There are a number of insects that can and will enter your ear. Of the many types of insects that can get into ears, gnats, moths, and roaches are the most common. Gnats get tangled in the wax and cannot fly out. Bigger insects cannot turn around; neither can they crawl backwards. They keep on struggling, and their motion can be painful and frightening.

How to safely remove a bug from your ear

• Your best bet is to seek qualified medical treatment. If no medical treatment is available, use the following steps.
• First the safety warning: Never try to remove an insect with tweezers, bobby pins, cotton swabs or any other object. This can lodge the insect deeper in the ear canal. It can also damage the ear drum leading to permanent hearing loss. Don't do it!
• Stay Calm. If you are treating someone else, especially a child, stay calm. This will help your patient stay calm as well.
• Have the patient lean over with their ear facing upwards.
• Fill the ear with baby oil, mineral oil, vegetable oil or olive oil. This will kill the insect and cause it to stop moving. If you don't have access to one of the oils listed above, you can attempt to use clean water only.
• Flush the ear with warm water allowing it to overflow. Watch carefully for the insect to be flushed out.
• If you are unable to fully remove the insect using this technique, seek medical treatment as soon as possible.

Here is what it looks like when you have a bug in your ear.  Video.

Website Link: Mayo Clinic - First Aid for removing foreign objects from ear

Disclaimer: Jake is not a medical doctor. The information and techniques present on this website are provided as a public service and should not be considered sound medical advice. If you experience any of the symptoms listed on this website, you should seek sound medical advice as soon as possible.

A Bug In Your Ear

How to Safely Remove a bug from your ear.

A little over a year ago, I did a blog entry entitled, "A bug in your ear." Little did I know that this particular entry would become the number one source of traffic on Pohick. I was at the time, using the phrase as a figure of speech or an idiom, and not an actual bug in the ear. Apparently however there is not a lot of qualitative information on the web concerning what to do if you actually get a bug in your ear. I have been amazed at the hundred of queries for "bug in the ear" information. Queries have included:

• What do I do if I have a bug in my ear?
• Can a bug live in your ear?
• How long can a bug live in your ear?
• How do I know if a bug is in my ear?
• How do I get a bug out of my ear?
• Removing bugs from ears?
• Types of bugs that live in ears?
• Ear bug removal
• Put a bug in my ear

I feel bad that there are so many folks dealing with bug in the ear issues. As a public service, I have compiled the following list of references for what you can to do if you have or believe that you may have an actual bug in your ear.

• Having a live insect in your ear can be extremely uncomfortable.
• People are often desperate to get the bug to stop moving.
• If you do not have a known hole in your eardrum, it is usually safe to place a few drops of mineral oil into the ear. This will kill the bug and allow you to calmly and safely continue with additional care. Click here for detail instructions on safely removing the insect from your ear.
• Removal of any object from the ear can be very difficult, and should only be attempted by a doctor skilled in the techniques of safe removal. Usually this can be done in the office, but sometimes general anesthesia must be used when the object is lodged deeply in the ear or if the patient is uncooperative, such as with a young child. It is important to remember that the most common reason that an ear is injured from a foreign object is because of inadvertent damage occurring during the removal of the object. (Source: www.medicinenet.com)

Here is what it looks like when you have a bug in your ear.  Video.

(** Jake Pohick is not a medical doctor, nor does he play one on TV. This advice is provided as a public service and you should seek competent medical advice as soon as possible.)

How to Safely Remove a bug from your ear.