Anon - That sounds like a frightening experience! Thanks for coming to the site and following up.
Doctors see a lot of people with what they call "foreign objects" in the ear. Most are harmless but some (including bugs) can be very uncomfortable and some can produce an infection that requires medical treatment.
Generally the way people can tell they have an ear infection or ear problem is by symptoms such as ear pain, a fever, or trouble hearing. If you start having problems such as inflammation (swelling), fever, discharge, bleeding or pain then you will need to see a doctor right away.
If the clogged sensation continues to bother you then you should get your ear checked out. The doctor will look directly into the ear with an instrument called an otoscope. This is a magnifying light with a plastic cone tip, which is slid into the canal to look at the structures inside.
If there are parts of the bug that are deeper in your ear than you can see, then you need to have a professional remove them. Don't stick anything into the ear to remove these yourself because you could push the parts in further and cause damage or rupture of the eardrum or scratch the skin of the ear canal.
Insects in the ear canal are often killed with either lidocaine (an anesthetic) or mineral oil. They are then flushed out with gentle warm water irrigation.You may want to get some mineral oil and put a few drops in your ear and flush it well with warm water just to follow up on what you're already done, and to get additional peace of mind.
Good luck to you, and I hope that you're not dealing with pesky bugs in the future!
Take care, Pat
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Anon - That sounds like a frightening experience! Thanks for coming to the site and following up.
Doctors see a lot of people with what they call "foreign objects" in the ear. Most are harmless but some (including bugs) can be very uncomfortable and some can produce an infection that requires medical treatment.
Generally the way people can tell they have an ear infection or ear problem is by symptoms such as ear pain, a fever, or trouble hearing. If you start having problems such as inflammation (swelling), fever, discharge, bleeding or pain then you will need to see a doctor right away.
If the clogged sensation continues to bother you then you should get your ear checked out. The doctor will look directly into the ear with an instrument called an otoscope. This is a magnifying light with a plastic cone tip, which is slid into the canal to look at the structures inside.
If there are parts of the bug that are deeper in your ear than you can see, then you need to have a professional remove them. Don't stick anything into the ear to remove these yourself because you could push the parts in further and cause damage or rupture of the eardrum or scratch the skin of the ear canal.
Insects in the ear canal are often killed with either lidocaine (an anesthetic) or mineral oil. They are then flushed out with gentle warm water irrigation.You may want to get some mineral oil and put a few drops in your ear and flush it well with warm water just to follow up on what you're already done, and to get additional peace of mind.
Good luck to you, and I hope that you're not dealing with pesky bugs in the future!
June 1, 2010 - 5:53pmTake care, Pat
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