Watch | Doctors find a spider in the ear of 64-year-old woman in Taiwan
Spider
Doctors pulled out a spider from the ear of a 64-year-old woman in Taiwan.
After struggling with a strange sensation in her left ear with incessant clicking and rustling sounds, a woman visited an ear, nose and throat clinic. According to the case study published in theNew England Journal of Medicine, the doctors figured it was a spider moving about her ear canal. The spider had discarded its exoskeleton and sat near it. The doctors used a tube to pull out the spider and exoskeleton.
The journal also posted a video on X, saying, "A woman with hypertension presented to the clinic with a 4-day history of abnormal sounds in her ear. On examination, a small spider was seen moving within the external auditory canal of the left ear. The moulted exoskeleton of the spider was also present."
"She didn't feel the pain because the spider was about 2 to 3 millimetres," said Dr. Tengchin Wang, the report's co-author and the director of the otolaryngology department at Tainan Municipal Hospital.
Dr. Wang said he wrote the report because of the case's novelty. He had seen ants, moths, cockroaches, and mosquitoes inside people's ears. However, Dr. Wang had never seen a case where the insect moulted inside the ear canal. In his report, he requested the public to consult a doctor if they ever experience such symptoms.
Doctors in the United States report that while rare, it is not unheard of to find an insect in a person's ear, the NBS News reported.
Studies suggest that at least 14 per cent of objects found in people's ears are live insects. Other identified items are cotton balls, beads, and earring backings.
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According to the National Library of Medical Science, people who suspect they might have an insect inside their ear must not stick their finger inside as the insect could sting them. Moreover, the person should avoid using tweezers or paper clips. Sharp instruments can damage the eardrums and cause bleeding or infection. Doctors also recommended avoiding Q-tips as they could lodge the insect farther in the ear canal.
A safe home remedy is to pour vegetable oil, olive oil, or baby oil into the ear to drown the bug. It will help it slide out easily.
Dr Wang recommends using lidocaine or ethanol to kill bigger insects. These chemicals prevent damage to the ear by stopping them from moving.
People who have successfully removed the insect from their ear should also consult a doctor as a part of a bug could be left behind.
(With inputs from agencies)
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