DOCTORS have shared a terrifying clip revealing the moment they discovered a spider in a woman’s ear.
The 64-year old ended up at an specialist clinic after experiencing a strange sensation in her left ear which meant she was unable to fall asleep.
1
The patient in Taiwan could feel something moving inside her, and kept hearing clicking and rustling sounds, medics said.
On examination, the team from Tainan Municipal Hospital found a small spider scurrying about in her ear canal.
The creepy crawly had also discarded its outer shell, which it left nearby.
In April, the doctors used a a tube-like device to suck the spider and its exoskeleton out.
Writing in the New England Journal of Medicine, Dr Tengchin Wang said: “She didn’t feel pain because the spider was very small – just about two to three millimetres.”
The expert added that he had never seen a creature shed its skin in someone’s ear before.
He urged the public to see a doctor if they ever experience similar symptoms.
Thankfully, getting an insect in your ear is a relatively rare occurrence.
A 2019 study found that live bugs represent just 14 per cent of foreign objects found lodged in people’s ear canals.
More commonly discovered items include cotton balls, beads and earring backings.
How to tell if you have a bug in your ear
If the insect is still alive while it is in your ear, it can often be loud and painful.
According to Healthline, possible signs and symptoms include:
- Itchiness or tickling sensations in the ear
- Scratching or buzzing noises
- Muffled sound in the affected ear
- A feeling that something is stuffed in your ear
- Ear discomfort or pain
How to remove a bug from your ear
Firstly, make sure to remain calm.
Before calling your GP, try to remove the bug from the ear canal while at home.
Do this by pouring vegetable oil or baby oil into the ear canal and shaking your head, Healthline says.
Never use a cotton swab or other probing object as this can push the bug further in and potentially damage the middle ear or eardrum.
If you or your child has a history of ear problems, it’s important to go to the doctor or call 111 right away.
You should also contact your GP if you can’t get the bug out using oil at home.
Read more on the Scottish Sun
Doctors will typically use an anaesthetic called lidocaine to successfully kill the bug before flushing it out.
You might also be prescribed antibiotics if there’s severe damage done to the ear canal.