Foreign object in ear....

[bluemorningglory]

Ok, I am not asking for medical advice..this is more of a "what to expect" thread. I went to see a NP the other day for a bad cold. She checked my ears and told me something was inside of it. She tried to retrieve it(ouch!) and could not. I am set to see an ENT. How the heck is he going to get it out? I have no idea what it could be!

[roser13, ASN, RN]

1) The NP could be wrong

2) FB extractions can be done under general anesthesia, so that may be why she sent you on to the ENT

3) In the interim, you might purchase an earwax softening agent at the drugstore, use it, then flush out your ear yourself.

[AgentBeast, BSN, RN]

I have no idea what would be inside your ear canal, other than earwax and environmental particulates. However, it is not uncommon to get a a blockage of the eustachian tube. Which can lead to temporary minor hearing loss, usually in the upper frequencies. You can check for the hearing loss by placing a mechanical watch up to your ear and trying to listen for the tick tick tick sound. If you can't hear it the most likely condition is a blocked eustachian tube. The condition typically resolves itself in a week or two. Yawning is probably the simplest "treatment" for the condition. Other "treatments" include using one of the nasal sprays like afrin ect. or nasal irrigation. I've also found that placing a heating pad over the affected ear can help.

http://www.medicinenet.com/eustachian_tube_problems/article.htm

[OCNRN63, RN]

People should not be giving you advice to do anything to your ear. You could potentially do more damage. Don't do anything unless your provider has instructed you to do so.

[VivaLasViejas, ASN, RN]

People should not be giving you advice to do anything to your ear. You could potentially do more damage. Don't do anything unless your provider has instructed you to do so.

Excellent advice, and the only kind we can legally and ethically give.

I'm sorry, OP, but we cannot tell you "what to expect" at the ENT's office, because we have no way of knowing what may be inside your ear and we are not allowed to conjecture. Attempting to diagnose someone over the Internet is not in our scope of practice; you must simply go to the ENT and get his or her expert opinion.

Thanks for your understanding, and we wish you the best in getting your problem solved.

Closing thread now.