Living spider removed from woman’s ear

Bangalore, June 07, 2017: It was just another day for 49-year-old Jyothi Laxmi, a housewife, who was relaxing in the veranda, amidst greenery, in the afternoon after completing her household chores. It was a part her regular routine where she would lie-down in the veranda generally in summer afternoons. However, this day was different.

As she woke up after falling asleep for a couple of hours, she started feeling discomfort in her right ear. She tried to remove the particle with the help of her finger but failed. On experiencing, unbearable pain and discomfort, she asked her daughter to look into her ear with a torch.

The occasional sharp pains followed by a feeling of discomfort hinted her for the presence of an insect in the ear. After several failed attempts to identify and remove the insect, her husband rushed her to Columbia Asia Hospital, Hebbal to consult Dr. Santosh, Consultant – ENT, Columbia Asia Hospital, Hebbal.

“I was terrified as I could feel movement of a creature in my ear. The acute earache followed by sharp pains suffocated me. I couldn’t think of anything and was petrified when the doctor confirmed presence of a spider in my ear,” recalled Jyothi.

“It is common to see emergency room visits due to the presence of a foreign object in the ear and it takes a simple procedure to remove the object. However, when a living insect makes its way inside a human ear, the patient might get frightened making it difficult for the doctor to continue the procedure. It was a rare case where I saw a spider moving inside the ear canal,” said Dr. Santosh.

The spider was removed with the help of fine instruments and Jyothi was sent home the same day, after the treatment. She was prescribed antibiotics and ear drops to avert the possibility of an ear infection.

“Trying to remove any foreign body lodged inside the ear canal without medical supervision can be dangerous and can even lead to injury to the eardrum and possible hearing loss. Therefore, it is important to take treatment immediately from an ENT specialist, in case a foreign body gets stuck inside the ear,” added the doctor.

Corporate Comm India (CCI Newswire)