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Testimonial: How a Cotton Swab Sent Me to the Emergency Room

“Madam, a cotton swab is useless.” That phrase will stick with me, even though I later learned it’s not entirely true. Here’s how a cotton swab led me to the emergency room.

A Cotton Swab Stuck in My Ear

That morning, I had an important team meeting with our deputy general manager. Time was tight as I hurried to get ready. I grabbed a cotton swab, deep in thought, and inserted it deeply into my ear. Suddenly, I felt resistance. As I pulled it out, I heard a crinkling sound. To my horror, the cotton tip had come off and remained inside my ear.

I immediately noticed that the voices on the radio seemed quieter—although, of course, this wasn’t true. My ear was blocked, and my hearing was muffled.

I waited for my roommate to wake up and asked for his help, tweezers in hand. After his attempt failed, we headed to the local doctor’s office, which was supposedly open, but no one answered. With no other options, I rushed to the pharmacy, where they advised me to go to the emergency room.

Upon arrival, I was told that the general ER wouldn’t handle my case and that I needed to go to the ENT emergency department a 40-minute drive away. Time was slipping away, and I informed my workplace, hoping no one would share the reason for my absence during the meeting.

At the ENT department, I quickly realized my “emergency” would take some time to be addressed. Understandably so, as I wasn’t in pain, just struggling to hear. My mind raced with possibilities: Would I need surgery? How would my body react to the foreign object? Would I lose my hearing?

Two hours later, a nurse attended to me. She seemed unfazed, as if this was a routine occurrence (though, according to another ENT I spoke with later, it’s quite rare). The nurse explained that ears clean themselves naturally, so cotton swabs aren’t necessary. Using a long, fine tweezer, she tilted my head and removed the cotton. Relief washed over me immediately. No treatment was needed just a valuable lesson learned and a story to tell.

Is It Dangerous to Insert a Cotton Swab Into Your Ear?

The answer is yes. Inserting a cotton swab too deeply can perforate the eardrum. Additionally, pushing earwax and dead skin deeper into the ear can create a blockage, leading to hearing loss and potentially causing an infection like otitis if left untreated.

In rare cases, complications can be much more severe. For example, in 2019, a man in England nearly lost his life due to improper cotton swab use. According to the British Medical Journal, the 31-year-old man arrived at the hospital with seizures, headaches, nausea, and ear pain. A scan revealed two abscesses inside his skull, caused by a cotton swab fragment lodged in his ear. The infection had spread to his meninges, requiring an urgent surgery known as a cortical mastoidectomy to remove part of the bone behind the ear and the foreign object.

After 10 weeks of recovery, the patient was healthy, with no lasting neurological or ear-related symptoms. The intracranial abscesses had completely healed. Needless to say, cotton swabs were permanently banned from this man’s bathroom after that.

How to Remove a Cotton Swab Stuck in Your Ear

If a cotton swab or any foreign object becomes lodged in your ear, do not attempt to remove it yourself. Trying to use tweezers or other tools can push the object further in and increase the risk of injury. It’s essential to see an ENT specialist immediately to safely remove the object and prevent complications.

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