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Suggest Treatment For Ear Injury

Posted on Mon, 8 Sep 2014

Question: I was cleaning my ear last night and poked it with a q-tip. The cotton on the tip was rather thin, so the 'stick' poked me. My ear bled a bit and I woke up feeling like there's water in my ear. I used some ear drop, and laid on my pillow, so my ear drained a bit, and some red came out. I use another q-tip, gently and it came out a bit red. Is this cause for concern? It is not painful, but it just feels like water is in my ear.....
I don't have an ENT, so this is just to know if I need to find one. Thanks

Answered by Dr. Vaddadi Suresh (15 minutes later)

Brief Answer:
trauma

Detailed Answer:
Hi,
You might have traumatised the tympanic membrane. Usually it heals spontaneously after some time. Don't put anything including ear bud, as it can introduce infection and can complicate the issue.
You can take an anti inflammatory drug like brufen and anti allergic drug like cetrizine.
If you don't seem to be improving, you need to consult atleast a physician if you have no ENT surgeon nearby.
Hope you will be fine soon.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar

Follow up: Dr. Vaddadi Suresh (3 hours later)

Ok, thanks....How long does it usually take to heal? I have a slight headache now...what are the signs I should look for before going to a doc? I'll wait intil Monday before going into panic mode...

Answered by Dr. Vaddadi Suresh (2 hours later)

Brief Answer:
sure

Detailed Answer:
Usually not more than a week. Increasing pain, impaired hearing or giddiness should be regarded as red flag signs.
Till then, you need not worry.

Note: Consult an experienced Otolaryngologist / ENT Specialist online for further follow up on ear, nose, and throat issues - Book a Call now.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar