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Dr. Andrew Rynne
MD
Dr. Andrew Rynne

Family Physician

Exp 50 years

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Mild Bleeding And Pain In The Ear After Cleaning. Damaged Eardrum?

I accidentally hit the swab while attempting to clean my left ear. My hands were dry so I wet my fingertips and when I lifted my hand hit the swab. I felt some pain but not apparent bleeding until I came home from work and wanted to see if there was any discharge and noticed a small amount of blood on the end of the swab. Did I damage my eardrum?
Tue, 23 Apr 2013
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General & Family Physician,  's  Response
Hi, thanks for using healthcare magic

It is possible that there was damage to the ear drum.
If it is perforated there is increased risk of infection of the middle or inner ear.

Perforation of the ear drum can be associated with symptoms such as decreased hearing, whistling sounds when sneezing or blowing your nose.
If it had been as a result of infection then there would also be discharge.

The ear drum normally repairs itself, it may take a few weeks.No treatment is necessary if you have minimal hearing loss and are not a swimmer.
If you experience significant hearing loss then a temporary hearing aid may be needed.

If you experience symptoms then you may want to consider visiting your doctor for an evaluation.

It is best not to use q tips past the outer ear because of potential damage to middle or inner ear. If you have problems with wax accumulation, use a softening agent such as warm olive oil,in the ear for 5 minutes twice daily.
This would cause the wax to move to the outer ear where it can be safely removed.

I hope this helps
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Mild Bleeding And Pain In The Ear After Cleaning. Damaged Eardrum?

Hi, thanks for using healthcare magic It is possible that there was damage to the ear drum. If it is perforated there is increased risk of infection of the middle or inner ear. Perforation of the ear drum can be associated with symptoms such as decreased hearing, whistling sounds when sneezing or blowing your nose. If it had been as a result of infection then there would also be discharge. The ear drum normally repairs itself, it may take a few weeks.No treatment is necessary if you have minimal hearing loss and are not a swimmer. If you experience significant hearing loss then a temporary hearing aid may be needed. If you experience symptoms then you may want to consider visiting your doctor for an evaluation. It is best not to use q tips past the outer ear because of potential damage to middle or inner ear. If you have problems with wax accumulation, use a softening agent such as warm olive oil,in the ear for 5 minutes twice daily. This would cause the wax to move to the outer ear where it can be safely removed. I hope this helps