“Foreign object in the ear canal?”
My son stuck a rice krispie in his ear. I took him to the doctor and the doctor said he thinks he got it all my son still says something is wrong. If left untreated would a rice krispie particle cause an infection overtime or cause a bigger problem?
Male | 5 years old
Complaint duration: 12/5/2021
Medications: None
Conditions: None
7 Answers
Your son is 5. I'm sure his nose feels weird and irritated after having a rice krispie in the nose and someone mixing around up there. In short, if there is anything left, yes, it will cause inflammation and the nose might produce a lot of mucus in response to any presence of foreign body. But a food product will disintegrate pretty quickly.
Use nasal saline to irrigate your son's nose over the next few days and he'll be fine.
Use nasal saline to irrigate your son's nose over the next few days and he'll be fine.
It could be irritation from the foreign body or the manipulation to get it out. See an ENT physician for an examination and reassurance.
May be some mild inflammation in the canal causing residual FB sensation. I will assume that the doctor used a microscope when he/she cleaned the ear out and did not injure the canal skin in the process. You could instill some 3% peroxide in the involved ear for 10-15 seconds and then gently irrigate the canal with warm water or in the shower. If this does not work or if not better in a few days, take the child back to the ENT.
Get a referral to an Ear, Nose, and Throat doctor to double check the ear.
More than likely the rice krispie caused some irritation to the canal before it was removed. This should settle with time. As you say, the physician stated he was able to remove the bulk of the piece. If any crumbs remain, you could flush the canal with a little water at bath time and they should be easily washed out.
Angela R. Sieh Ceretto, M.A., CCC-A, FAAA
Angela R. Sieh Ceretto, M.A., CCC-A, FAAA
If the physician was able to remove it, it should be fine. If they used water irrigation to flush it out, he could be perceiving a strange feeling as the ear dries out. If you’re concerned after a day or two, don’t hesitate to schedule him with an ENT! Take Care!
If there are still concerns whether or not there is a foreign object in the ear or a possible infection, you may consider returning to the ear, nose, and throat (ENT) physician or an audiologist to complete otoscopy (looking in the ear canal). If your son continues to complain of discomfort, the ENT or an audiologist will be able to complete a tympanogram to determine if there is fluid behind the eardrum that may or may not be infected.
