Let's Simplify
The difficulty that the surgeon faces in locating the fishbone, even with the most modern scans and endoscopes, due to its transparency and slender size, cannot be overstressed. In my opinion, the proverbial searching for a needle in the haystack is easier in many cases.
Sometimes it is just a suspicion of a foul smell emanating from the ear or mild wetness or rarely a minimal hearing loss that prompts the patient to the doctor. More often they present late with pain, giddiness, headache etc.
One of the most common conditions presenting with this symptom is the gastroesophageal reflux disorder (G.E.R.D.), associated with the reflux of the acidic material in the stomach into the food pipe for various reasons.
Most of the times, if one does not interfere with nature’s mechanisms, the wax self-drains and rarely, if ever, needs a visit to the doctor. The doctor may remove the wax under direct vision or with the aid of a microscope, using swab sticks, suctioning or by syringing.
Dehydration is thought to cause the brain to shrink and to pull away from the skull, triggering a migraine. This may be the cause for several of the tension and fatigue headaches.
An itch for an itch is no solution. Even the best doctor will be rendered helpless in the absence of self-discipline.
Most of the minor bleeds can be managed by bed rest, local compression by pinching the nose or by ice packs applied on the nose. It is important to avoid any panic.
A baby must breathe through the nose for the normal development of the face. It is easy to identify a child who breathes through the mouth by observing the face. The pinched nostrils, the open mouth with the protuberant teeth and the long face are all part of what is called the adenoid facies. All these symptoms are due to the defective development of the nose and the sinuses. These changes are quite difficult to correct later in life. Truly, prevention is easier and better than a cure.
Clumsy attempts at self-removal may result in the foreign body lodging deeper into the nose or worse still, dropping back into the throat and from there into the trachea or the bronchus which may, God forbid, result in a tragic outcome …
Children usually love to hoard small objects in their ears. Ideally parents should be aware of what their children are playing with, however most children are so active that it is not always possible to keep track of them …