Cockroach crawls inside sleeping woman's ear in Romblon

A woman in Romblon sought medical attention after a cockroach crawled into her ear while she was asleep.

As seen in Kuya Kim's report on "24 Oras," Thursday, Dr. Erwin Geroleo Jr., an internal medicine specialist who treated the woman, said the patient consulted him after hearing unusual sounds coming from inside her ear.

"Her complaint to me was that something seems to have entered her ear. She said she heard a rustling," he said in Filipino. "I got the idea that an insect probably went into her ear."

Upon examining her ear, Geroleo confirmed that the insect was a cockroach.

"We first immobilized the insect using warm baby oil so that the parts of the insect that could cause a wound inside her ear would not scratch her," he said.

Since the cockroach was near the opening of the patient's ear, the doctor was able to remove it manually using forceps.

"We got the whole cockroach immediately. The cockroach was still alive when we caught it," Geroleo said.

The doctor said the cockroach appeared to be an adult and was relatively large, leaving the patient surprised at how it managed to enter her ear.

After removing the insect, he examined the woman's ear again to check for possible abrasions or wounds.

"There were no abrasions, no scratches, and no infection after the removal of the insect," he said.

Dr. Erwin pointed to the woman's living conditions as a possible reason why the cockroach was able to get into her ear.

"Their house has several holes in the walls, and they also don't use a mosquito net," he said.

What to do if an insect enters the ear

According to Kuya Kim, an insect entering the ear can become dangerous if not addressed promptly, as it may damage the eardrum and affect hearing.

Some signs that an insect may have entered the ear include itching or a tickling sensation, scratching or buzzing sounds coming from inside the ear, and a feeling of blockage, discomfort, or pain.

If you suspect that an insect has entered your ear, avoid inserting objects into the ear to remove it, as this could cause further injury.

Seek medical attention for safe removal, especially if there is pain, bleeding, hearing loss, or persistent discomfort. —Jade Veronique Yap/MGP, GMA News