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Karen Drew: What I learned after a bug got stuck in my ear while sleeping outside

Dr. McGeorge to the rescue!

Karen, Dr. McGeorge and the bug. (WDIV)

If you know me, I’m one for adventure. I love the outdoors and enjoy spending time with my kids.

My youngest, Morgan, LOVES to sleep outside on our deck -- no tent -- and fall asleep under the stars! It’s really fun ... that is, until a couple of nights ago.

So, here’s what happened. We fell asleep, and then around 2:30 a.m., I heard and felt a buzzing by my ear. I swatted, and then I FELT like there was a bug in my ear.

Yes, a bug INSIDE my ear.

So I started screaming and woke up Morgan, of course. She asked what was wrong, and I didn’t want to totally freak her out, so I said, “Oh, I felt a bug near my ear; I’m sure it’s nothing.” (Meanwhile, I kept hearing buzzing for a bit, and then it stopped.)

I figured I was overreacting, so I went back to bed. I was totally uneasy and a bit grossed out, but what was I going to do?

The next morning, I texted Dr. McGeorge, asking him to bring one of those tools to look into people’s ears. He did. He actually examined me on set during a commercial break before I started anchoring the 5:30 p.m. news. Then he was able to take a picture of what he saw! IT’S SOOOO GROSS! It was a dead bug in my ear!

I was about to anchor, and I had to try and stop thinking about this disgusting development and do my newscast. Anyway, afterwards, Dr. McGeorge met me in the Green Room and with some tweezers, was able to pull this nasty bug out.

The bug. (WDIV)

What to do if this happens to you

Dr. McGeorge told me he does this all the time! Who knew so many people got bugs stuck in their ears? He also told me a big mistake people make is trying to get the bug out while it is alive.

When that happens, you tend to pull the bug apart and get pieces of the bug stuck in your ear canal. Better to kill it first. Here’s what he said:

“Generally People should not try to kill a bug in their ear on their own, without having it evaluated by a doctor first. Depending on what the bug was, peroxide could do more harm than good. In the hospital, we use lidocaine, the same anesthetic for cuts. If someone wants to try to kill the bug first, something simple, like vegetable oil or baby oil, will ultimately suffocate it and be less harmful than peroxide.”

Again -- who knew?! P.S. I’m never going to use the phrase “let me put a bug in your ear,” and it’s going to be a long time before I sleep outside without a tent.


About the Author
Karen Drew headshot

Karen Drew is the anchor of Local 4 News First at 4, weekdays at 4 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. She is also an award-winning investigative reporter.

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