WHAT IS THAT?! FOREIGN OBJECT REMOVAL - EP916 

I was an ER nurse for years. Our doctors used to put a small drop of super glue on the wooden end of a Qtip then touch the foreign body VERY CAREFULLY, after a couple of seconds, once it has set, you can pull the object out very easily. Children love to put things in their ears and in their nose! Job well done getting that out!

Years ago in the 80’s I worked in a practice where we did ear washings for the hearing aid business in the back office. The audiomotrist told me than she has seen a fourteen year old boy who had lost most of his hearing. He had been seen by several doctors and no cause or problem was identified. She examined his ears and thought something was wrong. Two years prior, when he was twelve, he was studying shop in school. They used the foam twist earplugs in the class. I believe his were white and the end is concave much like an eardrum! She removed them and completely restored his hearing! Lesson learned! Susan M USA

I once had a cat hair in my ear that was rubbing against the eardrum for at least three weeks. The initial symptoms were dizziness, nausea and what sounded like water running in my head. I had gone to the ER twice with dizziness, gone to my GP for a follow up, back to the ER for a severe bout of dizziness and nausea, and then back to the GP because the ER doc thought I might have an acoustic neuroma. It felt like 3000 people looked in my ear but no one saw anything. I was beginning to think I was crazy. When I went back to the GP for the visit before the MRI/CT/diagnostics for the acoustic neuroma, he had medical students who he asked to give me an exam. Two of them dutifully looked in my ear, did all their medical stuff and saw nothing. The last girl walked up, got the scope to look in my ear, and took what seemed like an eternity. Finally she stepped back and said, "There's a Tabby striped cat hair in there." I said, "I have a Tabby cat who likes to sleep on my pillow. " Everyone looked shocked. They got out the ear washing set up, syringed my ear for a long, long time. And finally it emerged: an inch long Tabby striped cat hair. The GP asked what she saw that no one else did, including him. She said there was a tiny abrasion in the ear canal and the hair was stuck in that, rubbing on the eardrum. Everyone else had been focused on the eardrum alone, not looking at any other structures, and missing the thin, almost invisible end of the cat hair, rubbing against my eardrum like a bow on a violin string.

I was an ENT tech for many years and performed hundreds of ear cleanings. The craziest thing I ever pulled out of someone’s ear was a piece of glass! It was a cube of glass. Apparently the gentleman had been involved in a T-bone accident and glass from his driver side window flew towards him and one single shard got a “hole-in-one” into his ear canal. The accident happened 6 MONTHS prior to his clinic visit.

My heart is so broken for the patient with the battery! The amount of pain they must have been in, and how the ear canal looked after it was removed :(

You guys should consider writing this up as a case report for a journal. It’s so unusual and with the battery starting to corrode it could have been even worse for the patient

Hi, a couple of years ago I had a client that came in a few times, after a week or 6, he came in with a complaint that the hearing aid battery didn't work. He was putting the batteries directly in his ear thinking that that would improve his hearing.I look in his ear and saw at least 3 batteries stuffed in there, I send him to the hospital and the ENT had to pull 6 battery from hear ear canal. So this didn't surprise me and recognized it at first glance. The strangest thing i saw in an ear canal was by a little boy when his mother broad him in the shop with the question if I could do and hearingtest, because he was lisening so good, and when I used the otoscope, I could just see a chroom front grill with 2 headlights shinning back at me. He had parked the car of a H0 train set in his ear and was to afraid of telling his mom when he didn't get it out again, and had push it past the 2nd bend in the ear chanel. ENT had to operatively remove it.

Thank you for taking seriously the concerns of this patient. So often the very real pain and discomfort of people is ignored or ridiculed, especially in the elderly. You chaps did a wonderful job, and hopefully this gentleman will soon be healed and feeling better, able to enjoy the New Year. Best wishes to you both.

My first guess was marble, pearl, or bead. That would be difficult to remove. It is hard to believe that none of the other providers recognized it as a foreign body. Kudos to you both for saving the day and the season for this chap. I am sure he was frustrated.

I did guess it was a battery seconds before you said it! The poor patient! He was lucky that you guys were able to get it out after everyone else failed. Merry Christmas Rhys and Taylor. It's a good thing you became audiologists. You are very good at what you do.

I feel so sorry for this gentleman. How on earth did nobody see that battery? Did the GP even look in his ear at all? I'm so glad you were able to help him and take the majority of his pain away. ❤ Thank you both so much for this wonderful year with amazing videos. All the time and effort that goes into these videos is highly appreciated. Wishing you both, your family and all the viewers of this channel a wonderful, healthy and lovingly 2024!❤

So proud of myself guessing what it was waaaaaay before you told us. But poor patient! I always find it so funny how you keep calling it ‘discomfort’ when it is clearly ‘quite a lot of pain’. Thank you so much for an amazing Waxvent and all your hard work. I wish you - and everyone around here, especially our very own channel songwriter 😅 - peaceful & joyful & healthy holidays ❤

I guessed it was a battery after awhile. How other medical professionals thought it was wax is beyond me. I hope you and your loved ones had a lovely Christmas! 🎄

That poor patient, bless him. I knew it was a battery from the shape of it. I can imagine the pain he must have felt, and no one could help him. You guys saved the day! If the battery had corroded even further, there’s no telling how much damage it could have caused. I hope he’s doing much better. Thank you, gents for a wonderful Waxvent and hope you and your staff had a joyous and blessed Christmas! All the best in 2024! 🎊🎉

I used to work on the railways, and there was a railway technician who was completely deaf in one ear, so was not allowed to work alone trackside, as you need next to perfect hearing in both ears to hear trains coming or alarm signals for safety reasons. He had been deaf in that ear for about 10 years. His ear started hurting. and on investigation he was found to have the end of a cylindrical rubber that used to be attached to the end of a pencil in his ear. They removed it; the pain went and he had perfect hearing afterwards in that ear. He used to clean his ear out with the end of a pencil, and never noticed when the rubber broke off in his ear!

Managed to guess it pretty much immediately! I don't get how previous professionals thought it was wax buildup though?! Thank you guys for your awesome videos, you've made me take much better care of my ears since I found your channel earlier in the year! Hope you get a well deserved break!!

Merry Christmas to all at Audiology Associates and eveyone on this channel. Thank you to Rhys and Taylor for all your hard work and a great Waxvent. 🎄 🎁 🌟

You mentioned that it was part of a hearing aid and I immediately thought, "oh no! I hope it's not a battery!" Unfortunately, it was. I hope that patient is able to get treatment for everything that they've been through.

Holy Moly! That was incredibly dangerous! You gents finished up this year as heroes! Thank you for all you’ve done for us this year - I know Waxvent was especially hard on your schedules and we love you for it. Have an excellent break and a Happy New Year to you and the rest of our Wax-a-holic family! 🎄👂🏻❤👂🏻🎄

Awe, man, that poor patient. I'm glad that you two were able to help give him some relief. And letting the GP know your findings. I hope we will get a follow-up on how the patient is doing and what treatment was given.

I NEED to see the follow-up on the second foreign body case. Was that object (without spoiling it) associated with hearing equipment in some way? Or just a random happenstance?! Poor patient. You just gave them a pain-free Christmas, which is precious. Happy Christmas to all of you down there! I'm glad to know this was recorded in advance, so I trust you're laughing and boozing it up with Mrs B, kids, grandchild, etc. Have a happy new ear. :D

I’m so glad you listened to your patient and didn’t just shuffle them along. ❤ much love

That last extraction , poor patient, he must have been in terrible pain !! A difficult one to remove. Thank you both and your team for all your work and extra hours to present us with all the brillant videos this year. I hope you all have a good rest. All the best for 2024 ❤ Take care ❤❤😘😘🍀🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🎄☃️🎄🎅🎅

To be fair, I have seen hearing aid batteries with that level of corrosion (13:00) simply after a couple of weeks use. Particularly if the weather has been hot so that the wearer gets sweaty.

On the Twenty-fifth day of Waxmas, my audiologist gave to me, Twenty-five Amazing videos for Waxvent! Twenty-four Hilarious flubbed lines from Rhys and Taylor Twenty-three Lovely Troopers Twenty-two Medical terms that mean "bit of ear" Twenty-one Grommet removals, Twenty Retraction pockets, Nineteen Tool changes, Eighteen Infected canal clear-outs, Seventeen Q-Tip dimples, Sixteen Ruler Shots, Fifteen Layers of keratosis obturans, Fourteen attempts to peer round the wax, Thirteen Olive drops on the endoscope, Twelve Rosen Inserters, Eleven Ribbons Peeling, Ten Zoellner tubes, Nine years of Audiology Associates, Eight Cholesteatomas, Seven forceps a tugging, Six St Barts a hooking, (deep breath) Fiiiiiiiiive Gooooooldeeeeeeen Pluuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuugs! Four Jobson Hornes, Three fine ends, Two squirts of oil, And irrigation to flush the wax free! Warm Seasonal Greetings from Stephen, Your Waxing Lyricist 🗣👂 _And now for today's bonus song_ So this is Waxmas And what have we seen? Another wax boulder It completely fills the screen And so this is Waxmas This wax is a bung The fine end and Zoellner Don't work; wax has clung A very tricky wax mass It's now starting to clear A couple of skin flakes Pulled out of the ear How much gunk is in there??? Wax black and gunk white The yellow and red blobs It'll take us all night! A very tricky wax block It is holding in place Let's hope that the Jobson Is up for the case At last this is working It's starting to move We've scooped out a big chunk And left a big groove Now look: there's a small gap Inserter goes in A pull and a wiggle It's out for the win! A very merry Waxmas And a shiny clean ear That was such a hard one Wax gone; let's now cheer Wax has gone now Which we wanted Canal is clean Now _Parody based on Happy Xmas (War is Over), by John Lennon and Yoko Ono, and performed by them, along with the Plastic Ono Band and the Harlem Community Choir. It was first released in the US in 1971, and in the UK in 1972_ Now, did someone just shout "Encore"? We wish you a Merry Waxmas, We wish you a Merry Waxmas, We wish you a Merry Waxmas, And two healthy clean ears! Good ribbons Rhys brings, A nice length of skin. We wish you a Merry Waxmas, And two healthy clean ears! Our ears are full of fig-like pudding, Our ears are full of fig-like pudding, Our ears are full of fig-like pudding, So clean it right now! Good ribbons Rhys brings, A nice length of skin. We wish you a Merry Waxmas, And two healthy clean ears! We won't go until we're unclogged, We won't go until we're unclogged, We won't go until we're unclogged, So clean it right now! Good ribbons Rhys brings, A nice length of skin. We wish you a Merry Waxmas, And two healthy clean ears! That suction tube has done the job, That suction tube has done the job, That suction tube has done the job, I can hear colours now! Good ribbons Rhys brings, A nice length of skin. We wish you a Merry Waxmas, And two healthy clean ears! *Merry Waxmas, Everybody!* 🍾🥂🍻🎉🎄

Oh that poor person. Thank goodness you got that out and hopefully the corrosion didn't get a chance to do any damage.

Gentlemen you both exhibit such a great deal of patience!

Wow...that seems to be an extremely urgent situation!!! . My goodness what a relief this must be for this individual. Thank God you were professional & realized that was something thing not to be dismissed and sent out the door. You saved their hearing and potentially their life. What kind of implications could this have had if not removed?

Oh, my WORD!! I thought the one with the battery was, at FIRST, a caterpillar and THEN it started to look more like a roach!! JESUS! I KNOW that must have been SOOOOO, VERY, PAINFUL for the patient to have been living each day with a BATTERY BURIED down in the EAR CANAL! Can you, even, IMAGINE????? Thank the LORD for professionals like you guys! I ❤

Thank you, guys, for allowing us to see the complexity of audiology! A Merry Christmas to you both and a Happy New Year! I look forward to seeing you guys throughout 2024!

Wowzers, that’s crazy for day 25!! Happy New Years and thanks, gents🙏❤️🎄

How about a good old fashioned XRAY? the battery would definitely show up as a metal object! So glad this patient can now begin the process of healing. Thank you!👂💚

Merry Christmas gents!!! I've thoroughly enjoyed Waxvent! I hope you both enjoy your time off, and that you both have a very happy New Year!

Merry 🎄🎁Christmas to you all! Bless that poor patient! I thought the foreign body was a small marshmallow at first, then a packing peanut. How horrible to have a battery stuck in there!!

Hi! foreign body extraction became a new pleasant experience for me after performing local anesthesia on every children in office. I really recommend this practice. Same ear canal blockage as performed in surgery!

So great that you were able to help this person when no one else could. Awesome finish to 2023. Cheers

Thank you Rys and Taylor for a great year of interesting and educational wax extractions. Happy Christmas and Happy New Year to all at Audiology Assoc.; enjoy your well deserved break.

You should have put all of your Christmas gear on at once 😂 Happy Christmas 🎄

How in the world did it get in there?! Was the patient a bit older or forgetful :( so terrible for them to go through all that pain but so thankful you gents helped her out!

Happy whatever you believe in x

I couldn't guess though it looked like white foam, a garlic bulb, a marshmallow or a mushroom 😂. Bless them. Can't believe so many others missed it. Hats off to you both and Merry Yule! I suffer from fibromylgia and ME as well as many other ailments and find your videos a welcome distraction! ❤

Merry Christmas 🎄 😊. I just wanted to say that I’ve watched others but you two are my favorite and now the only ear wax removal I watch.

Thank you all for taking care of your patients in 2023 and them for allowing us in to watch ❤ Your poor last patient 😮 please if you can let us know how they are🙂🙂🙂🙂

I feel so bad for that second mate! I know that had to be so unpleasant! Thanks for ALL the awesome videos this year! Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and a VERY Happy New Year!!! 2024 HERE WE COME!!!!

❤️ Merry Christmas Rhys, Mrs B, Taylor, the team and all of your loved ones! 🙏❤️ Many blessings for a happy, peaceful and adventurous new year 2024 ❤️

Merry Christmas guys, thank you for the last 25 days. Enjoy your break, looking forward to seeing you both again next year 🎄🎁🎁🍾🥂

Had an ear plug myself..you guys are miracle workers.

Oh my goodness, you both are so amazing to remove that battery for your poor patient. I will be praying over that patient that the leakage from battery will not cause them terrible side affects!

Thank you for all your hard work this year. I hope you and Mrs B and Toby and anybody else I forgot has a good Christmas and happy new year. 😊❤ . I didn't forget you Taylor. I hope you and your wife and little one have a happy and safe holiday.💜❤️😊🎄

Poor bloke. I hope the medics manage to make sure the chemicals don't do lasting damage and you can clear more of the debris soon. Happy holidays. I'll miss you.

It's awesome that you were able to get Santa on with Taylor for this episode! Just a shame that Rhys wasn't here for it. Oh well, it's Christmas, he was probably at home with his family.

Merry Christmas. My first year doing Waxmas with you guys.

Merry Christmas to you and your families. Thank you for sharing such an interesting foreign object video.

MERRY CHRISTMAS! Rhys hope you had a great birthday!

This was very interesting to watch. You did incredible work with this patient! Thank you for sharing.

My first though was a silicon ball for ear bud stuck... but a BATTERY?!?!?! Never would have guessed this.

Merry Christmas everyone

Happiest of christmases to both of you and all your family’s

That was amazing. I thought it looked metal & just b4 you said I said out loud "it's a battery!" Poor man. How on earth couldn't the others see it wasnt wax! Thanks for your fun & work! See you in 2024! 🎉

This was a WaxGeek's dream Christmas video🤓! I was amazed at how much you were able to remove from that last ear🏆🏅! You two have earned your rest 💟.

Excellent job. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

Merry Christmas ☃️🎄☃️ That was amazing.

Seriously hard to hear this person had been to other practitioners who couldn't figure it out. Glad it didn't remain in there much longer. Could have done an awful lot of damage. Hope we get to see how it healed in a future video. I remember going to an ENT and he told me I had a deviated septum in my nose. Eventually mentioned it to another ENT and he said no you don't. Where do these doctors get their diplomas? Advertisement on a matchbook course? You two are world-class and should be teaching.

I can't imagine the pain he was in😢

Never clicked so fast. A foreign body you say?

The two of you must be masters at the claw machines😅 - I would become so impatient 😂

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you all at Audiology Associates and your families.

How in the world do you get a battery stuck in your ear?

Merry Christmas ❤

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Enjoy your time off with family. Looking forward to seeing you next year!

GOD BLESS Y’ALL FOR HELPING THEM!!!

When r new episodes

You have taught me so much with your videos that I knew it was a battery the moment you moved it.

We need Foreign Body Fridays!! Merry Christmas 🎄🎁

You guys are so funny and entertaining! Love watching!

Wow that was hard to watch. Thank you guys for what you do!

Merry Christmas to the Audiology & Associates Family & cheers to you all in the New Year! Thank you for all you do to help your patients & educate us all! Your dedication, compassion, and professionalism are an inspiration!

Merry Christmas from Trenton NJ. USA. I found your channel about a month ago. I really enjoy you both. You are so down to earth and easily liked. You are extremely good in what you do. Wish you lived in the US. I am glad 'I will see more of you in 2004. Merry Christmas and a happy, healthy and peaceful New Year.

I was able to identify the hearing aid battery right away because my son wears hearing aids of that style. My next thought was how did the patient get it in the ear but then you said they have memory concerns so I imagine a form of dementia because I can relate to that with being my dads caregiver. This has made me realize I need to be cognizant that something similar may happen with my dad due to the dementia. Thank you and happy holidays.

It looked like a watch battery. The poor patient having to deal with her ear swelling around that and being passed around trying to get help. Glad you were able to help her. Merry Christmas

Wow!! Amazing end to the year!! Hope you have a wonderful rest, merry Christmas and happy new year with your families!!❤❤❤

I'm so impatient, I always fast forward it

Merry Christmas to you and your families. Keep us updated on this battery patient.

OMG the pain this person has been in!.....Well done, your amazing skills really shined here...x

Rhys! You were supposed to let Taylor say it!😂😂

Omg I love this. If I wasn’t an old retired lawyer I’d become an audiologist. All the catharsis, none of the blood. I had both ears badly infected on vacation in Prague (from Budapest spa water, boo hoo), and I wish I’d had my home otoscope. I’m not dumb enough to think I could have cured anything, but I would have been fascinated to see what was going on in there. The doctor packed about a mile of gauze with antibiotics into each ear. *Loved* it when they pulled it all out a few days later. It just kept coming like a clown’s handkerchief trick. Probably not a good idea to ask an Eastern European doctor to video his work. He seemed a rather gruff man. If it was you guys we would have had a blast!

Wow! What amazing skill you have! This person was so lucky he had you to take care of him. God Bless you, for doing what you do!

Amazing video! IS it ever possible to give ear drops before a procedure that would have a local anesthetic, like lidocaine? It might not help the swelling of the inflammation but could deaden the sensation felt by the patient? This was a deep one! Happy New Year!

Great job. The explanation was helpful.

Thank you so much for a wonderful Waxvent! Everyone have a great and safe New Year. See you in 2024.

Wow. The relief for that last patient. Good job fellas.

You guys are such a good tag team of the wax removal world and this patient benefits from your caring and gentle approach and years of experience, a willingness to get to the bottom of things, and treat this patient with kindness. Anyone who took a good look in that ear can tell it want wax. Good job 👍 have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year 🎊🎆🎈 ❤❤❤❤

Oh my goodness!!!! 😱 that poor patient!!!! I cannot imagine the excruciating experience of a button battery leaking the corrosive chemicals into their delicate ear canal. I just can’t even imagine. And who are these other medical professionals who saw something that looked obviously foreign to the ear environment and said “eh. It’s wax”. 😮Bless you both for your knowledge and professionalism and kindness. You do an incredible service and treat people so compassionately. God bless you both and your families. Merry Christmas from Texas and a very happy new year! ❤️ 🥂 🎆

Have a good one guys

Video is great, would love to hear more about the relief from patients

Hi guys, what an amazing video! At first I thought it was a metal bead stuck in the patient's ear, and then I realised it was a battery. I really don't understand how the other practitioners didn't realise that this was a foreign object, because it's obvious that it isn't wax or keratin. Love from Amanda in Melbourne, Australia

I’ll never forget the time I woke up with a live housefly in my ear. The little bugger was deep in there for roughly 4-5 hours, twitching and wiggling away. I eventually arrived at and waited to see the doctor, and the bugger finally managed to crawl out and buzz around the office. A quick check from the doctor to make sure all of the fly was out, and I was on my way home to take a nap. 😂

Thank for my gift Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas to you guys and your families.

You two did a great job! There should be more Doctors like you! The poor patient, I bet they're feeling much better now. Do you work in London as well?