Ear pain can be a minor hassle at times but can become quite an excruciating experience. For a Malaysian girl named Hayfa Nasir, her ear pain was caused by a horrifying presence. To her mother's surprise, Hayfa's ear was infested with ticks.
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Hayfa began complaining about ear pain on January 17, at around 6 p.m., according to Aqila Nasir, Hayfa's mother. On
Facebook, Nasir said that she inspected her daughter's ear but did not see anything worrying. She then waited for the pain to go away, telling Hayfa that they would go to the clinic if she continued to feel pain.On January 18, however, Hayfa Nasir woke up to neck pain, which Aqila found odd. "The reason why her neck hurt was probably because of her ear pain," Aqila said, according to thesun.my. "I resumed cooking and was occupied and did not think much about it because she did not complain about ear pain."
However, Hayfa's ear pain returned. Aqila then checked Hayfa's air once again, but she saw something disturbing. "I shone a flashlight into her ear and saw dark spots near the ear canal. I thought it was dried blood or a wound," Aqila said. Aqila then asked Hayfa if she had touched or scratched her ear. She said no. "I wondered what it was until it crossed my mind that it could be ticks," Hayfa continued.
Ticks
Aqila quickly looked for images of ticks inside ears on Google, and, to her surprise, the images matched what she saw on her own daughter's ear. After an unsuccessful visit to a local hospital, Aqila and Hayfa Nasir visited a clinic in Jasin.
The clinic doctor, when inspecting Hayfa's ear, found that the girl's ear was, in fact, filled with ticks. Aqila was surprised by the confirmation and the amount of ticks that the doctor found inside her daughter's ear.
"The thing is, Hayfa complained of ear pain only yesterday," Aqila said. "Maybe she had not felt it because of her high pain tolerance."
When prompted if they had any cats at home, Aqila said no. However, she also revealed that there were other cats in the neighborhood. Hayfa could have possibly petted them, causing the ticks to infect her ear.
Regardless of any explanation, the doctor went on to get all the ticks out of Hayfa's ear. The whole process was painful, though, as the ticks usually grab onto the skin, causing further pain. However, the doctor successfully cleaned Hayfa's ear, instructing her to take acetaminophen for the pain.
Aqila, by posting her story, warned other parents not to dismiss their children's pain complaints.
