Ask an Audiologist – My Girlfriend Spit in My Ear
Yes you read that right and no we didn’t make this up. Some poor mate’s girlfriend spit in his ear and no we don’t know what possessed her to do that.
Definitely a cautionary tale of what not to do to your soulmate, at least if you want them to remain your soul mate.
I know you’re wondering how much of a hazard this is to your hearing health? Hearing Solutions’ Audiology Manager, Andreas Seelisch is on the case.
Keep reading to find out more.
Ask an Audiologist…
My girlfriend thought she was being cute and spit right in my ear. It wasn’t crazy loud. But, the next day my ear felt weird. It isn’t really muffled or in pain. But, it feels very slightly clogged. Just a little bit. I know it isn’t in my head because it’s noticeable enough. Could this cause damage to my hearing after I recover?
Response…
I guess you’re at least lucky she didn’t spit her gum in there! Well, the good news is that spit is unlikely to cause any permanent damage, particularly from a one-time thing.
My guess is that some of the moisture blocked your ear the same way you can get moisture trapped in your ear from swimming. If there was some wax it may also have softened it and turned a previously non-occluding piece of wax into one that is now blocking your ear.
The best bet is if it hasn’t resolved on its own to have someone look in there and assess. Assuming your eardrum was intact, it can’t really go anywhere past that anyways and so everything should be very visible.
Hope that helps!
Andreas Seelisch, MSc, BHSc (Hons), Reg. CASLPO
Andreas Seelisch is a registered Audiologist with the College of Audiologists and Speech Language Pathologists of Ontario. Andreas is currently working as the Audiology Manager at Hearing Solutions.