Kamikaze midge has left me deaf

Sep 2 2007 DR GARETH SMITH

Q A MIDGE flew into my ear two weeks ago. I tried to get it out with a cotton bud but I've gone deaf on that side. What can I do?

A REST assured the midge is dead. It is an old wives' tale that insects can live in your ear as wax has a chemical that kills them. You most likely have a blockage of wax caused by the irritation of having a foreign body in your ear.

Try using ear drops that loosen wax - which you can buy over the counter - for a week. If the wax plug doesn't come out, you may need it syringed by your practice nurse.

Q I HAD a termination a few years ago. I am now engaged to a new partner and we have been trying for a baby for about a year-and-a-half but I still haven't conceived. Could this be due to my past? I haven't told my fiancé about it.

A THERE is a tiny risk a termination can cause damage to the inside of the womb that can make implantation of a fertilised egg difficult. It is more likely due to another problem.

Go to your doctor with your fiancé and get a referral to a fertility specialist. You may have to tell your fiancé about your termination. Everyone has a past and if he loves you he will understand.

Q MY son has a peanut allergy and the doctor told me he needs to carry an EpiPen at all times. I am a great believer in alternative health and hate to think of him getting these strong drugs when he is so little. Is there an alternative we can use?

A ABSOLUTELY not. Anaphylaxis caused by allergies can be fatal and can kill incredibly quickly. No matter what any "alternative" health practitioners tell you, he needs his EpiPen.

Put your beliefs to the side if you don't want your son to have a potentially fatal incident.

Q I BROKE my ankle months ago and needed pins in it while it was healing. They have now been taken out but I have been told it is only 50 per cent weight-bearing. What does this mean? I am confused.

A THAT sounds as if it was very painful. Fifty per cent weightbearing means you should only put half of your weight on your ankle. So you won't be able to walk on it without crutches for a while. You will get physiotherapy to improve the strength of the muscles in your lower leg and calf to support your ankle.

Q MY son gets injections to treat his schizophrenia. He has a twitch in his neck and his head jerks to the side. Can we stop it?

A IT sounds like he has spasmodic torticollis. Injections into the muscle at the front of the neck may help.