Child Put Something in Their Nose or Ear: A Parent’s Guide for London & Essex It can happen in seconds. A toddler is playing with beads, a small toy, a pea, a piece of tissue, a rubber, a seed, a button battery or a magnet. Suddenly, they say something feels funny — or you notice a blocked nostril, ear discomfort, crying, discharge or a bad smell. For many parents, the first instinct is to try to pull it out. That is understandable, but it can sometimes make things worse. If your child has something stuck firmly in their nose or ear, it is usually safer not to poke around at home. Attempts with tweezers, cotton buds, hair clips or fingers may push the object deeper, cause bleeding, damage the ear canal or make removal more difficult. Mr Gaurav Kumar, Consultant ENT Surgeon, assesses children with ear, nose and throat concerns from London, East London, Brentwood, Romford, Ilford, Redbridge, Chelmsford and wider Essex. This guide explains what parents should do, what to avoid,...
What to do if your child has a neck lump? Neck lumps can be due to enlarged lymph nodes, birth cysts or lumps or (only 10%) malignancy. When you notice a neck lump in a child, consider the presentation's age. Is the child getting associated B symptoms, i.e. night sweats, fever, unexplained weight loss, fatigue, loss of appetite, trouble breathing, itching or painful swelling in their belly? Note down any recent exposure to a person with flu-like symptoms, a young cat or any change in size or neck lumps becoming multiple. What happens when you visit an ENT surgeon with your child? The ENT surgeon will take a detailed history and perform a clinical examination of the tummy, ear, nose and throat. The ENT surgeon will request special blood tests, a chest X-Ray and an Ultrasound scan of the neck. Depending on the results, it may be required to do a sample surgical biopsy of the lymph node in a few cases. Which lymph node neck lumps in children are ENT surgeons more concerned ab...