Help! My daughter's earring backing is stuck in her ear

[clori]

This happened to my dd8 about two years ago. We noticed in on a Sunday but after the peds was closed for the day. I called and spoke to the on call dr and he told me not to wait until the next day but to go to the er (no urgent care places here, just fast track at the er so essentially urgent care). The er doctor said they get this at least once a week. DD couldn't wear earings for a few weeks and she had to take antibiotics for a week. Since then we switched to more of a replacement button back and dd hasn't had any problems. The same think happened to my sister once when she was 12 or so but she is now 46 and hasn't had any problems since.

 

[rella's fan]

Thanks everyone. I would not even have known if I had not decided to change her earrings. She is not bothered by it unless I poke at it. Very long story - worst possible time to happen - but I called the clinic and my mom is taking her tonight. Thanks again.

 

[JessicaR]

This happened to me when I was 9. After I had them pierced and my first pair were changed to small posts. I was constantly tightening the backs against my ear. I was told this was common as kids feared loosing their earrings. It went on like that for quite a while until one day my mom discovered the skin had totally grown around the earring back.

I had to have them cut out by the doctor, close the holes up through healing. My Mom didn't let me get them pierced again until I was 12.

I hope they get them out easily!

 

[jel0511]

This happened to my DD about 6 months ago. One day, she said to me,"Mom I lost the backs to my earrings." I looked and noticed her ears looked a bit swollen. I then went to take out the earrings. when I tried to remove then I got resistance, like the backs were still attached. Got the earrings out, then went to work on the backs. I could still see them a bit and used tweezers to remove them. Wasn't pretty. Took her to the ped's the next day, and the dr said I had done the right thing and saved her from having to ger her ears repierced. We waited a week to let them heal, then put in the post hoops to let the healing continue. Her ears are fine now!!!! No more post earrings for her!

 

[Cindy's Mom]

Happened to DD in April on the morning of her 1st Communion. I went to take out her Mickey Head birthstone earrings to put the diamond studs we bought her. I just wiggled and manevered (sp) them out. DD wasn't too happy, but there was no way she was wearing those Mickey earrings for Communion.

I was a women possessed.

 

[minniebeth]

I had no idea this was this common. I will have to have my DD11 read this thread. This happened to her a few years ago and had to have it cut out as well. She just got her ears repierced this summer. She thought it was the end of the world when it happened, and I think she will like to know she is not alone.

OP, I hope your DD is fine soon!

 

[chloelovesdisney]

Same thing happened to me when I was twelve. My mom ended up bringing me to the doctor to have it removed. It wasn't pleasant. I let my holes close and didn't get them pierced again for seven years.

 

[teacups]

It shouldn't happen if you take your earrings out every day. I was 14 when I got my ears pierced (by a doctor) and never had this or any problem. I think younger children just aren't responsible enough to take care of them alone. Sounds like the holes are larger than the children's earrings they are wearing. I would take her to the Dr. and then take earrings out every night. When you sleep on them they press into your earlobe.

A doc pierced your ears? I have never heard of that.
This thread is alarming. I just made my daughter go clean her ears

 

[artsymomlv]

Hello, this happened to my 11-year-old daughter this morning and after about 30 minutes of struggling to get one earring out, I googled our problem to see if anyone had anything helpful to say- came across this forum. It appeared that the backs had fallen off and that her ears had suddenly become infected as there was a lot of pus coming from the backs of her ears. They were painful to the touch. I couldn't see or feel the backs anymore so I assumed they had fallen off someplace and her earings were just stuck in her lobes due to infection and scabbing. She was in so much pain, so I went to Walgreen's and talked to the pharmacist about an OTC litocaine cream and she recommended Dermoplast spray. I also bought a gel there with a topical numbing agent to help with burns. I doused the earlobe in the dermoplast numbing spray (making sure to cover her ear and eyes and made her hold her breath because the stuff creates quite a cloud that you don't want your child to breathe). Thank god for that stuff as it was the only thing that made it possible for us to get the earrings out. FINALLY we were able to get the first earring out and all of a sudden I realized that THE BACKING WAS STILL THERE- IT HAD BEEN SWALLOWED UP BY THE HOLE IN HER EARLOBE. It didn't seem possible but there it was. I pushed and pulled a little bit and it came out with a gush of blood and pus. I had been trying to force that thing through to the front!! Once we realized what was going on it was easier to get the second earring out- numbing agent, pull the skin apart in back until I could see a glint of the backing, grab onto it with my (very clean) fingernails and pull the earring out of its backing. The second came out more smoothly. I just want to post this story in case it every happens to anyone else so they don't accidentally pull the earring back right through their child's earlobe. We were so relieved when this was all over!

 

[mjkacmom]

I brought my dd to the doctor for this reason, and was sent to the ER, because it needed to be numbed first. Do you have any walk-in urgent care facilities?

 

[AshleyW]

I brought my dd to the doctor for this reason, and was sent to the ER, because it needed to be numbed first. Do you have any walk-in urgent care facilities?

Well, I'm hoping she got it taken care of by now... the thread is almost 3 years old.

 

[angiecarlee]

I also have this same problem with my daughter she is eight and hysterical when I try to remove it with tweezers and I can see half of the back of the earring but the other part is under the skin. Dont know if i should take her to the doctor or er what did you end up doing. I worry about infection.

 

[angiecarlee]

were they able to remove it pretty easily once it was numbed. I don't know how she did this. She came to me to get her earrings out and the post was half in and half out she was upset when I went to take them out but figured it must have been infected. I thought the back was off I didnt see it at the time I only hope I didn't make it worse. when I pulled the post on the earring if it was still attached. this happened a couple of days ago and I couldnt see much of the back then but now it is visible half of it is out of the skin the other part is like embedded in the skin.

 

[angiecarlee]

we have a ready med i dont know if they can numb it there or not.

 

[angiecarlee]

so this happened three years ago.
Did the doctor say that it could get infected I am going tomorrow.

 

[jel0511]

With my DDs it was infected and I pulled it out. Wasn't fun for either of us. I did take her to the dr the next day, they said I did the right thing as they wouldn't have pulled it out, but cut it out then put stitches in. Good luck!!

 

[Lintasare]

Happened to me when I was 10 or 11. I had gotten a new pair of earrings for Christmas and the backs were not normal butterfly backs but round ones that were narrower on one end. Well I put the narrow end by my earlobe and the skin grew around both of them. My mom being a nurse decided to dig them out with tweezers. Holy moly did that hurt. I remember it to this day. Didn't let the holes close up though.

My first week in college I let my suitemate talk me into getting a second hole in my right ear. Despite my best efforts the ear started to get infected and swell. I couldn't move the earring. I iced it and was able to get it out. Put a sterling silver hoop in there that could be moved and was able to save my piercing.

 

[hidmickey:myantidrug]

Had this happen to me when I was younger. My school nurse called my grandma to pick me up after one of the routine lice checks because she thought I had it, and my grandma--while checking my head as I laid it in her lap--saw the infected, stuck earring back and ripped it straight out without any warning. Not that I advise this method as I'm sure it can cause a ton of damage, but for what it's worth, it all healed right up and I never had any other problems or even had to repierce the ear. It's going to have to be "torn" out one way or another, I'd imagine, whether by you or a doc, so I'd just make sure to try to get the swelling down as low as possible before trying to tug it out.

ETA-- just noticed that this thread is over three years old.

 

[Paris Rathbun]

This just happened to my Daughter a few days ago, she got an ear infection (she didn't take good care of her earing on her left ear), but we eventually got it to go away, but then we noticed the backing of her earing was gone! We were looking for it everywhere but then she came up to me and told me she felt her left ear where she had the infection and she felt it, i felt it as well but we didn't know how to get it out, if someone can help me please let me know, we dont want to have to take her to the doctors office. (it was the thin silver backing)

 

[PrincessShmoo]

This just happened to my Daughter a few days ago, she got an ear infection (she didn't take good care of her earing on her left ear), but we eventually got it to go away, but then we noticed the backing of her earing was gone! We were looking for it everywhere but then she came up to me and told me she felt her left ear where she had the infection and she felt it, i felt it as well but we didn't know how to get it out, if someone can help me please let me know, we dont want to have to take her to the doctors office. (it was the thin silver backing)

And yet another zombie revival by a first time poster. I rather imagine the original poster solved the problem by now.

As well as the posters who resurrected the thread in 2011 and 2012.