Doctors used a tool to look deep into her ear, a procedure called an otoscopy, and noted the ear canal was congested and inflamed. As they reached the bony wall of the inner ear, doctors saw something was lodged in the woman’s skin. Buried in the skin of her ear canal was a tick, according to the report.

The tick may have bitten the woman's eardrum, with enzymes in its saliva causing severe pain, hearing loss and tinnitus.

In addition to developing hearing loss in her tick-infested right ear, the woman experienced sudden ear pain, vertigo, and vomiting. Thankfully, once the tick was removed from its hiding spot, she recovered fully.