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View Poll Results: Has a bug ever flown in your ear, or the ear of someone you know?
Yes, my ear 54 40.30%
Yes, someone I know's ear 31 23.13%
Not me or anyone I know 49 36.57%
Almost, but I fought it off 14 10.45%
Multiple Choice Poll. Voters: 134. You may not vote on this poll

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  #1  
Old 10-06-2012, 06:00 AM
IvoryTowerDenizen IvoryTowerDenizen is online now
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Bugs in ears? The horror!

Inspired by this thread: http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/...d.php?t=667451, about stupid reasons you've had to go to the doctor.


A terrifyingly (to me anyway!) high number of posters have had a bug fly in their ear or known someone who has. I've just discovered that, to me, this is a nightmare of Lovcraftian proportions.

So scare me that this is common or reassure me it's not.

Poll to follow. Share your stories.

Or not.
Shudders

Last edited by IvoryTowerDenizen; 10-06-2012 at 06:03 AM.
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  #2  
Old 10-06-2012, 07:11 AM
aruvqan aruvqan is offline
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I have had a bug in my ear, and mrAru has had a bug in his ear before.

As a bonus, I had a cousin who got a kernal of seed corn stuck up his nose and had to be taken to a doctor to get it extracted
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  #3  
Old 10-06-2012, 07:17 AM
overlyverbose overlyverbose is offline
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I had to take my son to the ER when he was 2.5 due to a suspected bug in the ear from when we were at a local lake. Luckily there was nothing there, but the ER doc indicated that it was shockingly common, especially in children living in squalid conditions. As you might imagine, having lots of bugs in your sleeping space can be dangerous in many ways.
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  #4  
Old 10-06-2012, 07:21 AM
IvoryTowerDenizen IvoryTowerDenizen is online now
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Originally Posted by aruvqan View Post
I have had a bug in my ear, and mrAru has had a bug in his ear before.

As a bonus, I had a cousin who got a kernal of seed corn stuck up his nose and had to be taken to a doctor to get it extracted
Ha!
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  #5  
Old 10-06-2012, 07:59 AM
cochrane cochrane is online now
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I'm one of the people who have posted in that thread who had a bug in his ear. In 55 years, that's the only time. So I'd say the chances are good that it'll never happen to you.
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  #6  
Old 10-06-2012, 08:04 AM
Antigen Antigen is offline
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We went to have engagement photos taken in DC, and while we were setting up at one of the monuments, our photographer suddenly dropped her bag and started dipping to the side and swatting at her head like she was trying to get water out of her ears. We rushed over to help, and were told that a mosquito had gotten in there, it tickled tremendously, and it was really loud!

After a minute or two of dancing around and pulling at her ear, she said she couldn't feel it anymore, so we got back to business. I figured it had flown back out, but my husband helpfully suggested it may have died in there, at which the photographer shuddered and gave him the stinkeye.

I've never gotten a bug in my ear, and I'm so very grateful that it's not an experience I've had to endure (knock wood). Ever since watching Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan when I was a wee child, I am wholly terrified of the possibility of something crawling into my ears and getting comfortable, maybe in my warm squishy brain. I always sleep with a comforter over my head, and I'm pretty sure it's all that movie's fault.
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  #7  
Old 10-06-2012, 11:14 AM
elfkin477 elfkin477 is offline
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Yes, and it was horrifying. It was just about the tiniest moth I've ever seen and the horror was in feeling it in there moving about. I got it out with vegetable oil. There were tears and whimpering until then. I was the only survivor in this encounter.
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  #8  
Old 10-06-2012, 11:31 AM
IvoryTowerDenizen IvoryTowerDenizen is online now
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2:1 bugs:no bugs.

That is unfortunate.
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  #9  
Old 10-06-2012, 11:40 AM
Biggirl Biggirl is offline
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It was the tiniest of gnats. And yes, when it moved it was terrible-- and loud. But it didn't move much and after a while the waxy buildup muted all.


Come to think of it, my husband still laughs at me when he remembers how, every now and again, I'd stop whatever it was I was doing to knock the side of my head silly that first day.

Last edited by Biggirl; 10-06-2012 at 11:42 AM.
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  #10  
Old 10-06-2012, 11:42 AM
johnpost johnpost is online now
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Originally Posted by IvoryTowerDenizen View Post
A terrifyingly (to me anyway!) high number of posters have had a bug fly in their ear or known someone who has. I've just discovered that, to me, this is a nightmare of Lovcraftian proportions.
i hear you.
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  #11  
Old 10-06-2012, 11:45 AM
Biggirl Biggirl is offline
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i hear you.
Not if a bug gets in there!
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  #12  
Old 10-06-2012, 11:53 AM
ioioio ioioio is offline
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I've posted this tip in other threads, but it bears repeating. If you get a bug in your ear, flood the ear canal with baby oil. This apparently suffocates the bug, which water may not do.

I got a bug in my ear once, and yes, it's horrible. Also, a neighbor kid got one. His parents hauled him screaming to the emergency room.

Last edited by ioioio; 10-06-2012 at 11:55 AM. Reason: add something
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  #13  
Old 10-06-2012, 12:07 PM
Bumbershoot Bumbershoot is offline
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One time I was over at my friend Dave's house. Another friend, Mark, showed up and we went out to Dave's garage to drink beer and relax (and not drive his wife crazy). It was dark out and the garage had two bare light bulbs for illumination.

A very small white moth was flying around between the two bulbs when it suddenly flew directly into Mark's ear. "Aah! Aah! Get it out!" he said. Dave & I laughed and considered various options for how to get the moth out.

"Get it out! It's on my ear drum! It's LOUD! Get it out!" Mark said.

Dave picked up some hemostats that happened to be lying on the workbench. "Maybe we can get it out with these."

"No!" I said. "No, that's a bad idea. We really shouldn't go digging in his ear with those."

"GET IT OUT! It's driving me crazy!" said Mark.

We finally decided we had no choice but to go to the Emergency Room. Dave's wife drove since she hadn't been drinking. The doctor looked into Mark's ear with that little device they look into ears with.

"Well look at that." the doctor said. "It's looking back at me." He called other doctors and nurses over to see. "Well look at that." they all said.

"Get it out." said Mark.

Eventually they poured some water in his ear and floated the moth out. We went back to Dave's place and had another beer (and found another use for the hemostats).
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  #14  
Old 10-06-2012, 06:51 PM
IvoryTowerDenizen IvoryTowerDenizen is online now
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These are fascinating and terrifying stories! Keep going!
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  #15  
Old 10-06-2012, 07:12 PM
fisha fisha is offline
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I woke up in the middle of the night when a bug crawled into my ear. I could feel it moving around. It was awful.

Any thing and every thing you had planned goes right out the window. Nothing like an insect in your ear canal to make you focus on the truly important things in life. Such as getting the fucking thing out RIGHT NOW.

Went to the ER that night, got it taken care of.

But you know how when you find a wood tick on yourself or one of the kids or the dog, and you feel phantom wood ticks on your body the rest of the day?

Yeah, like that-- only 100 times worse. It felt like that bug was still in there, moving around for about a week.
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  #16  
Old 10-06-2012, 07:38 PM
Silvorange Silvorange is offline
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My mom got a bug in her ear when she was in the hospital as a child. She kept complaining to the nurses that she could feel and hear it moving, but it was in there for a full day before anyone believed her.
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  #17  
Old 10-07-2012, 02:29 AM
elfkin477 elfkin477 is offline
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Originally Posted by Silvorange View Post
My mom got a bug in her ear when she was in the hospital as a child. She kept complaining to the nurses that she could feel and hear it moving, but it was in there for a full day before anyone believed her.
If your mom is crazy, that's why she went insane right there.
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  #18  
Old 10-07-2012, 08:12 AM
bot3 bot3 is offline
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Talk about bugs in ear

It's more common than one may think.
Funny story. About 50 or so years ago.
True story...happened to me.

Back when I was young teenager, we were camping at Zoar Valley, NY.

We were all sitting at the raging camp fire (Dave my age, Jack his younger brother and Bud, their Dad) . Just talking. All of a sudden I grab the side of head and spin through the middle of the fire on my side yelling like crazy! Bud, thought a spark had hit me and grabbed me to hold me still. Dave and Jack just look on in horror. I was not burned but I kept yelling about a loud buzzing my ear and trying to jump around. The buzzing in my head was unbelievable.

Now you must understand that very little would get Bud upset, being an old Navy man with submarine service under his belt during WWII in the Pacific. He experienced depth charges and was made cook on the boat by the captain because the regular cook injured himself during a depth charge and was not very good at cooking anyway. Bud also went through 2 years of Tuberculosis and lost one lung. But to to see him work you would've thought he had three lungs.
Also our camp site had no electricity, no running water or any phone service and the nearest neighbor was at least two miles away over wood country side.

Back to the story... Perhaps because I was not actually one of his son's he got very scared and rushed me to the nearest hospital in Gowanda, NY about 10 miles away on a semi dirt road. Now I've been in the car with him many times and he would not go easy on the gas peddle during regular driving. This time he had his foot to the floor all the was there since my head was on his lap and I could see the gas peddle.
We get to the hospital and the attending physician (an older gentleman if I remember) takes a look at starts to chuckle. He takes a water powered syringe and flushes out my ear. A moth had flown into it.

Now here is the funny part, The Doctor kept chuckling and explained that this phenomenon was quite common among campers and the prescribed method to flush out the victims ear when no water power was available was to pee in the persons ear. And since most campers have a steady supply of beer there is little lack of peeing power among the group.

I have never lived this possibility down among my friends since. And yes I have heard of this remedy over the years.

A few weeks later the hospital bill arrives at my house and my mother throws a conniption fit. To this day I don't know what Bud told her but I was still allowed to join them thereafter. My Dad knew but never said anything.
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  #19  
Old 10-07-2012, 05:39 PM
ioioio ioioio is offline
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bot3, I think the doctor was messing with you. Why not just flush the ear out with the beer?

A while back one of those medical mystery shows told the story of a guy who was brought into the emergency room, basically comatose but occasionally making an ungodly kind of moaning scream. During the examination, a doctor noticed a huge roach poking its antenna out of the guy's ear; it was removed with tweezers, and the guy slowly got back to normal. Turns out that his worst fears included (1) roaches (2) getting a bug in his ear. When his nightmare became real, he was so terrified that his brain tried to block the experience.
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  #20  
Old 10-07-2012, 05:56 PM
Count Blucher Count Blucher is offline
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Originally Posted by laina_f View Post
bot3, I think the doctor was messing with you. Why not just flush the ear out with the beer?

I was thinking of all the marketing campaigns they could change...


"You only go around once in this life, so squirt out all the bugs you can get."

"Heineken refreshes the parts other beers cannot reach"

"Where there’s life, there’s Bud"

"Schaefer is the one beer to have when you have more than one."

"It’s Miller time!"

"Head for the Mountains!"

and, of course, if all else fails...


"The Silver Bullet"
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  #21  
Old 10-07-2012, 06:10 PM
SeaDragonTattoo SeaDragonTattoo is offline
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I got a tiny gnat-thing in my ear once. I was leaving my building on my way to a friend's house about 3 blocks away. I didn't see the point in going back up to my apartment to try and get it out on my own, so made the walk over (shaking my head and sticking my pinkie in my ear periodically, blending right in with the crazies) and told him what happened when I got there. I asked for a q-tip, went to the bathroom mirror and fished around for a minute, with about 5 other people watching. It was so tiny (and loud!) I was able to smush it and pull it out on the q-tip. At least there were lots of people to help if it needed to be irrigated. Cleaned my ear a little with another q-tip and peroxide, and the party continued incident free.
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  #22  
Old 10-07-2012, 06:13 PM
IvoryTowerDenizen IvoryTowerDenizen is online now
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Quote:
Originally Posted by laina_f View Post
bot3, I think the doctor was messing with you. Why not just flush the ear out with the beer?

A while back one of those medical mystery shows told the story of a guy who was brought into the emergency room, basically comatose but occasionally making an ungodly kind of moaning scream. During the examination, a doctor noticed a huge roach poking its antenna out of the guy's ear; it was removed with tweezers, and the guy slowly got back to normal. Turns out that his worst fears included (1) roaches (2) getting a bug in his ear. When his nightmare became real, he was so terrified that his brain tried to block the experience.
Special class of horror, right here.
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  #23  
Old 10-07-2012, 09:13 PM
outlierrn outlierrn is offline
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We see these in the ER on a regular, though not necessarily frequent basis. One doc I know tells the story of looking in with the otoscope and seeing 8 pairs of eyes looking back at him, he decided to kill it with some lidocaine, but that just cause the spider to come flying out, problem solved.
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  #24  
Old 10-07-2012, 09:27 PM
robardin robardin is online now
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Originally Posted by laina_f View Post
bot3, I think the doctor was messing with you. Why not just flush the ear out with the beer?.
Much easier to aim a tiny stream of beer when it's been, uh, processed into pee. At least for a man.

Also: waste not, want not!

Last edited by robardin; 10-07-2012 at 09:28 PM.
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  #25  
Old 10-07-2012, 09:57 PM
StuffLikeThatThere StuffLikeThatThere is online now
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We see these in the ER on a regular, though not necessarily frequent basis. One doc I know tells the story of looking in with the otoscope and seeing 8 pairs of eyes looking back at him, he decided to kill it with some lidocaine, but that just cause the spider to come flying out, problem solved.
Oh dear God. That might turn me into the moaning coma guy. After I screamed myself hoarse. I'm not sure I can go to sleep now.
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  #26  
Old 10-07-2012, 10:05 PM
robardin robardin is online now
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So, this establishes a market for custom fitted, acoustically transparent mesh ear hole grilles, right?
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  #27  
Old 10-07-2012, 11:12 PM
Siam Sam Siam Sam is offline
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I've known quite a few people with a bug up their ass. But that's not quite the same thing, is it?

Yes, I've had bugs fly into my ear. I hate that feeling.
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  #28  
Old 10-08-2012, 02:21 AM
CairoCarol CairoCarol is offline
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As I have mentioned before, a roach - one of the tropical, 2-inch-long ones - crawled into my husband's ear while we were sleeping one night. The physician on night duty at the clinic said he was lucky it was a big one - it's harder to get the small ones out.
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  #29  
Old 10-08-2012, 08:40 PM
Qadgop the Mercotan Qadgop the Mercotan is online now
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It's common as all get-out. I've removed bugs from ears many times in my career. The only people with real ear damage are the ones who tried to dig them out themselves. If gentle irrigation with water or water/vinegar mix doesn't get it out, go to urgent care.
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  #30  
Old 10-08-2012, 10:18 PM
robardin robardin is online now
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Originally Posted by IvoryTowerDenizen View Post
A terrifyingly (to me anyway!) high number of posters have had a bug fly in their ear or known someone who has.
Horrifying as these personal tales are, as the saying goes, the plural of anecdote is not data... But...

Quote:
Originally Posted by bot3 View Post
We get to the hospital and the attending physician (an older gentleman if I remember) takes a look at starts to chuckle. He takes a water powered syringe and flushes out my ear. A moth had flown into it.

Now here is the funny part, The Doctor kept chuckling and explained that this phenomenon was quite common among campers ...
Quote:
Originally Posted by overlyverbose View Post
I had to take my son to the ER when he was 2.5 due to a suspected bug in the ear from when we were at a local lake. Luckily there was nothing there, but the ER doc indicated that it was shockingly common, ...
Quote:
Originally Posted by outlierrn View Post
We see these in the ER on a regular, though not necessarily frequent basis.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Qadgop the Mercotan View Post
It's common as all get-out. I've removed bugs from ears many times in my career.
I'm afraid that does count as data.

So I repeat - this establishes a market for custom fitted, acoustically transparent mesh ear hole grilles, right?

And let me clarify this time: DEAR GOD SOMEBODY GET BUSY MAKING THIS PRODUCT!!

Last edited by robardin; 10-08-2012 at 10:18 PM.
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  #31  
Old 10-08-2012, 10:57 PM
Curiosity Kills Her Curiosity Kills Her is offline
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Horrifying as these personal tales are, as the saying goes, the plural of anecdote is not data... But...









I'm afraid that does count as data.

So I repeat - this establishes a market for custom fitted, acoustically transparent mesh ear hole grilles, right?

And let me clarify this time: DEAR GOD SOMEBODY GET BUSY MAKING THIS PRODUCT!!
I dunno man, closing off the ears while leaving other orifices open might be too inviting. I think it's best to go all the way.
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  #32  
Old 10-09-2012, 08:41 AM
Bumbershoot Bumbershoot is offline
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Originally Posted by robardin View Post
Horrifying as these personal tales are, as the saying goes, the plural of anecdote is not data... But...

I'm afraid that does count as data.

So I repeat - this establishes a market for custom fitted, acoustically transparent mesh ear hole grilles, right?

And let me clarify this time: DEAR GOD SOMEBODY GET BUSY MAKING THIS PRODUCT!!
They could modify these nostril filters.

Yes, they're real; I saw them on Shark Tank!
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  #33  
Old 10-09-2012, 10:09 AM
IvoryTowerDenizen IvoryTowerDenizen is online now
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They could modify these nostril filters.

Yes, they're real; I saw them on Shark Tank!
I saw it too!

I love Shark Tank....
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  #34  
Old 10-09-2012, 03:56 PM
outlierrn outlierrn is offline
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I'm afraid that does count as data.

When you get right down to it, a lot of data is merely high quality anecdote.
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  #36  
Old 10-09-2012, 08:58 PM
IvoryTowerDenizen IvoryTowerDenizen is online now
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Oh god.
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  #37  
Old 10-09-2012, 09:09 PM
MoodIndigo1 MoodIndigo1 is offline
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One of my friends woke up with a spider in his ear. I don't remember the details because I was probably cringing when he told me.
Now, I love spiders, so I hope that was an isolated event.
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  #38  
Old 10-09-2012, 09:13 PM
bigkimshew bigkimshew is offline
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it is not unusual for a earwig 2 go in someones ear.it can cause balance problems.how 2 remove it?simple,mineral oil.they back right out...with a strand of ur brain...not really
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  #39  
Old 10-09-2012, 09:24 PM
bigkimshew bigkimshew is offline
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i know this.why?friend had one in his ear.attached itself to his inner ear.couldn't stand up and felt like hurlingfreaked him out.by the way.those aren't pincers on a earwig.thats it's sexual organs.which in a way is more disturbing.what is it doing in there?
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  #40  
Old 10-09-2012, 09:36 PM
WhyNot WhyNot is offline
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i know this.why?friend had one in his ear.attached itself to his inner ear.couldn't stand up and felt like hurlingfreaked him out.by the way.those aren't pincers on a earwig.thats it's sexual organs.which in a way is more disturbing.what is it doing in there?
No, they're pincers. They pinch. They pinch prey, and they pinch other earwigs in defense and mating challenges and, uh, well, earwigs apparently like rough sex, because they do use their pincers in mating - but they're not genitals, they're pincers.

While it's not impossible for an earwig to wander into your ear, they're no more prone to it than cockroaches and moths and spiders, name withstanding. There are no reports of actual injury from an earwig, other than the screaming heebie jeebies. And if an earwig can reach the inner ear, you've got more problems on your hands than a bug in your ear. Like, why your eardrum is missing.

http://www.orkin.com/other/earwigs/w...arwig-pincers/
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  #41  
Old 10-10-2012, 12:36 AM
Siam Sam Siam Sam is offline
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The worst earwig I've had was "The Ballad of Jed Clampett." Once that starts playing in my head, there's no stopping it.

AHH! There it goes again. "Come and listen to a story 'bout a man named ..."

Last edited by Siam Sam; 10-10-2012 at 12:36 AM.
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  #42  
Old 10-10-2012, 01:43 PM
BigT BigT is online now
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I thought it couldn't happen until it happened to me twice in two weeks. I now wear earplugs to bed.
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  #43  
Old 10-10-2012, 03:35 PM
Annie-Xmas Annie-Xmas is offline
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A friend of mine got a wood tick in her ear. It attached itself to a blood vessel and started sucking. She had to have a specialist remove it.
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  #44  
Old 10-12-2012, 10:53 AM
TriPolar TriPolar is online now
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A friend of mine woke up with a bug in his ear. He didn't know whether it crawled in or flew in though. When he pulled a wing out of his ear he immediatly went to the doctor who removed the rest. The doctor told him he wasn't the first.
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  #45  
Old 10-12-2012, 11:01 AM
Moonlitherial Moonlitherial is offline
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I hate you all. I woke up last night and a piece of my hair was tickling my ear. I remembered this thread and was so freaked out I had to get up and check my ears before I could go back to sleep.

You all owe me at least an hours sleep.
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  #46  
Old 10-12-2012, 11:53 AM
Rutabegger Rutabegger is offline
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I've had a bug in my ear twice.

When I was a kid my family was picnic-ing next to a stream where ladybugs were swarming and one of them flew into my ear. We went to the nearest hospital and the doctor flushed it out. It was a memorable experience.

Which was good, because years later when a beetle crawled into my ear one night as I was sleeping I immediately rushed into the kitchen and stuck my head under the tap. He popped right out.

These are memories that you don't forget.
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  #47  
Old 10-12-2012, 02:11 PM
IvoryTowerDenizen IvoryTowerDenizen is online now
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Originally Posted by Moonlitherial View Post
I hate you all. I woke up last night and a piece of my hair was tickling my ear. I remembered this thread and was so freaked out I had to get up and check my ears before I could go back to sleep.

You all owe me at least an hours sleep.
I'm not the only one....
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  #48  
Old 10-12-2012, 02:27 PM
Boyo Jim Boyo Jim is offline
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Bugs in ears are pretty mild.

You haven't LIVED until you've accidentally sucked one into your nose! I got some little thing in there once, and it HURT and it BURNED! Maybe it was shitting itself with fear, maybe it was trying to bite me, or eat its way out. I dunno. I couldn't blow it out. The pain stopped fairly quickly, though. Maybe it drowned in my snot.

Maybe it's still in there, in a snot cocoon.
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  #49  
Old 10-12-2012, 03:22 PM
robardin robardin is online now
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Moonlitherial View Post
I hate you all. I woke up last night and a piece of my hair was tickling my ear. I remembered this thread and was so freaked out I had to get up and check my ears before I could go back to sleep.
You just keep telling yourself it was a piece of your hair, if that helps you to sleep tonight.

*D&R*
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  #50  
Old 10-12-2012, 04:11 PM
IvoryTowerDenizen IvoryTowerDenizen is online now
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Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: North Shore of LI
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Boyo Jim View Post
Bugs in ears are pretty mild.

You haven't LIVED until you've accidentally sucked one into your nose! I got some little thing in there once, and it HURT and it BURNED! Maybe it was shitting itself with fear, maybe it was trying to bite me, or eat its way out. I dunno. I couldn't blow it out. The pain stopped fairly quickly, though. Maybe it drowned in my snot.

Maybe it's still in there, in a snot cocoon.
True... but if necessary, your finger fits up your nose.
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