# Oh my God, WHAT is in my ear? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [August 6, 2003, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-my-god-what-is-in-my-ear/193259 "2003-08-06T02:57:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![wakimika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f08c70/32.png) [@wakimika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wakimika)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2003, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-my-god-what-is-in-my-ear/193259/1 "2003-08-06T02:57:58Z")
So I jerk awake at 6 AM this morning with this hideous noise in my left ear. The sound was something between a mosquito on crack and a really loud, detuned AM radio station. First I start slapping my head, but there is nothing there. Then it stops, and I wonder: _Is this what you hear when you are having a brain aneurysm?_ So I run downstairs and on my way, the screeching noise starts again. Frantically, I race into the bathroom and start tearing open cabinets looking for Q-tips (later I was profoundly happy we were out, but not then). The noise stops and starts again, over and over, and I am really beginning to go batshit. But then I am sure: _Something is in there and it ain’t too happy about it._ So finally I start doing that thing you do to relieve pressure during take-off and landings on an airplane. You know, hold your nose and blow. Nothing happens. I keep doing it and suddenly this _thing_, this _insect_, pops out of my ear and lands on the floor where it quickly meets the sole of my slipper. I swear I am not making this up. Has anyone ever had this happen to them? I mean, I’ve done a lot of camping in my life and nothing has ever burrowed so far into my ear that _I couldn’t feel it with my pinky._ This wasn’t a gnat sized insect, it was closer in size to an M&M candy. I stood in the shower for a long time with the spray going directly into my ear. Of course I saved the bug, should I suddenly have a brain seizure because: _The disgusting thing laid eggs in there and the whole family wants out._ :eek: ---
**Author:** ![green\_bladder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/73ab20/32.png) [@green\_bladder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/green_bladder)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2003, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-my-god-what-is-in-my-ear/193259/2 "2003-08-06T03:34:06Z")
That’s quite revolting. ---
**Author:** ![green\_bladder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/73ab20/32.png) [@green\_bladder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/green_bladder)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2003, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-my-god-what-is-in-my-ear/193259/3 "2003-08-06T03:38:28Z")
:smack: forgot to add: That nose-blowing technique was pretty smart. Though I would’ve rather chopped my head off. ---
**Author:** ![Rabid\_Squirrel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Rabid\_Squirrel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rabid_Squirrel)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2003, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-my-god-what-is-in-my-ear/193259/4 "2003-08-06T03:47:34Z")
Wow. Got an ID on that thing yet? And are we being wooshed? ---
**Author:** ![ReuvenB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9fc348/32.png) [@ReuvenB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ReuvenB)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2003, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-my-god-what-is-in-my-ear/193259/5 "2003-08-06T03:55:42Z")
Yeah, what I’d like to know is why it found your ear to be such a tempting place to be. I’d also like to add that if this happened to me, I’d sleep with earplugs the rest of my life. ---
**Author:** ![Ruby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/13edae/32.png) [@Ruby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruby)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2003, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-my-god-what-is-in-my-ear/193259/6 "2003-08-06T04:09:28Z")
Why, oh why, did I open this thread… My bosses wife had the exact same thing happen to her. She, however, was not so lucky in that the bug didn’t come out on it’s own. She frantically drove to the ER where they extracted the little bugger. I can’t remember the technique…I think they used hydrogen peroxide and the bug was “floated” out. I was terrified to go to sleep after I heard that and slept with earplugs for quite some time. I’ve since gotten over it…at least until I read this thread. No whoosh here. ---
**Author:** ![serefa99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c37758/32.png) [@serefa99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/serefa99)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2003, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-my-god-what-is-in-my-ear/193259/7 "2003-08-06T04:11:39Z")
count your blessings! i’ve heard (and seen) cockroaches crawling out of and being pulled out of some very intimate body areas! ---
**Author:** ![wakimika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f08c70/32.png) [@wakimika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wakimika)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2003, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-my-god-what-is-in-my-ear/193259/8 "2003-08-06T04:16:06Z")
Um, I didn’t think of that. I have to go to bed soon. I don’t own ear plugs. Ha ha, it never crossed my mind it might happen again. Ha…ha, ahem. Late night tv is pretty good sometimes, so I’ve heard. You know what’s funny? My girlfriend won’t even let me show her the bug. I’m kind of proud of the little bastard, but she’s having none of it. ---
**Author:** ![LookitMe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7bcc69/32.png) [@LookitMe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LookitMe)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2003, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-my-god-what-is-in-my-ear/193259/9 "2003-08-06T04:17:14Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Ruby \* > \*\* > > My bosses wife had the exact same thing happen to her. She, however, was not so lucky in that the bug didn’t come out on it’s own. She frantically drove to the ER where they extracted the little bugger. I can’t remember the technique…I think they used hydrogen peroxide and the bug was “floated” out. > > I was terrified to go to sleep after I heard that and slept with earplugs for quite some time. I’ve since gotten over it…at least until I read this thread. > > No whoosh here. \*\* You just reminded me of an episode of ER where Lucy Lee Flippen guest starred as a patient: ER" (1994) in episode: “Responsible Parties” (episode # 5.21) 13 May 1999 I think that was the one, if memory serves me correctly, and if the IMDB info is right. She screamed when she saw what the doctor pulled out of her ear. She had no idea it was an insect. Cockroach? Don’t remember exactly. ---
**Author:** ![HerMajestyLorna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/7cd45c/32.png) [@HerMajestyLorna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HerMajestyLorna)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2003, 5:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-my-god-what-is-in-my-ear/193259/10 "2003-08-06T05:05:30Z")
When I was 12 I had an earache. I went to the doctor. After many hours (okay, maybe minutes) of probing, the doc pulled out a full 12 inches of kitchen string from my ear. It’s origin remains a mystery to the day. ---
**Author:** ![verbigerate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/a5b964/32.png) [@verbigerate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/verbigerate)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2003, 5:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-my-god-what-is-in-my-ear/193259/11 "2003-08-06T05:50:01Z")
If you consider the millions of dust-mites that cover the human body, something going in your ear no longer seems to matter… Um, hope that helps :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![dangermom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e274bd/32.png) [@dangermom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dangermom)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2003, 5:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-my-god-what-is-in-my-ear/193259/12 "2003-08-06T05:53:02Z")
I had a buddy who got a cockroach in his ear while living in Argentina (also while asleep). He said it was horrible, this loud scrabbling in his ear. He ran to the doctor, who went in with tweezers and got one big leg. Then the doctor poured mineral oil in the ear and the cockroach flailed around and then slid out. The guy asked if the doctor wasn’t going to disinfect his ear or something, and got a scornful “you American wimp!” look in reply. He was still alive as of telling me the story the next year, so I guess he was OK. ---
**Author:** ![green\_bladder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/73ab20/32.png) [@green\_bladder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/green_bladder)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2003, 11:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-my-god-what-is-in-my-ear/193259/13 "2003-08-06T11:01:20Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by verbigerate \* > \*\*If you consider the millions of dust-mites that cover the human body, something going in your ear no longer seems to matter… > > Um, hope that helps :rolleyes: \*\* Not really. But thanks anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Andy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/aeb1de/32.png) [@Andy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2003, 11:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-my-god-what-is-in-my-ear/193259/14 "2003-08-06T11:07:09Z")
A similar thing happened to my little brother many years ago, but it was only a house fly or something. However, he was atop a ferris wheel type thing at the time, and inbetween trying to convince the operator to LET HIM OFF and getting to the nearest ENT clinic, it was a good half an hour before it was drowned and extracted. ‘It felt like it was eating my brain.’ he said Yuck. ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2003, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-my-god-what-is-in-my-ear/193259/15 "2003-08-06T12:55:01Z")
Can’t type…puking. ---
**Author:** ![NinjaChick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/71c47a/32.png) [@NinjaChick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinjaChick)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2003, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-my-god-what-is-in-my-ear/193259/16 "2003-08-06T14:25:55Z")
Ewww. Ew ew ew ew ew. This is one of the first TMI threads that has seriously, SERIOUSLY creeped me out. I’m putting headphones on right now, and I’m never taking them off. Ever. Eeeew! ---
**Author:** ![Alto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Alto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alto)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2003, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-my-god-what-is-in-my-ear/193259/17 "2003-08-06T15:08:27Z")
I read an article once where an emergency room doctor was discussing the best way to get cockroaches out of people’s ears. There was some dispute about whether mineral oil or lidocaine (I think) was more effective. One day someone came into the emergency room with a cockroach in EACH EAR. So they were able to try both methods at once and see which worked best. (I think they both worked about the same.) ---
**Author:** ![wakimika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f08c70/32.png) [@wakimika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wakimika)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2003, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-my-god-what-is-in-my-ear/193259/18 "2003-08-06T15:26:24Z")
I’m sure it wasn’t a cockroach, same color but not as long. It has wings too. Anyone know how to identify a particular insect? I wouldn’t know where to begin. ---
**Author:** ![Ms\_Boods](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5e9695/32.png) [@Ms\_Boods](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ms_Boods)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2003, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-my-god-what-is-in-my-ear/193259/19 "2003-08-06T15:56:29Z")
Recently from the BBC online: “Woman’s horror at moth in ear” [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/3110891.stm](http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/3110891.stm) 2 inches long and stuck there for 4 days… ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2003, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-my-god-what-is-in-my-ear/193259/20 "2003-08-06T16:22:36Z")
This seems an appropriate time to mention the episode of Rod Serling’s **Night Gallery** “The Caterpillar” (based on Oscar Cook’s story “Boomerang”) in which a man arranges to have an earwig placed in a rival’s ear. The earwig is supposed to bore through the brain, being unable to turn around. Unfortunately, of course, he gets the bug in his own ear. Miraculously, he survives. But he learns that, along the way, it probably laid eggs. (presumably it wasn’t a caterpillar, then.) [http://www.tvtome.com/tvtome/servlet/EpisodeGuideSummary/showid-1013/season-2](http://www.tvtome.com/tvtome/servlet/EpisodeGuideSummary/showid-1013/season-2) (It’s at the vety bottom of the page.) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/oh-my-god-what-is-in-my-ear/193259.md?page=2)