You know, when I was a kid, I had this weird fear of getting a small toy or pebble stuck in my ear and not being able to get it out. Later, I realized this fear was totally unfounded and kinda silly, so for years I just brushed it off as ridiculous. Well, until I actually read this story today…
So, our narrator today, as a 9-year-old, somehow got a tiny pebble stuck in his ear – and neither his parents nor the doctors could actually get it out. Incidentally, this later nearly caused our hero serious health problems. But let’s take things one step at a time.
More info: Reddit
Sometimes, the kids are so curious that they do outright self-harm, like sticking some tiny things into their ears
Image credits: aspsvz / Magnific (not the actual photo)
This is what the author of the post actually did when he was 9, and put a tiny pebble into his ear canal
Image credits: The Yuri Arcurs Collection / Magnific (not the actual photo)
Neither the kid’s parents nor the doctors could do anything with it for over 13 years, despite it definitely causing the author various health issues
Image credits: zinkevych / Magnific (not the actual photo)
The last attempt to get the rock, by the doctor, only caused the author’s ear to bleed, and nothing more
Image credits: pressfoto / Magnific (not the actual photo)
So then, 3 years ago, the guy grabbed his girlfriend’s dental and cosmetic stuff and started digging in his ear himself
Image credits: AurumJo
The guy was incredibly lucky, since he managed to pull the rock out, and it finally saw the daylight 13 years later
Let’s just start from the end. The Original poster (OP) is now 25 years old, and three years ago, he finally managed to remove a tiny rock from his ear canal, which he had once stuck there while playing at his dad’s home when he was 9. Back then, many years ago, the adults had tried unsuccessfully to shake the pebble out, and when they failed, they convinced the kid that the rock had passed.
Over the years, the original poster had some health issues he was pretty sure were linked to that stubborn pebble in his ear. Like when his mom took him to the doctor as a teen, and the doc said there was nothing there – just a kid trying to skip school (yeah, right, in June!).
Then, as an adult dealing with migraines and balance issues, our guy went to a different doctor on his own. This time, the doc admitted something was definitely there and tried to get the rock out – but all he did was make the OP’s ear bleed. The author, understandably, freaked out that his eardrum might get punctured and left.
So, three years ago, dealing with these ongoing problems – and even losing hand-eye coordination – the guy grabbed all his girlfriend’s dental and skin-care tools and locked himself in the bathroom to go after that pesky pebble again. This time, luck was on his side – after 20 minutes of digging, the stone (about the size of a quarter) finally saw daylight 13 years later. Hallelujah!
Image credits: AurumJo
Well, various small objects in the ears are not such a rare problem for doctors to encounter, and, as one might expect, kids are most often the victims. For example, a study on Science Direct found the average age of kids who stick things in their ears is 7.2 years. However, rocks aren’t among the most common foreign bodies found in kids’ ears. Stuff like jewelry, paper bits, and office supplies show up more often.
Experts say the OP was super lucky to get off so easily after 13 years with a stone in his ear canal. An article at MSD Manuals explains that stuff stuck in the ear can go unnoticed for ages – until it causes pain, itching, infection, or nasty-smelling discharge. A blocked ear canal can also cause temporary hearing loss.
Luck plays a part, too – Mayo Clinic quite reasonably says it’s super rare for people to get tiny objects out of their ears on their own. The article warns against trying to self-treat if you can’t easily see and grab the object, since messing around can cause infection or damage. So yeah, the OP’s one lucky dude, right?
People in the comments also agreed he’s super lucky, but also warned that ignoring serious medical stuff could bite him later. But the original poster then said he once ignored a collapsed lung for six months… Okay, all that’s left here is to wish him good luck and health, and maybe ask you, our dear readers, what you think of this story!
Most commenters, however, warned the author not to be so risky with his health, and only praised his luck, too
