Boy Hears Scrapes in Ear but Doctor Dismisses It, Years Later He Ends up in the Hospital Again

A boy complained of a scraping sound in his ear. Nobody, including his doctor, believed him. Several years later, he met a specialist who disclosed a piece of chilling news to him.

As a nine-year-old, Redditor AurumJo didn’t know that eavesdropping on conversations was a bad idea. So, here’s what he did—he crept beneath a table to listen to some adult gossip. He sat among the debris down there when a bizarre idea came to mind.

He picked a few pebbles and placed each one individually on the ridge of his ear, mimicking a car on a racetrack. He thought it was downright playful. Just then, he accidentally slid a rock into his right ear canal.

The Original Poster (OP) freaked out. He tried to take the stone out but in vain. He was terrified and screamed. The adults at the gathering were shocked as they had no idea about the boy beneath the table. The OP explained:

“I lost my mind. My dad yanked me up and immediately took me to the bathroom and started the hydrogen peroxide treatment to the ear, assuming it was just a panic attack.”

Several hours later, the Redditor’s family assured him that he would be fine. Some claimed he unnecessarily overreacted, and probably the stone fell out. The OP mistakenly agreed.

He didn’t have any significant difficulties for the next few years. However, the OP was roughly 15 and in high school when the real problem began. He had equilibrium issues and discomfort while showering, traveling, and sleeping. He was suspicious and added:

“I get to thinking about things, and grab a simple paperclip then bend it straight, putting a little loop on the end before fishing around my ear for that “imaginary rock” I had long ago forgotten.”

He heard sharp scraping sounds. He panicked and hurried to his mom. She rushed him to the hospital and demanded an explanation why he never told her. The doctor examined him and concluded that he faked everything to get off school. Years passed, but the OP could do nothing to dig out the pebble from his ear.

He turned 18 and grew up feeling irritated by the mysterious object. He knew it was still there in his ear and visited the hospital. But this time, the doctor admitted he indeed had a blockage and offered to help. The OP explained:

“So, this professional pulled out this gnarly looking pair of Scissor-Hemostats...Rubbing steel to granite, but centimeters from your eardrum, and this went on for at least four minutes until my ear began to bleed lightly.”

The attempt failed, and the doctor advised the OP that he needed to consult a specialist. The OP was frightened after seeing his ears bleed and rejected medical assistance. He decided to remove the stone himself, unaware of the risk he took.

The OP was 22, and the solid piece of disturbance still blocked his ear. He developed difficulties in hand-eye coordination and decided to wait no more. He borrowed a few dental and dermal tools from his girlfriend and set on a mission to remove the pebble by himself.

Some people claimed it was a risky decision.

He locked himself away. He wanted to remove the stone single-handedly—a task nobody accomplished, not even pro-surgeons he’d met earlier. Removing the small rock was risky without medical intervention, but the OP completely took it on him.

It took him 20 minutes to feel the pebble. He became anxious and froze when the instrument wrapped around the stone covered in hardened earwax. He successfully pulled it and put it in a ziplock.

The OP was relieved and hoped he’d never be the same with his dynamic balance. Several Redditors were thrilled after reading his post.

For instance, user jakroois posted a comment that read: “That rock is [expletive] large. Way bigger than I thought. What does your SO think of the whole incident?”

The OP responded, saying:

Some people claimed it was a risky decision. Among them was user mkp666, whose comment read: “This is an amazing story. Also, you need to work on your decision-making regarding medical issues.”

The OP planned on making the rock into a necklace but claimed it made him anxious. If you enjoyed reading this story, then you’d like this one about how a tattoo on a woman’s shoulder in honor of her late grandmother saved her life.