Meanwhile In Australia... Cockroach Measuring 2cm Pulled From A Man's Ear
The creature crawled into his ear as he slept.
By Sadho Ram — 11 Jan 2014, 09:17 PM — Updated almost 11 years ago
Get ready to squirm: A man in Australia has had a 2cm cockroach removed from his ear
Karama-based Hendrik Helmer's ordeal began in the early hours of Wednesday morning when he was woken by a sharp pain in his right ear, the ABC reports.
ninemsn.com.au
Doctor pulls 2cm long cockroach from man's ear after it crawled in while he slept
Image via belfasttelegraph.co.ukThe warehouse worker became doubled over in agony as the live insect continued to burrow deeper into his ear canal.
Hendrik Helmer described how he was asleep and woke up to "excruciating pain, almost as if somebody was drilling or tapping a nail into the side of my head"
He told 105.7 ABC Darwin radio station the pain began to get worse, and using a vacuum cleaner to try and suck the creature out only appeared to anger it, increasing his pain further.
belfasttelegraph.co.uk
Hendrik Helmer (inset) and the cockroach that a doctor had to use forceps to remove from his ear.
Image via abc.net.au“Later on, when I stood up and it happened it would sort of hunch me over and drop me down to the ground,” Mr Helmer said.
“I was hoping it wasn't a poisonous spider. I was hoping it didn't bite me.”
abc.net.auAfter trying to treat the problem himself, Mr Helmer eventually went to the hospital, where the doctors removed the bug safely
At the Royal Darwin Hospital, a doctor poured olive oil down his ear canal. However, this made the cockroach burrow down further, before it began to suffocate and die.
Helmer told the channel: “Near the 10-minute mark… somewhere around there, he started to stop burrowing but he was still in the throes of death-twitching.”
Much to Helmer’s relief, the beast was finally removed with the use of forceps. He added: “They said they had never pulled an insect this large out of someone’s ear.”
Helmer has since posted pictures of the dead insect on his Facebook page, quipping:
"Yes, that's Roger my new pet. "I take him everywhere. He's dead now. He drowned."
Image via 105.7 ABC DarwinHe is not expected to suffer any long-term effects from his ordeal, although by Friday he was still having trouble with his balance and experiencing twinges of pain when he moved his jaw
Despite his ordeal, Mr Helmer says he does not believe he has a cockroach problem in his home and he won't be conducting an eradication program.
abc.net.auHe also does not intend to sleep any differently or take precautions against it happening again, although he said friends had since told him they were so freaked out by his experience they had begun sleeping with headphones on or earplugs in.