It's crossed most of our minds at some point that while we're sleeping, an insect could pretty easily crawl into one of our orifices. But typically, we can dismiss this as an irrational fear and move on with our lives.
Not for one women in Chennai, India. For her, this nightmare became a reality.
Late one night, she woke up to the feeling of something moving around in her nose. On top of that, she had a headache and couldn't breathe.
"I could not explain the feeling, but I was sure it was some insect. There was a tingling, crawling sensation. Whenever it moved, it gave me a burning sensation in my eyes," she told the New Indian Express.
You'd think a bug in your nose would be pretty easy to locate, but it took visits to multiple clinics to identify the culprit. The cockroach had gotten so far in there that the doctors completely missed it.
Specifically, the persistent creature "burrowed into the roof of the nose, almost near the skull base, which is the dividing point between the brain and the nose," Dr. M.N. Shankar, the doctor who finally caught the pest, told CNN.
As you'd imagine, getting that thing out was not easy. The doctors had to put an endoscope up her nose just to see it (and you can, too, below). Then, they removed it with a suction device and forceps.
Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center emergency physician Dr. Richard Nelson told Live Science this is rare. But don't exhale yet. He's seen a dozen or more patients with cockroaches in their ears.
The consolation? Bugs probably can't get above the nasal cavity. So unless it's zombies that are coming after you, your brain is safe.
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