Moth crawls into 12-year-old's ear

[Teh One Who Knocks]

Written by Corey Rose - 9 News Colorado




DENVER - It's one of those stories that can make you a little queasy, but it's worth sharing.

Twelve-year-old Wade Schlote lives out in the country in Parker. He's used to seeing bugs. But his encounter on Sunday night was a little too close.

As Wade fell asleep, a Miller moth crawled into his ear.

"I had a moment of panicking. I was in pain. It was hurting so much I was screaming and crying," he said.

Wade and his mom, Kathy, tried to wash it out at home. It didn't work.

The moth was stuck and the pain was getting worse, so they headed to the emergency room.

"[The doctors] said, 'Yeah, right. There's no moth in there.' But when they looked, sure enough, there was a moth," Kathy Schlote said.

The doctors said they have seen cockroaches and spiders crawl into people's ear canals before, but never a moth. Come to find out, moths are stubborn.

"The doctors tried numbing my ear, thinking it would help with the pain and kill the moth. That didn't work. Then they tried drowning it. That didn't work. Then they tried irrigating it. That didn't work. Finally, the doctor pulled it out with tweezers and when they did it was still alive and started flying around," Wade said.

"I am so happy it's over. It was so painful. Every time it moved it hit my ear drum," Wade said.

"It's kind of creepy. Moths are everywhere this year. This really makes you think a little more about them," Kathy Schlote said.

Doctors caught the moth and put it in a cup to give to Wade. He says it's his keepsake.

Experts say if this happens to you, remain calm and go straight to the emergency room to have it removed. They say it is best not to attempt to remove it yourself for fear of puncturing the ear drum.

[Foxdana]

I would be beside myself if this happened to me, I have a strong fear/phobia of moths.