To not expect an earwig in my inhaler - yes, AN EARWIG!!!!!

[PurpleLostPrincess]

Couldn't sleep last night and was up late (Friday night etc...).

Rolled over and thought I'd do a few puffs on my inhaler as I was slightly wheezy, so I took the lid off, inhaled, then sputtered. I thought there was a bit of wood in the back of my throat...

I took it out, ran to the toilet as it made me gag...

When I came back, I realised it was an earwig... AN EARWIG!!! And,

IT WAS ALIVE!!!!!!!

I then got a tissue, put it down the toilet, threw up a few times, then brushed my teeth and gargled mouthwash a few times...

AIBU to feel totally traumatised by having a live creature in the back of my throat? Oh my goodness, it was utterly horrible and I can't get it out of my head!!! I thought it was a bit of wood or something as it was all spikey.

Thankfully, DH comforted his woman and took my mind off it all, helping me to settle to sleep nicely. When I woke this morning, it hit me again and I have to consciously stop myself gagging when I think about it!!!!

[aStabbingStrangleways]

you have reminded me of the most revolting thing i ever read: an account of being in some hideous prison in the US, in dreadful conditions, in which the author claimed that a fellow inmate had accidentally inhaled a COCKROACH that was hiding in his inhaler...and that he could still feel it scuttling about inside his lung.

I'm certain that it's complete bollocks but still, the idea is enough to make me eeeeeuuuurrrrrggggghhhhhhh.

[Glitterandglue]

That picture is mental! 'Twould send my cousin into conniptions; she's terrified of them.

[Rusdaddy]

History repeating itself - It just happened to me!

At 5am this morning I woke feeling wheezy and j reach for my Ventolin inhaler and did a double puff and felt something shoot down my throat.

Like any seasoned Asthma sufferer would, j assumed that it was a bit of fluff or paper.

Then I felt a repeated stinging sensation in my throat so I had a drink of water, but it still didn't clear it.

By this time I was aware of it moving, so I started to gag and rush to the toilet and did everything I could to cough it up.

I then did a combination of a clough and gag reflex, half being sick, and it shot out into the toilet, I looked down and saw a 2cm earwig, intact, with anttena and pincers!!

I rushed downstairs to get something to drink and had half a can of Diet Coke and some biscuits to try and clear the taste.

Not long after I could feel my throat swelling where it was biting me. As I has allergies too I went straight to the medicine cupboard and got an antihistamine tablet and swallowed that as quickly as I could.

The next thing I did was get my iPhone out and search the phrase:

"Are earwig poisonous?"

And got this answer:

"Because of their intimidating pincers, or forceps, protruding from the abdomen, earwigs might appear to be a dangerous bug. This is a misconception. Earwigs can use their forceps to grasp onto a finger if agitated, but earwigs do not sting nor are they dangerous. They have no venom, so earwigs are not poisonous."

I am happy to say that 5 hours later I am feeling much better, and the swelling in my throat has nearly gone.

Apparently from the mental trauma of what has happened today I think I am ok!

One thing I did realise is I forgot the golden rule when you use your inhaler - when you take the lid off ALWAYS give a sort sharp blow into the mouthpiece before you press and inhale.

Thrm you can be fairly sure that you will dislodge anything that otherwise may end up down your throat!

I would like to reassure anyone that this is extremely rare and has never happened to me before in 52 years of using experiences, so don't panic!

As I took a comfort in finding and reading this thread, I thought I would take the time to help any other people in the future and share my experience :-)

[Rusdaddy]

Excuse the spelling j was writing on my phone - I mean to say:

Apart from the mental trauma of what has happened today I think I am ok!

[sallysparrow157]

That's one way of persuading kids to use spacers! It's nothing to do with making it easier to get the full dose, it's an earwig trap!

[Propolis]

Weirdly this has happened to me too! wtf?

[MrsDumbledore]

Exactly the same thing happened to me a few years ago! Gagged on my inhaler and what I spat out was an earwig (I then vommitted properly! ). I had left the cap off though. I now always check the mouthpiece! How odd it has happened to so many!

[lilacblossomtime]

Arrrgh how horrible. Glad you are ok. I once spotted an earwig on dh's toothbrush, lucky for him. It is weird as you don't often see them. Maybe they are attracted to the chemicals used in the inhalers?

[Naty1]

Its happened to me too. I dont think the lid was off.

[Propolis]

There MUST be something in the inhaler that attracts them. I'm going to Google and report back.

[Propolis]

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/a1331189-To-not-expect-an-earwig-in-my-inhaler-yes-AN-EARWIG

[Propolis]

Sorry didn't mean to do that!

[stealthsquiggle]

I once managed to inhale a chunk of one of these things which must have been rattling around in the bottom of my handbag. That was very scary and enough to make me keep caps on inhalers.

[CigarsofthePharoahs]

Urgh!
Must check inhailers....

[Hdh08]

I.AM.MORTIFIED

Just 20 minutes ago I inhaled one. We're in the middle of a heat wave with very high humidity, so the need for my inhaler right now is great. I was in the middle of what felt like an honest to goodness asthma attack. So I definitely needed the two puffs. The problem is I didn't have enough air to expel to get the thing out. So I had to try and calm down, took me almost a whole minute before I could actually cough. When I finally had gotten it out, I saw it for what it was -- pure evil. So as my asthma attack was passing it turned into a full blown panic attack. By this time the thing is out, crawling away on the floor. I'm traumatized. But the worst was yet to come....

Naturally I have to throw up. The problem is, I have just recently gotten dentures - and so very not used to them enough to deal with throwing up yet. So I just throw up right there on my kitchen floor. My teeth fly out of my mouth onto the GRANITE floor. Whilst my 5 year old comes around the corner - completely unaware to what just transpired. She sees the aftermath. The horrid, awful, aftermath. So, of course, she starts panicking - hard. Not only is she looking at her mom violently vomiting, she notices my dentures ON THE FLOOR. This is important because I haven't actually explained and shown her prior to this moment that mommy's teeth do indeed come out. In complete shock she looks at the teeth, looks at me, eyes so very open and just wails at the top of her lungs. So yes, it's safe to say I ruined this kid.

An hour later (yes, I took me that long to write this, proofread, and edit all while basking in the glory of my utter embarrassment) it STILL feels like there's something in the back of my throat. I will not sleep tonight, or maybe ever again.

After having three kids (in 5 years) and the last one was a 26 hour labor - NATURAL birth; I think it's safe to say this experience was worse than that. And I will kill every.last.earwig. I ever see for the rest of my life.

Fighting the good fight.

[PookieDo]

I have a dry powder terbutaline inhaler so this can’t happen as different design really but YUK

when I was about 16 I was thirsty in the night and picked up the cup of water I had left next to my bed. It was pitch black and I took a sip only for something to hit my lips IN THE WATER. I jumped up and put the light on and there was a giant fucking flying insect some kind of long black thing floating dead in the cup

I may have thrown the whole thing across the room in horror and over 20 years later I cover all my drinks at night and always look inside them before taking a sip or use a bottle.