I used to get ear and throat infections quite a bit, so when I had earache on holiday (aged 21) I just took some painkillers and laid with warm oil in it. It stopped hurting after a few days but felt like I had water in it.
Came home and it felt really odd, used a cotton bud to clean it and all this green gunk came out, not waxy but thick shiny, green gunk. Got loads out and my ear felt a lot better. The next day it seemed full again, so I cleaned it out and more gunk (I’m guessing thick pus) came out. I’m a total sporner so I kept this up for about a week, as I did so the gunk got darker and darker until it was eventually black and smelt awful.
Gave it one last clean and told myself I’d ring the Drs in the morning. Woke up in the early hours in pain and the ear was bleeding. Went to A&E and they said it was a bad infection and gave me antibiotics and stronger painkillers.
Survived about 2 days before I went back to the Dr, it was so painful. He examined me and asked if I’d been using cotton buds, I owned up and he tried to remove it, I passed out with the pain and when I came round he told me it was completely stuck and that I had to go straight to the ENT dept.
When they examined me there they realised it wasn’t a piece of cotton bud, but in fact....a MUSHROOM growing in my ear.
Turned out to be something called ‘swimmers ear’ and a fungal infection. Had to have them suctioned and packed with antibiotic cream a couple of times.
My DH loves telling anyone that will listen that I once neglected my aural health care long enough to grow mushrooms in there.