It was the mother of all boogers.When Arizona resident Andi Norton — aka Ben Havoc — was six years old he inadvertently stuffed a piece of Lego up his nose. Despite his mother thinking she had removed it all those years ago, Norton — now 32 — blew the suspect piece of plastic from his nostril 26 years later, not realizing it had been lodged in his proboscis all this time.The irony is that he had been suffering from acute sinus allergies since he was a child and had finally visited a specialist to address his trouble breathing.“My doctor has told me, with the dry hot summer months, it's really helpful to blow your nose while you're in the shower, because the humidity of the steam and everything," Norton shared in a clip posted to Instagram..He’d been performing the routine for the past eight months when it suddenly flew out his nose and hit the floor.“Suddenly, the memory of something I had completely forgotten about in my adult life came flooding back to me,” he posted. “I am able to take a deep breath through my nose without feeling restricted, which is something I've never been able to do." Suddenly it all made sense.“My whole life I've had sinus sensitivity, allergies, and issues with congestion," the social media user told Newsweek. "Since I am allergic to cats, dogs, grass, many of the native trees and dust, and I've always been exposed to one or more of these things, I lived my life assuming any congestion issues were just simply caused by the allergies.".And he’s not alone. In 2017, a 47-year old man in Preston, England was found to have a Playmobil road cone in his lungs when he was treated for a persistent cough.According to US pharmaceutical company Optinose, about 25% of people experience chronic nasal congestion, with 85% of those claiming it ‘negatively impacts’ their daily lives.Exact numbers are hard to come by, but childcare experts say it’s common for toddlers aged one to four years old to stuff random objects — including Lego — into their noses, mouths, ears in what psychologists call a child’s ’oral phase’.According to the British Columbia government these can include everything from dried beans, beads, popcorn and small plastic toys. More problematic are items like button cell batteries that can interact with mucous membranes.According to its website, older children and adults can also inhale objects while working closely with small objects. Nose rings and metal studs from nose piercings can also cause nose problems. A piece of glass may enter the nose during a car crash. “You may not be aware of this because of other injuries.”
It was the mother of all boogers.When Arizona resident Andi Norton — aka Ben Havoc — was six years old he inadvertently stuffed a piece of Lego up his nose. Despite his mother thinking she had removed it all those years ago, Norton — now 32 — blew the suspect piece of plastic from his nostril 26 years later, not realizing it had been lodged in his proboscis all this time.The irony is that he had been suffering from acute sinus allergies since he was a child and had finally visited a specialist to address his trouble breathing.“My doctor has told me, with the dry hot summer months, it's really helpful to blow your nose while you're in the shower, because the humidity of the steam and everything," Norton shared in a clip posted to Instagram..He’d been performing the routine for the past eight months when it suddenly flew out his nose and hit the floor.“Suddenly, the memory of something I had completely forgotten about in my adult life came flooding back to me,” he posted. “I am able to take a deep breath through my nose without feeling restricted, which is something I've never been able to do." Suddenly it all made sense.“My whole life I've had sinus sensitivity, allergies, and issues with congestion," the social media user told Newsweek. "Since I am allergic to cats, dogs, grass, many of the native trees and dust, and I've always been exposed to one or more of these things, I lived my life assuming any congestion issues were just simply caused by the allergies.".And he’s not alone. In 2017, a 47-year old man in Preston, England was found to have a Playmobil road cone in his lungs when he was treated for a persistent cough.According to US pharmaceutical company Optinose, about 25% of people experience chronic nasal congestion, with 85% of those claiming it ‘negatively impacts’ their daily lives.Exact numbers are hard to come by, but childcare experts say it’s common for toddlers aged one to four years old to stuff random objects — including Lego — into their noses, mouths, ears in what psychologists call a child’s ’oral phase’.According to the British Columbia government these can include everything from dried beans, beads, popcorn and small plastic toys. More problematic are items like button cell batteries that can interact with mucous membranes.According to its website, older children and adults can also inhale objects while working closely with small objects. Nose rings and metal studs from nose piercings can also cause nose problems. A piece of glass may enter the nose during a car crash. “You may not be aware of this because of other injuries.”
