“I started bleeding”: a man had 150 insects removed from his nose, he didn't know what was swarming near his brain

Les insectes et leurs larves avaient envahi sa cavité nasale. ILLUSTRATION PIXABAY. – TheDigitalArtist

Souffrant de saignements de nez depuis plusieurs mois, un Américain s'est fait retirer 150 insectes de la cavité nasale le 9 février 2024. Il aurait pu attraper ces petits parasites à la pêche. 

He wasn't even aware that the insects were there. An American in Florida had 150 bugs removed from his nose after suffering pain, swelling and bleeding for several months, reports the Huffpost. 

The face is swollen and painful

When he showed up at the hospital at the beginning of the month, this American complained of almost incessant nosebleeds, swelling of the nostrils and lips and significant pain. Although he felt the first symptoms in October, he waited several months before consulting.

The situation quickly degenerated that day: "Within a few hours my face started to swell, my lips swelled, I could barely speak." "I couldn't even get up to go to the bathroom without my nose bleeding", he recalls. 

150 insects removed

The doctor who consulted him noticed "movement" inside its nasal cavity. These were small fleas, or bedbugs, and especially their larvae. The healthcare professional first began to vacuum out the insects, before deciding to use forceps to extract them one by one.

His situation could have gotten worse, "I knew he had big problems, there was erosion that was happening produced near the base of the skull, very close to his eye and his brain. They were right against the base of his skull, just under the brain, it could have killed him". 

His practice of fishing could be behind his case. He indicated that he would pay more attention to the usual precautions with regard to wildlife in order to avoid parasites: " I used to rinse my hands in the river, now I use a cleanser to do a better job and I don't touch my nose or my hand anymore."