Curious Cockroach Gives Traveler Trauma

[sylviex]

As if I wasn't already phobic enough about these creatures ...

Curious cockroach gives traveler trauma

CHIANG MAI: At some point in their lives, most people are likely to have had some pretty unpleasant bus trips, whether on a crowded Greyhound Bus in the States or a steaming hot, jam-packed third-class “Orange Crush” hurtling though the Thai countryside.

If you think your bus journeys have been hel_l, consider the case of one passenger from Khon Kaen who, while taking a grubby coach to start a new job in Chiang Mai, awoke to find a cockroach burrowing into his inner ear.

On November 5, young Kittiphong Damkhong walked into Phuphing Police Station in Muang District to file a rather odd complaint. On meeting the Duty Inspector Chachan Saengbun, Mr Kittiphong pulled out a plastic bag and presented the officer with a rather waxy dead cockroach, which he claimed had crawled into his ear while he was riding on a Phu Luang Tours coach on the night of November 3.

Kittiphong, 23, explained to the officer that after boarding the coach at 10pm in Khon Kaen, he had fallen fast asleep. When he awoke, he felt something crawling round his left earlobe. As he tried to brush it off, it took refuge by diving deep into his ear hole. Despite his best attempts, he could not get the bug out and had to sit there with it in his ear until the coach made a rest stop in Phitsanuloke, he said.

At the service station, he rushed off to find some cotton buds and then raced to the toilet to try and dislodge the insect. After much poking and prodding, the cockroach, now dead, fell out. Still shocked, Mr Kittiphong decided to keep the insect as evidence, he said.

The following morning when he arrived in Chiang Mai, Mr Kittiphong noticed that he was having difficulty hearing in his left ear. He went to Maharaj Nakhon Chiang Mai Hospital to get it checked out. Two days after the incident he still couldn’t hear properly and there was a risk of infection, he was told. Fearing mounting medical costs, he kept the doctor’s certificate as evidence – along with the corpse of the cockroach.

“After considering what happened, I realized it could have happen to anyone. The coach company should take responsibility for letting cockroaches live in the bus. Where were the cleanliness standards on the coach? What would have happened if it had been a venomous bug that had got in? It could have killed or injured passengers. Who will take responsibility if I go deaf from infection? I decided to report the incident so there will be evidence if my condition gets worse and I need to appeal to the relevant authorities,” said Mr Kittiphong.

The experience of having had a cockroach temporarily living in his head had obviously not diminished the young man’s ability for rational thought.

Ketkaow Thammaraksa, Deputy Manager of Phu Luang Tours, said that in the many years the company had been operating she had never heard of an incident like this.

She added that if the victim could bring a doctor’s note or receipt for any treatment costs the company would be happy to reimburse him as all passengers are covered under the company’s compulsory insurance.

However, she said that the company had not yet heard from Mr Kittiphong.

Brought to you by:

The Phuket Gazette

14:45 local time (GMT +7)

[Ajarn]

As if I wasn't already phobic enough about these creatures ...

Curious cockroach gives traveler trauma

CHIANG MAI: At some point in their lives, most people are likely to have had some pretty unpleasant bus trips, whether on a crowded Greyhound Bus in the States or a steaming hot, jam-packed third-class “Orange Crush” hurtling though the Thai countryside.

If you think your bus journeys have been hel_l, consider the case of one passenger from Khon Kaen who, while taking a grubby coach to start a new job in Chiang Mai, awoke to find a cockroach burrowing into his inner ear.

On November 5, young Kittiphong Damkhong walked into Phuphing Police Station in Muang District to file a rather odd complaint. On meeting the Duty Inspector Chachan Saengbun, Mr Kittiphong pulled out a plastic bag and presented the officer with a rather waxy dead cockroach, which he claimed had crawled into his ear while he was riding on a Phu Luang Tours coach on the night of November 3.

Kittiphong, 23, explained to the officer that after boarding the coach at 10pm in Khon Kaen, he had fallen fast asleep. When he awoke, he felt something crawling round his left earlobe. As he tried to brush it off, it took refuge by diving deep into his ear hole. Despite his best attempts, he could not get the bug out and had to sit there with it in his ear until the coach made a rest stop in Phitsanuloke, he said.

At the service station, he rushed off to find some cotton buds and then raced to the toilet to try and dislodge the insect. After much poking and prodding, the cockroach, now dead, fell out. Still shocked, Mr Kittiphong decided to keep the insect as evidence, he said.

The following morning when he arrived in Chiang Mai, Mr Kittiphong noticed that he was having difficulty hearing in his left ear. He went to Maharaj Nakhon Chiang Mai Hospital to get it checked out. Two days after the incident he still couldn’t hear properly and there was a risk of infection, he was told. Fearing mounting medical costs, he kept the doctor’s certificate as evidence – along with the corpse of the cockroach.

“After considering what happened, I realized it could have happen to anyone. The coach company should take responsibility for letting cockroaches live in the bus. Where were the cleanliness standards on the coach? What would have happened if it had been a venomous bug that had got in? It could have killed or injured passengers. Who will take responsibility if I go deaf from infection? I decided to report the incident so there will be evidence if my condition gets worse and I need to appeal to the relevant authorities,” said Mr Kittiphong.

The experience of having had a cockroach temporarily living in his head had obviously not diminished the young man’s ability for rational thought.

Ketkaow Thammaraksa, Deputy Manager of Phu Luang Tours, said that in the many years the company had been operating she had never heard of an incident like this.

She added that if the victim could bring a doctor’s note or receipt for any treatment costs the company would be happy to reimburse him as all passengers are covered under the company’s compulsory insurance.

However, she said that the company had not yet heard from Mr Kittiphong.

Brought to you by:

The Phuket Gazette

14:45 local time (GMT +7)

Be phobic, the story is BS, I feel sure

[cmsally]

I was watching Aussie TV the other other night - one of those hospital programs.

There was a doctor pulling bits of cockroach out of a boy's ear. This was in Oz!

So I guess same possible here.

[phaethon]

... awoke to find a cockroach burrowing into his inner ear.

Plausible enough, but it certainly didn't reach his innerear - he'd be in serious trouble if he had rooted it out of there with a cotton-bud!

It's more than likely that he damaged his own ear drum while rummaging around and extracting the insect, best thing is to get to a hospital where they can a ) see what they are doing (tried looking down your own ear'ole recently?) and b ) have some appropriate instruments to draw the insect out rather than lever it out with a cotton bud. They'd also have solutions to kill and soften up the bug and the earwax first to make things easier.

Very bad idea to go poking around in your own ear canal, even for routine cleaning.

Edited November 13, 2008 by phaethon

[eek]

I guess he did it in panic, cant blame him really. I know this will sound like im trying to be funny, but im not, its a geniune question. Is it possible that if he had stayed still but put some food near the entrance of his ear that the cockroach would have gone to it?

[phaethon]

I guess he did it in panic, cant blame him really. I know this will sound like im trying to be funny, but im not, its a geniune question. Is it possible that if he had stayed still but put some food near the entrance of his ear that the cockroach would have gone to it?

Might be worth a try, the food probably wouldn't be necessary, just lie very still for a while - not an easy option. However, the insect was effectively chased in there (in the OP he originally felt it on his ear lobe) and in a panic I could imagine it finding its way in and unable to reverse out.

The recommended methods for children is to lie (usually the child) down with the affected ear uppermost and fill the ear with oil (olive, vegetable etc.) and after a while (when the insect has drowned) follow up with some warm water to float the body out. If this fails at least the insect will be dead and no-longer irritating while you reach hospital.

Edited November 13, 2008 by phaethon

[Mapguy]

If you were the cockroach, what would you do?

A) File a class action unlawful death law suit?

Ask the bus driver to turn down the air conditioning?

C) Go sit in the back of the bus where you belong?

PS: Some Super Mod is looking over my shoulder and has screwed up this poll by inserting a funny face, or whatever you call them!

Edited November 13, 2008 by Mapguy

[Dustoff]

Geez, must have been a really slow news day, eh?

Earwax has a natural insect repellent built-in or that particular hole in our head would be a hiding place for insects on a regular basis. Given a little time, the cockroach would have backed out on his own and the guy wouldn't have injured his eardrum by jamming some object in there behind it.

I once experienced a mosquito bite on a bus; I wonder if I should have gone to a police station at the next stop..?

[eek]

Thanks phaethon. Hope I never experience something like that, but at least i now know what to do.

[Ulysses G.]

I had some sort of bug stuck in my ear and Suan Doc hospital got it out with olive oil.

[gpdjohn]

Old TV show was either the "Outer Limits" or "Twilight Zone".

Man kept having really bad ear ache, couldn't figure out what was wrong. Such bad headaches that he thought his head was going to explode...he was also complaining about feeling as though something was crawling around in his head.

Anyway towards the end of the show he managed to finally get into a hospital.

Doctor told him that they had found a "earwig" deep within his ear and that they had removed it with great difficulity. Ahh, the man relaxed only to have more sensations within his head.

The doctor returned and told him that he had some bad news...

The earwig was female and had laid some eggs.

Never have forgotten that one.

[venturalaw]

Old TV show was either the "Outer Limits" or "Twilight Zone".

Man kept having really bad ear ache, couldn't figure out what was wrong. Such bad headaches that he thought his head was going to explode...he was also complaining about feeling as though something was crawling around in his head.

Anyway towards the end of the show he managed to finally get into a hospital.

Doctor told him that they had found a "earwig" deep within his ear and that they had removed it with great difficulity. Ahh, the man relaxed only to have more sensations within his head.

The doctor returned and told him that he had some bad news...

The earwig was female and had laid some eggs.

Never have forgotten that one.

I remember that one - but the doctors were unable to remove the earwig due to how far it had traveled. The patient actually survived the earwig burrowing its way through to his other ear and was removed from there. While he was in recovery, the doctors informed him that the earwig was female and had been pregnant laying eggs along her journey.

That one stuck with me too.