I’ve struggled to breathe my whole life – then I sneezed out piece of Lego that had been stuck in my nose for 25 YEARS
Andi Norton from Arizona suffered from sinus infections and breathing problems since childhood.
But when I sneezed violently in the shower at the age of 32, the problem revealed itself: a piece of Lego had been stuck in my nose for decades.
Norton was shocked when he heard a “clink” and looked down to see the fluorescent yellow piece. “Suddenly, the memory of something I had completely forgotten as an adult came flooding back,” they said.
In 1998, more than 25 years earlier, the then six-year-old was playing with their Lego collection when he thought of putting a piece up their nostril. It was a small, round yellow dot, smaller than a kernel of corn.
Andi Norton, 32, got an unexpected answer to the question of what could be causing his lifelong breathing problems: a long-forgotten Lego piece stuck in his nasal cavity
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Norton, who is non-binary and calls herself “they”/”them,” said on Instagram after last week that has since gone viral: ‘I just thought maybe I could just stick it up my nose. I don’t know why I did that. Kids in the ’90s just did s**t.’
He panicked when he realized the tiny plastic dot was too small for his fingers to grasp.
Then came another ‘brilliant’ idea: assemble a mini Lego figure and stick it in his nostril. This is a daring rescue mission. In the hope that the figure touches the tip and clicks in like a little hat, which he then pulls out.
They continued, “And of course the Lego head in my nose popped off. So now that was in my nose too.”
Their mother fished the statue out with tweezers, not knowing that a small piece was left. It would remain there for almost two decades.
The small piece of plastic had been in his sinus cavity for 26 years, which they believe could be the cause of his obstructive sleep apnea and breathing problems.
They told Newsweek: ‘I have suffered from sensitive sinuses, allergies and nasal congestion all my life.
“Because I am allergic to cats, dogs, grass, many native trees, and dust, and have always been exposed to one or more of these things, I have assumed all my life that any respiratory problems I had were simply caused by the allergies.”
They added: ‘My doctor has told me that in the dry, hot summer months it is very helpful to blow your nose when you are in the shower, because of the humidity from the steam and everything.
‘I’ve been doing this regularly for about half a year or so… Today I blew my nose in the shower and lo and behold, I blew out a Lego dot that had been stuck in my nose for 26 years.
“I am shocked.”
They said they plan to see a doctor, but for now they feel a huge sense of relief, likening it to pulling a plug.
Norton plans to keep the piece “as a fun keepsake.”
The story has since exploded, with the original Reddit post showing the dot image reaching four million views. It was then removed from the subthread for being “moderately interesting” stories. It had become “too interesting.”
She said: ‘it’s so far away that all you can do is laugh.
‘It’s become a joke now, and all my friends and family are happily joking about it.’