Arizonan Andi Norton had dealt with sinus issues and breathing problems since childhood.
But a big sneeze in the shower aged 32 that the problem revealed itself – a piece of Lego had been lodged in their nose for decades.
Norton was shocked to hear a ‘clink’ and look down to see the fluorescent yellow piece. ‘Suddenly, the memory of something I had completely forgotten about in my adult life came flooding back to me,’ they said.
In 1998, more than 25 years prior, the then-six-year-old was playing with their Lego collection when he thought of inserting a piece up their nostril. It was a small, circular yellow dot smaller than a grain of corn.
Andi Norton, 32, got an unexpected answer to the question of what could be causing his lifelong breathing issues: a long-forgotten Lego piece that had been lodged in his sinus cavity
Norton – who is non-binary and goes by ‘they’/them’ – said on an Instagram post last week that has since gone viral: ‘I just thought maybe I could just stick it in my nose. I don’t know why I did that. Kids in the 90s just did s**t.’
Panic set in when he realized the small plastic dot was too small to reach in with his fingers and grab it.
Then came another ‘brilliant’ idea: Assemble a mini Lego figurine and insert it up the nostril in a daring rescue mission, hoping it would meet the dot and clip into it like a small hat, which he would pull out.
They went on: ‘And of course, the Lego head popped off in my nose. So now that was also stuck in my nose.’
Their mother fished out the figurine with a pair of tweezers, not knowing that a small piece remained. It would remain there for nearly two decades.
The small plastic piece had remained in his sinus cavity for 26 years, which they believe could be the cause of his obstructive sleep apnea and breathing issues
They told Newsweek: ‘My whole life I’ve had sinus sensitivity, allergies, and issues with congestion.
‘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.’
They added: ‘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.
‘I’ve been regularly doing this for the past six months or so… Today, I was blowing my nose in the shower, and lo and behold, I blew out a Lego dot that has been in my nose for 26 years.
‘I’m shooketh.’
They said they plan to consult a doctor about it, but for now, they feel extreme relief, likening it to pulling out a plug.
Now, Norton plans to hold onto the piece ‘as a silly keepsake.’
The story has since exploded, with their original post on Reddit showing the image of the dot hitting four million views before being removed from the sub-thread for ‘mildly interesting’ stories – it had become ‘too interesting’.
They said: ‘it’s so far out there that all you really can do to react is laugh.
‘It’s become such a silly joke now with all my friends and family, all poking lighthearted fun about it.’
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