A day at the beach could mean the epitome of relaxation to some, the golden color of nine months' worth of dreams to others, and utter disgust by polluted water and littered sand to a few.
Sometimes, things aren't the kind of simple matter that could fit into a category like the ones above. Such like the unfortunate yet fortunate story of a man who found a living baby crab stuck in his right ear after going for a swim in the sea.
According to Khaleej Times, 38-year-old L.E. went to the beach in November with some friends on what was a normal day with summer-like weather in the UAE.
The expat living in Abu Dhabi soon after felt discomfort in his right ear but couldn't figure out the source behind it.
"I was on the beach when I suddenly realised that something went inside my ear. I couldn't figure out what it was. All I could feel was that it was annoying," L.E. told the English-language daily, adding "But never had I thought that it would be a crab."
An hour later, he felt great annoyance as he had already tried earlier to figure out the cause of the pain but to no avail.
This would be the unfortunate part of the 38-year-old's story.
For the better news, Dr. Prabir Paul, Specialist Otolaryngology at Burjeel MHPC at Marina Mall in Abu Dhabi, told Khaleej Times that by the time the patient's ear canal had swollen up, the baby crab had nowhere to go and got tightly stuck inside the man's ear canal.
Through an endoscope-assisted procedure, the crustacean was extracted alive. The patient went on with his day after the required medical treatment. We hope the same happened with the crab.
"There is always a chance of foreign objects entering into our body through ears, nose or mouth while bathing in the sea or even while relaxing on the beach. One should not try to remove these objects by themselves, instead should report urgently to the nearest medical facility. Any attempts to remove these foreign objects may cause various complications like bleeding and damage to the organs," Dr. Paul advised.