'Stuck': Mary's nail problem reminds Dr Crystal Gay of the classic game Operation

Mary was scratching her ear with her fake nail, and a small bit of the nail became lodged in her ear as a result
Mary and her nail (TLC)
Mary and her nail (TLC)

It may be excruciating to have anything stuck in your ear. It can also be harmful, resulting in hearing loss, bleeding, infection, and even eardrum or ear canal damage. Small things such as candies, beans, and rocks have been found to be stuck in the ears of babies and young children, while insects such as cockroaches, moths, and flies have been known to creep into the ears of adults and children. But have you heard of the nail that got lodged in someone's ear?

The new episode of TLC's 'Stuck' featured a woman named Mary who had a fake nail stuck inside her ear. She was scratching her ear with her fake nail, and a small bit of the nail became lodged in her ear as a result. She even tried to remove the nail on her own by putting oil in the ear and sleeping on the same side, but this backfired since when you're in deep sleep, you turn in your sleep, and the nail digs itself in.

RELATED ARTICLES

'Stuck': Mary's artificial nail lodges itself deep within her ear canal

TLC 'Stuck': Dr Larry Mellick operates on 16-year-old with earring stuck in his earlobe

Dr Crystal Gay looking into Mary's ears (TLC)

Dr Crystal Gay had no idea when she learned about Mary's mishap since she has no idea when the nail became caught or how long it has been stuck. She also mentioned that when foreign objects become trapped, doctors usually use an operating microscope, forceps, or irrigate something, and they can also suction. In the case of Mary, she uses forceps. The doctor tries to remove the nail with her utmost concentration, but she warns Mary that if she jerks away even a little, it might injure or scrape her ear canal or eardrums, causing a hemorrhage, and the ear canal bleeds profusely. The doctor also compared the situation to the past, she says “I think we'll all played Operation when we were little kids and the intensity that evoked, you know, you don’t wanna get that buzzer going” and that's is not even real but as kids, we’re stressed about it.

The doctor began the procedure to remove the nail from Mary's ears, but it was very painful for anybody, and Mary kept asking the doctor, "Did you get it?" to which the doctor answered, "I'll let you know," because the nail had been tucked quite deep and wasn't in the mood to come out. As a result, the doctor administers Lidocaine to Mary. She was given a numbing drug to help her cope with the pain. The nail finally came out after a lot of twisting and movement of the forceps. And there was no bleeding in the ear canal. In the end, Mary asks herself, will I put the nails again? Pretty sure she is never going to do that now.

GET THE BIGGEST ENTERTAINMENT STORIES
STRAIGHT TO YOUR INBOX.

MORE STORIES

Malik has no idea Hondo knows his secret, and Adain Bradley says their story is far from over.
2026-10-17T20:45:16.000Z
Jo’s resignation raises questions about her future as ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ begins a new era in Season 23
2026-10-17T18:23:30.000Z
‘Tulsa King’ Season 4, starring Sylvester Stallone, streams every Friday on Paramount+
2026-10-17T10:36:40.000Z
Pavi and her long-lost twin Nisha hunt for their origins as the Havens cheer the last Avatar’s death
2026-10-17T08:37:00.000Z
Season 2 of the HBO Stephen King prequel jumps back to 1935 and a gang of bank robbers
2026-10-17T06:52:24.000Z
‘Fire Country’ season 5 episode 2 reveals Jake’s fate after the shooting as the team uncovers the attacker’s motive
2026-10-17T06:41:28.000Z
Wes ends ‘Sheriff Country’ Season 2 Episode 2 in the hands of Stoyanovs after exposing bakery bug
2026-10-17T05:35:47.000Z
Chad Lowe is the executive producer on ‘9-1-1: Nashville’ and has also directed many episodes
2026-10-17T05:07:28.000Z
Issa López returns as showrunner for a Jamaica Bay story with ties to ’Night Country’
2026-10-17T03:12:59.000Z
Oklahoma’s governor and Dwight’s love interest board a private jet in the first episode of Season 4
2026-10-16T09:30:07.000Z