Mites found in New Zealand man's ears

AUCKLAND, New Zealand, May 26 (UPI) -- New Zealander Paul Balvert reports his first peaceful sleep in two years after doctors found an infestation of mites in his ears.

His "noisy nightmares" baffled his doctor and "for years I had no idea what was wrong," Balvert told the New Zealand Herald.

"I had these continual bubble and squeak noises in my ears and it was worse at night and I would be lucky to get any sleep," Balvert said. "I would stick my finger and cotton buds into my ears to try and relieve the itch, but it was unreachable."

After his doctor twice unsuccessfully flushed his ears with water Balvert went to a specialist who was amazed to discover "very active, tiny, semi-transparent mites moving around in a moist layer and white eggs present all over the canal ands eardrum."

The newspaper said that, after using suction to remove all visible mites and eggs and soaking Balvert's ears in a liquid used for scabies and head lice, he finally was cured.

Balvert, who operates a chicken-shed cleaning business, believes the mites entered his ear one day when a chicken feed pan was dumped over his head.