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Wallace Lee of the UK, had put his hearing problems down to a career working in the noisy aviation industry or old rugby injuries.
He decided to visit a doctor after buying a home endoscope kit that helped him spot a small white object.
He was delighted and that it was an "instant relief" when the unusual blockage was finally removed. And he's definitely not alone. Check out the video below to witness an earbud removal.
The Royal Navy veteran believes the object got stuck during a plane journey.
"Five years ago when I was visiting my family in Australia I bought these little earplugs that you can put different attachments in, depending on the noise you want to phase out on an aircraft," he said.
"One of these little attachments had lodged in there and it had been in there ever since."
He had noticed a deterioration in his hearing, as had his wife, and was starting to fear he was going deaf.
A good ending and an important lesson!