Woman in agony as medics scramble to remove a fake nail lodged in her ear

WARNING: This video and article contains graphic content.

If you've got an itch, your first reaction is to scratch it.

That's exactly what one woman named Mary did when she developed an itch in her ear, but she had no idea the consequences would be so dire.

In the truly fascinating medical series Stuck – which you can watch for free on 9Now – medical professionals remove objects that have been lodged in their patients' bodies.

Stream episodes of Stuck for free on 9Now.

During one episode, Mary was scratching her ear with her artificial nails on when suddenly it snapped off and became lodged in her ear.

You can see how the medical episode unfolded in the clip below.

At first Mary tried to get the nail out herself by applying oil on the ear and sleeping on the same side hoping it would fall out.

But in a deep sleep, Mary switched sides and the nail became lodged even deeper inside her ear canal.

It was then that Mary sought the help of Crystal Gay, a physician assistant at an Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) practice in Atlanta, Georgia.

"I actually don't think I've ever seen a fingernail [stuck] before," Crystal said when presented with the unusual case.

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With a steady hand a pair of medical tweezers, Crystal tried to grip the fake nail but the task proved to be very difficult and the stakes were extremely high.

"If she moves, flinches, coughs or even moves a little bit there is the potential to damage her ear... [it could] scratch the ear canal and then bleed like crazy – or worse, perforate her ear drum," Crystal explained.

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Crystal likened the process to board game, 'Operation'.

"We've all played the game and experienced the intensity that that evoked... you don't want to get that buzzer," she said.

"That's not even real and you're stressed out about it. This is a much bigger scale, very serious."

You can watch Crystal try to pry the nail out in the video below.

There was a tense and "nerve-wracking" wait as Crystal attempted to grip the nail multiple times with no success. Mary winced throughout the clearly painful process.

But there was a eureka moment as Crystal finally removed the nail from Mary's ear.

After seeing the nail, it was hard for Mary to believe that was ever stuck inside her ear canal and she felt major relief now that it was out.

"Thank you so much – you saved my life," Mary said.

"Will I ever wear nails again I wonder?" she joked.

Watch Episode 2 from Season 1 of Stuck to see what other objects patients have lodged in their bodies.

Stream episodes of Stuck for free on 9Now.