A woman with two children was surprised when doctors removed a wad of adhesive tape from her nose that had been lodged there for over three decades. Candela Reybaud, the woman in question, has no recollection of how the tape ended up in her nasal passage. She speculates that it may have been left behind during a medical procedure when she experienced breathing difficulties as a newborn.

Candela had unknowingly been breathing through a partially obstructed nostril all her life. Despite having 105,000 Instagram followers as a health influencer, she had never noticed the blockage. She shared, “I’ve always struggled to breathe through my nose, especially on the right side. This made physical activities and sleeping challenging, but I had adapted to breathing through my mouth from a young age.”

The 35-year-old woman revealed that she had experienced severe sinusitis about a year ago, but didn’t pursue further medical investigation at the time due to the lack of imaging facilities in her area. However, when her symptoms resurfaced a month ago with intense cheek pain, she sought medical attention. A CT scan revealed a foreign body resembling a rhinolith, prompting a procedure to remove the obstruction.

Following the successful extraction of the object, which turned out to be a piece of folded adhesive tape, Candela expressed astonishment at the discovery. She recalled a respiratory distress episode during her birth, suggesting that the tape might have been left in her nose since infancy. The removal of the foreign object immediately improved her breathing, although some residual swelling remains.

Candela shared her unusual experience on social media, receiving an outpouring of support globally. She emphasized the importance of not dismissing persistent symptoms and encouraged others to seek timely medical advice. Reflecting on her newfound ability to breathe through both nostrils at 35, she humorously remarked, “I’m now the star of the strangest anecdote I’ve ever encountered.”