What happens if you swallow wood

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ABC News Live. And certainly with these, if you're not sure what to do, err on the side of caution, come to the emergency department and then we can help make appropriate decisions and get our specialist involved as well.

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Madsen: I would say E. Interviewer: Really? Interviewer: Okay. Madsen: Both of those are problems. Interviewer: Really. Interviewer: Sure, because otherwise it could be serious. Interviewer: What's the issue there then, if it gets stuck up in there? Interviewer: Is that how a toothpick would be removed as well? Madsen: It is. Interviewer: All right. Interviewer: What if it makes it to the stomach and it's blocking that? Interviewer: Would your body eventually throw up that food?

How big of a splinter? If it is pretty small, it probably isn't worth worrying about--the plumbing is designed to handle indigestibles. Only if you decide to not call your doctor, I may suggest making sure to eat some extra roughage to help push the splinter through.

If it is half an inch or longer, you may want to ask your primary care physician--while the plumbing is designed for handling indigestibles, sharp pointed objects raise the possibility of tissue damage as the splinter works its way through the digestive track, or tries to.

Author: mapletree3. I'd call poison control just to be sure. Besides, they're fun to talk to. If you're wondering, YES! That was an invitation for everyone to tell their why-I-called-poison-control stories. So, after I moved out to CA, I had a succession of temp jobs. I always brought my lunch because I was taking the bus groan and often the job was in an industrial park with no places to eat nearby double groan and lunch cost way more money than I was making triple groan.

I subsisted on peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Chunky peanut butter. This is an important detail. One day, I was eating my pbj when I came across a harder-than-usual chunk.

I thought nothing of it, and swallowed. Then I found a couple more. These were definitely not peanut pieces. Investigation revealed that somehow, small rough pieces of glass had made their way into my peanut butter and jelly sandwich! I considered finishing it anyway a girl gotta eat but decided to dump it in the interests of safety.

I was puzzled, but not particularly worried. Several hours later, after I got home from work, my Mom started talking to me telepathically. I don't know how she does it, but it may have happened to you with your Mom. But if he were to swallow that toothpick accidentally, that guy—and his body—would be extremely bothered. The YouTube channel Brew , which breaks down medical questions through animated, narrated videos, recently posted a video explaining exactly what happens when you swallow a toothpick.

And to be honest, it can be kind of horrifying. In the video, the narrator relays the story of a year-old man who plagued by abdominal pain for two months.

But once removed in surgery, the patient made a complete recovery. Yes, this is an actual documented case in a medical journal, which is likely enough to make you stop chewing on that sliver of wood.