Written By: Longjam Dineshwori | Updated : February 10, 2021 11:41 AM IST
Interestingly, the recovered AirPod from inside his body still works (Source: Bradford Gauthier/ Facebook)
If you feel pain or discomfort while swallowing, the first thing that would come to your mind is dry throat or infection. But a US man who complained of discomfort while swallowing was shocked to find out that pain is actually caused by an AirPod stuck in his oesophagus.
Bradford Gauthier from Worcester, Massachusetts had accidentally swallowed the earpiece while in sleep. The man narrated about the unusual event on his Facebook profile.
Gauthier said he was fine when he woke up on the morning of February 3 but experienced some difficulty when he tried to drink water. "It wouldn't go down, I had to lean over to let it spill out into the sink. Gross. Something felt off with a lot of pressure in my chest, but I figured my throat was just dry or something from all the snow shoveling late last night," he wrote.
Soon, he noticed that AirPod Headphones that he was listening to the night before were missing. Then his son and wife jokingly told him that that he might have swallowed the device in his sleep, which actually ended up being true.
He was then rushed to the emergency room, where doctors did an X-ray and found the missing earpiece lodged in the lower part of his oesophagus. They performed an emergency endoscopy to remove the wireless device.
"Be careful listening to wireless headphones when you fall asleep, you never know where they'll end up!" he warned others in his post.
Interestingly, the recovered gadget from inside his body still works. "It works, but only at half volume. It definitely got a fair amount of water in it. Hopefully, when it dries out it'll work perfect hahaha," the man told his FB friends.
The pain and discomfort that follow when something gets stuck in the throat or the chest can drive anyone crazy. Sometimes, the food you eat may get stuck in the middle of food pipe. When this happens, drink water, soda or fresh lemonade or eat a banana.
Water can moisten the stuck food and help it move down. Carbonated drink is a simple and effective remedy. It can cause the walls of your throat to expand outwards and help push the object down the stomach. Eating moist food like a banana can help the food to pass through the esophagus easily.
If you still feel the food stuck in the throat even after drinking water or soda, it may be lodged in the windpipe. Usually this happens if you talk while eating and this may lead to choking which cut off oxygen to the brain.
When choking occurs, try this first aid as quickly as possible - Cough forcefully if you can and keep coughing. You can also try Heimlich Maneuver (abdominal thrusts) on yourself. Press your gut down on a tough surface and blow out your mouth with your nose closed.
When a person is choking, and he can't talk, cry or laugh forcefully, the American Red Cross recommends a "five-and-five" approach to delivering first aid.
Give 5 back blows. Stand just behind the choking person. If a child is choking, kneel down behind the child. Place one arm across the person's chest for support and bend the person over at the waist. The person's upper body should be parallel with the ground. Then deliver five separate back blows between the person's shoulder blades using the heel of your hand.
Give 5 abdominal thrusts. After the 5 blows, perform five abdominal thrusts (also known as the Heimlich maneuver). To perform abdominal thrusts, stand behind the person. Wrap your arms around the waist and bend the person forward slightly. Make a fist with one hand and place it slightly above the person's navel. Grasp the fist with the other hand and give a quick, inward and upward thrust as if you're trying to lift the person up. Repeat this 5 times.
Alternate between 5 blows and 5 thrusts until the blockage is dislodged or he cough outs the contents.
Whether it's the food or something else, it's best to seek medical help asap if home remedies don't work.
Caution: Do not use your fingers to remove the object stuck in your throat. It can push the object down to the throat and cause damage.
Disclaimer: The content on TheHealthSite.com is only for informational purposes. It is not at all professional medical advice. Always consult your doctor or a healthcare specialist for any questions regarding your health or a medical condition.
