A WOMAN claims her friend’s barbecue almost killed her when she swallowed a wire bristle hidden in her kebab – poking her own throat.
Jessica Doster immediately knew there was a problem moments after eating the chicken skewer made by a friend in Indianapolis, Indiana.
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She first thought it was a piece of food that had gotten stuck in her throat, leaving her short of breath.
“I took a few bites [of my shish kebab] and immediately knew something was wrong. I thought I had something stuck in my throat. There was a lot of pressure on the lower part of my neck,” she told The US Sun.
But when the pain worsened that night, the 35-year-old healthcare administrator went to the emergency room.
“I had to stop eating immediately. I couldn’t swallow. I could take sips of water and whisper words. I knew something was very wrong,” Doster said.
Read more health warnings
Doctors initially said she probably “scratched her throat.”
However, days passed and Jessica could barely breathe or swallow food whole.
“We now know that a nerve was piercing my esophagus. I couldn’t eat solid food. I was experiencing excruciating back pain that radiated down my back. I was now short of breath as I breathed,” Doster said.
“I was afraid I was going to die in my sleep. I came home from the hospital and the pain was unbearable.”
She lost three kilos in less than a week due to the foreign object that was secretly hidden in her throat.
“I had already lost a significant amount of weight. I hadn’t eaten in six days – I couldn’t even eat jelly. I could only drink broth or water.”
After days of excruciating pain, the stepmother visited an otolaryngologist who told her she had probably swallowed a bristle from a wire brush used to clean a barbecue grill.
MYSTERY SOLVED, PROBLEM NOT
An x-ray and a CT scan soon confirmed the doctor’s suspicions.
After explaining that her pain began after eating grilled chicken, the otolaryngologist told Doster that she had likely swallowed a strand from a grill cleaning brush.
Scans showed a metal bristle piercing his esophagus – however, its location would make it very difficult to retrieve.
A four-hour procedure to remove the wire was unsuccessful and left Jessica unable to speak for 28 days.
And then, another surprise.
“When I went back for my post-op appointment, they told me they were going to leave it in my throat,” she said.
Doster decided to follow his doctor’s advice and simply live with the metal in his body.
Warning: Never use steel brushes on barbecue grills
Wire brushes have been a popular choice for cleaning grills for years, but now consumer watchdog groups are warning people to avoid them. Here’s everything you need to know.
DANGER: Experts say The hard metal bristles of steel brushes can be transferred to food cooked on the grill, causing serious injury to anyone consuming it.
INJURIES: At least 1,700 cases of internal injuries have been reported between 2014 and 2022 alone.
ALTERNATIVES:
- Use a grill stone
- Buy a cordless toothbrush
- Grab a grill brush and mop
- Try an oven cleaner
“He said people live with shrapnel in their bodies all the time and my body will adapt to that.”
“No surgeon wanted to go back there. My vocal cords were so damaged from the operation that they thought I would paralyze my vocal cords if I had another surgery,” she added.
Doctors chose not to perform the risky procedure of removing the 1-inch metal wire again for another eight months – until it punctured Doster’s esophagus.
After six months of living with the wire in her throat, Jéssica began to feel pain again and chose to undergo another surgery in January 2020, despite the “high probability” of failure.
“The doctor said I was lucky to be alive because the wire was touching my carotid artery at this point,” Doster said.
“It was a huge relief when they found it and took it out. It was actually 2cm long – it was almost the size of a sewing needle.”
STILL SUFFERING
Five years after the incident, the healthcare professional still suffers the effects of what happened — and asks that all wire brushes be removed from the shelves.
She still has a hoarse voice from the incident now — and remains upset about having to shell out $12,000 in medical bills to pay for all of her treatment.
“I’m so worried that this could happen to children and they can’t explain what’s happening to them. This is not as uncommon as people think,” Doster said.
“It’s a freak accident, but there are worse stories than mine.”
“Luckily, all my friends and family got rid of all their wire brushes after what happened to me. I don’t understand how they can still be sold in stores.”
“They are very dangerous and should be absolutely banned. There are other options for cleaning your grill besides this wire brush.
“If it can happen to me, it can happen to anyone,” Doster said.
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This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
