What to do if a fish bone is stuck in your throat?
First, understand how the bone became lodged: The initial trap is the "tongue-epiglottis groove" at the junction of the tongue base and epiglottis; the second is the tonsillar crypts; the third, deeper trap is the "piriform sinuses" on either side of the throat.Fish bones lodged in the "glottic fossa" or "tonsillar crypts" are usually visible and can be removed by hand. However, those stuck in the "piriform sinus" require examination with a laryngoscope, esophagoscope, or barium swallow X-ray to locate.
When eating fish, carelessness can lead to bones getting stuck in the throat. Some people attempt to dislodge them by gulping rice, milk, or long pieces of leek, hoping to flush the bone down. This method is unreliable and may cause the bone to pierce the throat or esophagus, leading to serious consequences.
If a fish bone lodges in your throat, seek immediate medical attention at a hospital (ENT departments nationwide have specialized equipment). If imaging fails to locate it, try these methods:
1. Massage the throat reflex zone on your foot (between the big toe and second toe, near the Tai Chong point) for about one minute.
2. Drink olive pit water. Grind olive pits into water and consume to dissolve the fish bone stuck in your throat.
3. Soften with vitamin C. For small fish bones lodged in the throat, dissolve one vitamin C tablet in your mouth and swallow slowly. The bone should soften and dislodge within minutes.
4. Use one clove of garlic and an appropriate amount of white sugar.Peel and slice a garlic clove, insert pieces into both nostrils, then swallow a spoonful of sugar without water. If ineffective, swallow another spoonful. This method works for fish bones stuck in the throat.
5. Dissolve fish bones with orange peel. When a fish bone is stuck, peel a narrow strip of orange rind, hold it in your mouth, and swallow slowly to dissolve the bone.
6. Seek assistance to remove the fish bone. Have someone press the front of the tongue with a spoon or toothbrush handle. Under bright light, carefully examine the base of the tongue, tonsils, and posterior pharyngeal wall to locate the bone. Use tweezers or chopsticks to extract it.If no bone is visible but the sensation persists, try this simple remedy: Boil 10g of Clematis root, 3 dried plums, 15g of sugar, and a splash of vinegar in water. Sip the decoction slowly.
8. Well water remedy for fishbone stuck in throat. If vinegar fails, drink a bowl of well water the next morning to dislodge the bone.
9. Drink duck saliva. Take a live duck, hold it upside down by its feet to make it cry, collecting the saliva in a clean cup or bowl. Sip it slowly to moisten the throat; small fish bones will dissolve quickly.
10. Induce vomiting to expel the fishbone. If the above methods fail, find ways to make the patient vomit to expel the fishbone.
Some folk remedies are more dangerous than the fishbone itself.
Methods like swallowing rice, drinking vinegar, eating leeks, or scraping the throat to induce vomiting—these folk remedies for fishbones stuck in the throat are considered more dangerous than the fishbone itself by doctors.
Drinking vinegar does not soften the fishbone. The vinegar flows directly through the throat, lingering only briefly at the site of injury with limited effect, while also irritating the stomach and intestines.
Methods like swallowing rice or leeks are even more dangerous. Under pressure, they can "push" the fishbone from the throat surface into the trachea and then the esophagus. This not only causes scratches but also drives the fishbone deeper. If it unfortunately pierces a blood vessel, the situation becomes extremely dangerous.Inducing vomiting by sticking your fingers down your throat may worsen digestive tract injuries. If done too forcefully, muscle contractions could cause the foreign object to become lodged even more tightly.
If the fish bone is somehow pushed into the stomach, is it safe? A chief physician in gastroenterology explains that generally, fish bones entering the stomach are dissolved by stomach acid.However, in rare cases, some stubborn bones resist digestion and continue causing problems in the gastrointestinal tract.
Medical literature and news reports reveal that instances of fish bones migrating to the liver or even becoming lodged in the anus, causing abscesses, are not uncommon.
Important reminder: If a fish bone lodges in your throat, avoid stuffing it with steamed buns or drinking vinegar.
Using methods like eating steamed buns or drinking vinegar not only fails to dislodge the bone but may push it deeper due to swallowing. Consuming these substances can also complicate treatment.
Consider this: if you place a fish bone in a bowl with vinegar for days, would it soften? How could vinegar swallowed in the throat possibly dissolve a bone?
Moreover, panicked missteps not only fail to relieve pain but rapidly trigger anxiety and fear.The most common sites for foreign objects to lodge are the tonsillar crypts on both sides, the base of the tongue, and the hypopharynx.When a fish bone lodges in the throat, it causes a stabbing pain or distinct sensation of a foreign object. If the bone irritates the pharyngeal mucosa, it can lead to congestion, swelling, and severe coughing. It may also trigger reflex laryngospasm or airway obstruction, causing breathing difficulties, potentially accompanied by varying degrees of wheezing, hoarseness, or throat pain.If a large foreign object lodges above the glottis, severe cases may result in suffocation and death.
Therefore, when a fish bone or foreign object is stuck in the throat, strictly avoid eating until the object is removed. Do not use incorrect methods like drinking vinegar. Minimize swallowing movements to prevent the object from penetrating deeper tissues.
The correct approach is: For small splinters, remain calm and avoid forceful swallowing; they typically pass within about three days. If the fishbone is large and cannot be removed independently, seek medical attention promptly to prevent complications.