"Did it go down the wrong tube?" is a common statement for my mom to make when you are choking on your food. Strange that she doesn't ask if we are ok! Anyway, I was sure this was just an expression that she said and could never actually happen, kind of like when she told us that blowing bubbles in the house would start a fire (that she has no recollection of saying to us now!), but it happened. And this wasn't just something I read off the internet, this happened to by Grandma, so I know it is true.
Yesterday, my grandma went into surgery to have a strange matter removed from her lung because it was making her very sick. The doctors just thought it was a combination of pneumonia and old age, but since she is healthier than her 30 year old granddaughter (that would be me), my mom pushed for a better answer. Turns out, a few months back she was eating some nuts and choked on one. Somehow, it went down the wrong tube and ended up in her esophagus and eventually to the bottom of her lung. So as I mentioned, yesterday she had the matter removed, and much to the shock of the whole surgical center staff, out came a large chunk of a Brazil Nut. According to my mom the whole staff had to come take a look.
Not only was grandma the hit of the party (because she brought nuts!), but she left with a confidence boost as well. Everyone was amazed a what great health this 79 year old woman is in and that she still has her own teeth. She let everyone in on her secret, Crest White strips.
Anyway, glad you are doing better Gram.
Yesterday, my grandma went into surgery to have a strange matter removed from her lung because it was making her very sick. The doctors just thought it was a combination of pneumonia and old age, but since she is healthier than her 30 year old granddaughter (that would be me), my mom pushed for a better answer. Turns out, a few months back she was eating some nuts and choked on one. Somehow, it went down the wrong tube and ended up in her esophagus and eventually to the bottom of her lung. So as I mentioned, yesterday she had the matter removed, and much to the shock of the whole surgical center staff, out came a large chunk of a Brazil Nut. According to my mom the whole staff had to come take a look.
Not only was grandma the hit of the party (because she brought nuts!), but she left with a confidence boost as well. Everyone was amazed a what great health this 79 year old woman is in and that she still has her own teeth. She let everyone in on her secret, Crest White strips.
Anyway, glad you are doing better Gram.
2 comments:
Wow! I'm glad it was just a nut! Sick, just think of all the bits of food we could have in our lungs!
Sick, just think of all the bits of food we could have in our lungs!
No, that's not how it is at all - there are definitely NO bits of food in your lungs. The epiglottis is extremely efficient at sealing off the "other tube" when you swallow food. It's so efficient that, even if something goes just a tiny bit wrong, you will cough uncontrollably and/or choke, until you hack it up. This would happen even for a little "bit" of food. And in the EXTREMELY RARE case that something makes its way down to the lungs, you will be extremely ill.
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