A popular TikTok creator faced a medical emergency after a seemingly harmless sustainable choice turned into a nightmare, resulting in a frantic dash to the hospital and emergency surgery.
A Sip That Turned Sour
Breezie O'Brien, known to her followers as itsbreezie, was enjoying a drink through her favourite reusable glass straw when disaster struck. She felt a solid object slide down her throat and, to her horror, looked down to see a large, jagged piece of the straw—measuring over half an inch—had broken off and vanished inside her.
Initially, she felt fine and attempted to dismiss the incident. However, the situation took a terrifying turn about two hours later. "I burped really big, and my mouth had blood in it," O'Brien recounted. This alarming symptom prompted an immediate trip to the emergency department.
A Race Against Time in Hospital
Upon arrival, O'Brien claims her initial fears were dismissed by nurses, but her ordeal was far from over. When doctors saw her, they immediately sounded the alarm. The gastroenterology team was called, and an urgent CT scan was ordered.
The scan revealed the life-threatening reality: the glass shard had cleared her oesophagus and was lodged in her stomach. She was rushed to the operating room for emergency surgery and placed under anaesthesia. In a dramatic twist, as surgeons prepared to operate, they discovered the shard had already moved out of her stomach and into her intestinal tract, making surgical removal impossible.
Doors adopted a conservative approach, instructing her to watch for bleeding and check her stool over the next few days. They advised that because the shard had already navigated the oesophagus and stomach, it would most likely pass naturally.
The Hidden Dangers of Reusable Straws
From her hospital bed, O'Brien filmed a TikTok video with a stark warning: "PSA: Do not use glass straws." The influencer, who had previously promoted the straws on the TikTok Shop, pledged never to promote them again.
While glass straws are a popular eco-friendly alternative to plastic, designed to be used hundreds of times, they are not without risk. Although manufactured to withstand high temperatures, they can shatter when exposed to rapid temperature changes.
The dangers are severe. If broken, glass can slice through the delicate lining of the oesophagus or puncture the stomach, causing severe internal bleeding, catastrophic infection, and damage to vital organs.
This incident is not an isolated case. A recent 10-year study tracking emergency room visits found:
- 1,174 ER visits were specifically for plastic, glass, and metal straw-related injuries between 2012 and 2021.
- Injuries from these reusable materials saw a significant 46 percent increase over the study period.
- Cuts and mouth injuries were significantly more common with reusable straws than with disposable plastic ones.
The study also highlighted that children under four are the most frequently injured group, with nearly half of all injuries occurring during improper use, such as during play.
