A 28-year-old Belgian woman has told how she accidentally swallowed a 17cm spoon while eating yoghurt after her dog jumped on her. Reymy Amelinckx, from Rumst, had put the spoon in her mouth to free her hands to reply to a message on her phone when her dog Marley suddenly leapt on her. Startled, she jerked her head back and the spoon became lodged in her throat. Facing the horrifying choice of either swallowing or choking, she swallowed.
Initially, she felt no ill effects and was too embarrassed to tell her boyfriend when he came home from work, so she pretended nothing was wrong. It was only after dinner that she realised the seriousness, and an online search urged her to go straight to A&E. Doctors told her the spoon was too large to pass naturally, so she had to wait for a gastroscopy to be scheduled.
Reymy described the wait as "truly terrifying", saying she felt the spoon moving, sometimes between her ribs. She felt bloated and nauseous, could not eat without feeling strange, and found sleeping difficult because every position reminded her of the spoon in her stomach. Two days later, the utensil was removed under local anaesthetic. She was not allowed to swallow during the procedure, and the spoon had to be rotated in her stomach, causing a small gastric haemorrhage.
Despite the ordeal, she said she felt "pure relief" when the spoon came out and was discharged a few hours later. She recovered quickly, though she had a sore throat from damage to her oesophagus, a few minor gastric bleeding episodes, and a sensitive stomach for a while, but no permanent damage. She has kept the spoon as a keepsake, and her boyfriend wants to turn it into a work of art.
Reymy, who works as a medical representative, shared advice for others: "If you swallow something that really shouldn't be there: seek medical attention immediately. Embarrassment is temporary, internal damage isn't." She also warned against eating with cutlery completely in the mouth and advised teaching dogs a "wait" or "quiet" command for jumping moments.
