Not all foods are created equal. When it comes to fish, which is replete with large and small bones, even a neat and unhurried meal can lead to a bone fragment getting stuck in the pharyngeal mucosa. This is not only unpleasant, but also dangerous, so it is important to understand how to act correctly so as not to aggravate the severity of the damage and at the same time alleviate the patient's condition. What to do if a bone is stuck in your throat? The relief algorithm includes activities that you can do yourself at home - in many cases, they can help the victim quickly get rid of the bone.
Causes and symptoms
Many people love fish, but even more people avoid this product for fear of being injured by the bone. The reasons why a fish bone can get stuck in the throat are quite predictable: hasty absorption of food, unsynchronized swallowing, not chewing hard enough, eating dry food, without drinking liquid. The risk is higher if a person has swallowing disorders (for example, as a result of diseases of the esophagus, nervous system), he is intoxicated or simply does not know how to eat fish correctly (most often these are small children).
Before attempting to remove a fishbone from the throat, you need to make sure of the diagnosis. It is simple if the victim is an adult who can indicate not only the fact of injury, but also the approximate localization of the bone in the mucous membrane. But getting stuck isn't always immediately noticed; in addition, the piece of bone may be very small or lodged too far in the throat. Therefore, you need to imagine what symptoms indicate that a bone is stuck in the throat.
A fish bone is a foreign body. Symptoms depend on its size, the depth of injury to the mucous membrane and the anatomical localization of the throat area in which it is stuck. If the bone is in the laryngeal part of the pharynx or enters the larynx, respiratory disturbances (shortness of breath, coughing, coughing) are observed, panic, dizziness occurs, the patient has difficulty not only breathing, but also speaking. However, in most cases, the bone fragment gets stuck in the upper part of the pharynx. In this case, it is noted:
- Stitching or cutting pain, greatly aggravated when trying to swallow.
- Drooling - sometimes with blood in the saliva.
- Swallowing problems - especially with solid foods.
- Coughing, occasional painful cough.
The patient is frightened, may cough immediately after a foreign body gets in - this is accompanied by pain. When examining the mucous membrane, a wound or abrasion is visible, from which the bone of the fish skeleton sticks out; if a foreign body has moved, there are several damaged areas.
If the bone from the fish is in the throat for a long time, an inflammatory process begins.
The pain becomes intense, becomes permanent, the patient may experience fever, weakness, headache, an increase in regional lymph nodes. If the area of injury can be seen, changes are noticeable: hyperemia (redness), edema. A fish bone injury can lead to serious consequences, in particular, perforation of the esophageal wall, therefore, a favorable outcome for the patient is possible only with timely, as early diagnosis as possible.
Help at home
Injuries to the throat from fish bones most often occur at home or away, and before seeking medical attention, you can try to alleviate the patient's condition on your own. How do I pull out the bone? It is necessary to assess its size and location in the throat, start with the least traumatic methods. However, you should remember:
- the main principle is caution; bone extraction should not harm or exacerbate the severity of the primary injury;
- with inaccurate extraction, a gag reflex or aspiration (suction into the respiratory tract) of a foreign body can be provoked;
- Self-extraction is only suitable for adults, children should be shown to a doctor immediately.
A foreign body is most often located:
- in the tonsils;
- at the root of the tongue;
- in the lateral wall of the pharynx.
Even if the bone is clearly visible, you should not try to reach it with your fingers - this can only hurt the tissue more. In addition, not all patients are able to tolerate manipulation in the oropharynx area and can injure the person providing assistance by unknowingly clenching the jaw. You should be very careful when using tweezers. It is convenient for them to pull out even small bones, but at the same time there is a considerable risk of additional damage and, in case of an unsuccessful attempt to extract, deeper insertion of the bone into the tissue.
How to get rid of a bone in your throat? To do this, you can use:
- Bread crumb.
Breadcrumbs are the most common bone remover. It needs to be chewed, but at the same time not turned into gruel - the crumb plays the role of a "needle pad", which captures the bone and displaces it down, removing it from the mucous membrane. The method is only suitable for small bones.
- Liquid (tea, juice, water).
Drinking fluids can dislodge bone, but is not always effective. It helps if the bone fragment only scratches the mucous membrane superficially and is stuck shallowly.
- Soft foods.
In addition to bread crumb, you can use marshmallow, marshmallow, banana pulp, boiled rice or potatoes - all types of food that can "envelop" a stuck piece of bone. They should not be washed down immediately with a large amount of liquid, as it can wash away the food lump, and the bone fragment will remain in the throat.
- Oil, honey.
The edible vegetable oil helps the bone slip out and into the lower digestive tract. The patient can drink a little olive or sunflower oil. In some cases, bread crumb is used, which is dipped in the butter for a few seconds. Liquid honey, honey with bread can be useful.
If a bone is stuck, the patient experiences very severe pain, cannot swallow, self-extraction is prohibited - a doctor is needed.
When a bone is stuck in the throat, what is contraindicated to do? If the bone fragment is very large, you cannot:
- straining;
- swallow actively;
- intentionally coughing heavily;
- provoke a strong sneeze;
- provoke vomiting;
- press on the throat from the outside.
Large bones are dangerous because they can not only injure, but also perforate the walls of organs. An attempt to displace the bone in the throat with swallowing movements can aggravate the severity of the damage: there is a high likelihood of bleeding, in the future, if medical attention is not provided, of a purulent inflammatory process. Home methods are only suitable for small, relatively soft bones.
Specialized assistance
How to get a fishbone out of your throat if home remedies have not helped or are contraindicated? Specialized care for the patient is provided by the staff of the medical institution. The doctor needs to briefly describe the main characteristics of the foreign body, the time and circumstances of the injury. A preliminary examination of the pharynx (pharyngoscopy) is carried out, the purpose of which is to detect the site of bone penetration into the mucous membrane and to assess the possibility of immediate extraction. To remove the bone from the throat, you need tools:
- Putty knife.
- Tweezers (preferably bayonet).
- Hartmann's forceps (ear forceps).
The doctor, under visual control, grabs the bone in the pharynx or tonsils and removes it.This manipulation is carried out quite quickly, but with a pronounced gag reflex or the patient's fear of pain, application anesthesia is performed by applying local anesthetics to the mucous membrane (for example, Lidocaine). Before doing this, it is important to clarify whether you are allergic to drugs.
If the fishbone is stuck in the throat very deeply and cannot be easily removed (for example, stuck in the laryngopharynx), removal is performed by an otolaryngologist (ENT doctor) under appropriate conditions. Situations are also difficult when, due to anatomical features, edema and other factors, the bone is poorly visible and difficult to reach.
Prevention of inflammation
The successful extraction of a fragment of a fish bone from the throat must be accompanied by the correct prevention of the development of the inflammatory process. If the wound of the mucous membrane was superficial, healing will be quick and complete. But with deep damage, pain and swelling persist for some time, therefore, to eliminate them, you can apply for several days:
- rinsing the throat with an infusion of chamomile, calendula;
- rinsing with an antiseptic solution (hydrogen peroxide, Furacilin, etc.);
- resorption of drugs (Strepsils, Decatilen).
All rinses should be warm and freshly prepared.
Before using any anti-inflammatory and antiseptic drugs, it is worth consulting with your doctor, who will assess the need for them based on the severity of the damage, and select the most suitable medications.
In order not to make the wound infected, you should not try to pull out the bone with your fingers or utensils, especially if they have not been washed beforehand. The same goes for pieces of cotton wool or cloth. Rinsing agents are prepared only on the basis of boiled water.
