May 23, 2024 | Despite what your mother might have told you when you were a child, a swallowed piece of chewing gum will not remain in the digestive system for seven years. The human digestive system has some difficulty breaking down chewing gum, but the gum doesn’t stay in the stomach or the rest of the digestive system. It progresses through the digestive system like other food material. But that doesn’t mean you should always swallow your gum. Gum is a foreign body, an object swallowed or stuck inside some part of the human body. In very rare cases, swallowing multiple pieces of gum regularly could result in food impaction, constipation or bezoar formation particularly in children. Bezoar formations are masses formed by the compaction of foreign materials such hair and sticky materials, such as gum. They are usually found trapped in the stomach or gastrointestinal system and can cause indigestion, an upset stomach or nausea.

May 23, 2024 | You’d think you would know if an object is stuck in your ear, but a small child may not be aware of it. If a foreign body becomes lodged in your ear, don’t attempt to remove it by probing with a cotton swab, matchstick or any other tool. If the object is clearly visible, pliable and can be grasped easily with tweezers, gently remove it. If the foreign body is an insect, tilt the person’s head so that the ear with the offending insect is upward. Try to float the insect out by pouring mineral oil, olive oil or baby oil into the ear. The oil should be warm but not hot. As you pour the oil, you can ease the entry of the oil by straightening the ear canal. Pull the earlobe gently backward and upward for an adult, backward and downward for a child. The insect should suffocate and may float out in the oil bath. Don’t use oil to remove any object other than an insect. If these methods fail or the person continues to experience pain or reduced hearing, it’s best to seek medical assistance.

May 23, 2024 | If you have a foreign body in your eye, the first thing you should do is wash your hands. Then try to flush the object out of your eye with clean water or saline solution. Use an eyecup or a small, clean drinking glass positioned with its rim resting on the bone at the base of your eye socket. If you’re trying to remove an object from someone else’s eye, you also start by washing your hands. Seat the person in a well-lighted area and gently examine the eye to find the object. Pull the lower lid down and ask the person to look up and then hold the upper lid while the person looks down. If the object is floating in the tear film on the surface of the eye, try flushing it out with saline solution or clean, lukewarm water. Don’t try to remove an object that’s embedded in the eyeball and don’t try to remove a large object that makes closing the eye difficult. If you can’t remove the object or pain and redness persists after the object is removed, consult a physician immediately.

May 23, 2024 | A foreign body that you have swallowed usually passes through the digestive system without any problem. But if an object gets stuck in your esophagus, particularly one that is pointed, it should be removed quickly as possible to avoid any further injury to the esophageal lining. If the swallowed object blocks the airway, the American Red Cross recommends the five-and-five approach to remove it. First, deliver five sharp blows between the victim’s shoulder blades with the heel of your hand. Then perform five abdominal thrusts, the move known as the Heimlich maneuver. Alternate between the five back blows and five abdominal thrusts until the object is dislodged. Be sure to call 911 for help when attempting this. To perform the Heimlich maneuver on yourself, place a fist slightly above your navel. Grasp the fist with your other hand and bend over a hard surface like a countertop or chair and then shove your fist inward and upward.

May 23, 2024 | A splinter is a particle of a foreign body, such as a small piece of wood that has embedded itself in one’s skin. Splinters can sometimes come out on their own or be pulled out by gently squeezing on each side of the splinter, but others can be deeply embedded and difficult to remove. All splinters should be removed as promptly as possible. If a splinter becomes wet, it makes the area prone to infection. Before attempting to remove a splinter, wash your hands. Clean tweezers and a needle by boiling them or by pouring an antiseptic solution like isopropyl alcohol over them, and let them dry. With the tweezers, attempt to pull the splinter out the same direction and angle that it went in the skin. If the splinter cannot be removed by tweezers because the tip is not accessible, use the needle to make a small hole above the splinter and use the needle to lift the splinter out. Once the splinter is fully out, wash the area and bandage it with a clean, dry dressing.