Might have swallowed Glass...help?

**CrystalChord** · 11-12-2009 08:29 AM

Well, this morning, my throat doesn't feel terribly sore anymore, but I feel like I have gas cramps. Other than that, I feel all right. I think I will keep monitoring myself for a couple more days.

Kally, how big was yours that you swallowed? Mine was, like I said, as big as perhaps a grain of sand, or even possibly a little bit bigger, but not much.

**CrystalChord** · 11-12-2009 08:58 AM

Well, the way I think about it...If the glass had somehow gotten into my bloodstream, it would have already been causing trouble right? I would have needed to go to the hospital a while ago right?

Still sort of concerned about it, so I'll monitor myself for another couple days. Today my throat isn't so scratchy, but I feel like I have gas cramps. My stool wasn't bloody, I have no bloody taste in my mouth. I was having pain in my left underarm, chest area, an occasional stab of pain, but I don't think that's related at all.

**Texinator** · 11-12-2009 09:29 AM

I've never heard of glass getting into anyone's bloodstream. The main concern would be the shards creating cuts in you mouth, throat, and GI tract. But something that small is unlikely to cause any cuts, especially if it was ingested with food.

**CrystalChord** · 11-12-2009 09:38 AM

Originally Posted by Tex

I've never heard of glass getting into anyone's bloodstream. The main concern would be the shards creating cuts in you mouth, throat, and GI tract. But something that small is unlikely to cause any cuts, especially if it was ingested with food.

I think it only scratched my throat a little. I was able to finish my lunch (small salad, two pieces of fried tofu, and a nice serving of rice--I avoided the pickled veggies), and I ate four slices of bread after I got back from class two/three hours later. I tried eating a lot and I drank a lot of water, so I should be all right. I just get very concerned when I have the possibility of swallowing something like glass.

**Texinator** · 11-12-2009 10:20 AM

Originally Posted by CrystalChord

I just get very concerned when I have the possibility of swallowing something like glass.

It's understandable.

**CrystalChord** · 11-12-2009 10:39 AM

Has this sort of thing happened to anyone else on these boards before? I know Kally said it happened to her. But I kind of want to know that I'm not alone in this. I just get really scared. I mean, a few hours after I had the glass crunching incident I got a stabbing pain in my left underarm/chest area and I thought it had somehow cut into my blood stream and ended up lodged in a vein/artery near my heart.

But it should pass through my intestinal tract without problems right? One of my friends told me the only possible way it could get into my blood stream is by cutting through my stomach. But how possible is that?

**ItsASecret** · 11-12-2009 11:32 AM

I chomped my tooth once when it fell out, that was no fun. I ended up swallowing a piece because by the time I noticed that it was my tooth and not the carrot (I was using the carrot to of course loosen my already loose tooth). Nothing happened and broken teeth can have sharp edges.

One of my friends told me the only possible way it could get into my blood stream is by cutting through my stomach. But how possible is that?

Simply put, it is not possible. A piece of glass the size of a grain of sand will cause a nick, it will not even be able to pass through the cellular layers of any major tissue in your body. Think of it this way, a cut from a piece of glass like would be narrower than a paper cut. To get from the stomach to the blood stream you would need a much bigger cut than a simple nick of a piece of glass the size of a tiny grain of sand. Your body is going to repair the nicks that occur in a short period of time. You will not die, you will not collapse, you will not have any brain problems. If the piece was the size of your thumb then okay you need to be worried. Since that is not at all the case, there is nothing that will happen. It is going to pass through you, and I really do believe you will not even notice it.

There is absolutely nothing to worry about. You need to stop the worrying lol, you are 100% a-okay. I think you have mentioned before that you have hypochondriasis...have you gotten any help with that?

**CrystalChord** · 11-12-2009 11:37 AM

Originally Posted by ItsASecret

I chomped my tooth once when it fell out, that was no fun. I ended up swallowing a piece because by the time I noticed that it was my tooth and not the carrot (I was using the carrot to of course loosen my already loose tooth). Nothing happened and broken teeth can have sharp edges.

Simply put, it is not possible. A piece of glass the size of a grain of sand will cause a nick, it will not even be able to pass through the cellular layers of any major tissue in your body. Think of it this way, a cut from a piece of glass like would be narrower than a paper cut. To get from the stomach to the blood stream you would need a much bigger cut than a simple nick of a piece of glass the size of a tiny grain of sand. Your body is going to repair the nicks that occur in a short period of time. You will not die, you will not collapse, you will not have any brain problems. If the piece was the size of your thumb then okay you need to be worried. Since that is not at all the case, there is nothing that will happen. It is going to pass through you, and I really do believe you will not even notice it.

There is absolutely nothing to worry about. You need to stop the worrying lol, you are 100% a-okay. I think you have mentioned before that you have hypochondriasis...have you gotten any help with that?

I've been talking to a therapist about it, but apparently it's not helping that much. It seems like, whenever I start to get better SOMETHING happens to make me fall back into that worrying habit again. I mean, yesterday was 11/11 and I made a wish at 11:11am for health and happiness. That SAME day, I swallow a chip of glass. It's gotten to the point where I'm ready to give up and throw in the towel, and just let myself worry all the time.

Also, seeing as fiber helps move things along, I have gone through almost a whole loaf of whole wheat bread in 24 hours. >_>

**ItsASecret** · 11-12-2009 11:53 AM

Eating more will not make a difference, it is going to pass through you without you knowing anyway.

As for the therapy, you need to keep going with it. If you think something will not work and go into it with that type of attitude then you will find reasons to make it a negative day. Keep staying strong and know that you can get over the worry, it just takes a lot of effort.

**CrystalChord** · 11-12-2009 12:06 PM

Originally Posted by ItsASecret

Eating more will not make a difference, it is going to pass through you without you knowing anyway.

As for the therapy, you need to keep going with it. If you think something will not work and go into it with that type of attitude then you will find reasons to make it a negative day. Keep staying strong and know that you can get over the worry, it just takes a lot of effort.

I used to have the attitude that it was helping, but I started to lose hope when things seemed to just pop up that were really severe blows to my improvement.

But thanks for telling me about the eating thing. I think my stomach thanks you lol!