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Cure for fish bone stuck in throat

How do I get out a fish bone that is stuck in my throat?
(14 Oct 2006)

While eating fish, it is possible to get a fish bone stuck in your throat. However, there is no medical treatment for a swallowed fish bone. At best, a doctor can use some medical equipment to remove the fish bone stuck in the throat.

The easiest way to remove such a fish bone is to open your mouth and look at your throat in a mirror. You may have to press your tongue down before looking into the mirror so that you can see if you have the fish bone stuck in your throat. If you can see the bone, it is best not to try and swallow it. If it is still high up on your throat, it is more likely that the doctor will be able to remove it. If you do swallow the fish bone, it can cause tears along the esophagus on its way down.

If you have a fish bone stuck in your throat and you accidentally swallow it, it is better to eat lots of things so that the passage of the fish bone from your body can become easier. You could eat a lot of breads, oats, and other foods which contain high amounts of fiber. These make the transition of the fish bone through your alimentary canal easier. You can also consume a lot of water to further ease the passage.

If at all, the bone scrapes the esophagus while moving down and injures it, the doctor may prescribe some treatment for the swallowed fish bone. To heal the injuries, the doctor may give an anti-inflammatory or anti-ulcer treatment. Sometimes, the fish bone stuck in your throat can be very fine and therefore, cannot be seen by the doctors. In such a case, the doctors may perform a fibroscope test. This is a test in which an endoscope is inserted through the nose and is passed halfway to the throat so see for any scar tissues or lesions.

If you are experiencing pain in your abdomen, it is possible that the fish bone may have traveled further down into the intestines. You will have to see a gastroenterologist to treat the symptoms of this pain. There are some swallowed fish bone home remedies that can be used. You could eat a banana to aid the movement of the fish bone down into your gastrointestinal tract so that it can be expelled with excrement.

answered by G M on 19 Oct 2010, 4:15:37

Open your mouth, press your tongue down and look in the mirror to see if you can see it, or ask a friend.

It's probably better not to swallow it (depending on the size) as your doctor could get it out fast if it's still high up or go to the accidents and emergency ward of your local hospital so they can get it out straight away without it causing damage on the way down.

If you think you've swallowed it, eat lots of bread or oats and drink water to make the passage easier so it doesn't scrape on the way down and so it doesn't go into the windpipe.

If it scrapes on the way past you might need an anti ulcer treatment or an anti-inflammatory. This is likely if you have pain 4-5 days after the fishbone.

Do NOT panic, it doesn't help anything and seek medical advice if you have pain and especially if you have trouble breathing (which can also be due to panic so try not to worry)

If the hospital can't see it and you still feel something (note: this could just be an ulcer or a scar) they might do a fibroscope test (tube through nose going half way down the throat) to reassure you. If the pain is lower down say so, as this is the domain of the gastro-enterologist who would also put tubing down that goes lower, but this is in the worst cases.

Above all, do not eat your fish in the same mouthful as other foods and chew it slowly. Or avoid fish with bones, try scallops :)

answered by V on 31 Oct 2006, 6:49:48

If you believe you have a fish bone stuck in your throat, and coughing does not dislodge the bone, you may try bread and almond/peanut butter. If the bone can be dislodged without medical intervention the thick glob of bread and nut butter will do it. The sensation of "a bone stuck in your throat" may persist for several days after the actual object has been dislodged due to irritation of the esophagus. (This once happened to me with a taco chip, and I was convinced I still had the chip lodged in my throat! The endoscopy showed nothing!)

answered by Dr K B N on 19 Oct 2006, 2:38:41

Because it might become real dangerous I recommend not to try this yourself but rather to ask a medical professional in this case. It is sometimes necessary to remove the obstruction manually. Sometimes it gets out by itself due to intensive coughing.

answered by T Z on 18 Oct 2006, 7:56:58

Cure for fish bone stuck in throat

How do I get out a fish bone that is stuck in my throat? (14 Oct 2006)

How do I get out a fish bone that is stuck in my throat?
(14 Oct 2006)