Woman stuck in bone, afraid to go to hospital, uses 'backward stroking' method

A 60-year-old woman after eating fish soup and duck porridge felt something stuck in her throat, painful to swallow as if a bone was stuck. However, she did not go to the hospital immediately, but instead used the folk method of 'stroking back' to dislodge the bone.

Bone fragments were removed from the patient's esophagus - Photo: BVCC

The consequence of this bone treatment was that the patient had an infection and abscess in the neck area, then had to go to the hospital for surgery to remove the foreign object and treat the infection in the esophagus.

On August 19, information from Can Tho ENT Hospital said that patient LTG (60 years old, in Tra On commune, Vinh Long province) was transferred to Can Tho ENT Hospital in a state of neck pain and swelling, difficulty swallowing, difficulty eating and drinking.

The initial diagnosis was respiratory infection - esophageal abscess suspected to be caused by a bone stuck in the throat. The CT scan results showed a thin bone density structure (about 28mm in size), suspected to be a foreign body lying horizontally in the esophagus, neck and through the wall. There were several fluid collections suspected to be abscesses and infections in the surrounding area.

After taking pictures to determine the location of the foreign object and doing related tests, the surgical team at Can Tho ENT Hospital decided to perform open surgery next to the neck area to place a drainage tube to treat the abscesses and use a rigid endoscope to remove the foreign object for the patient.

The removed foreign object was a V-shaped piece of bone (like a duck bone), about 3.5cm long. Due to the bone remaining in the esophagus for a long time, it caused scratches in the esophagus and abscesses around it.

According to the family, about three days before being admitted to the hospital, the patient ate fish soup, duck porridge... then felt difficulty swallowing and had a sore throat. Thinking it was a common bone stuck in his throat, he did not go to the hospital immediately, but instead used folk remedies, asking someone "in breech position" to rub his neck.

However, not only did the bone not come down, but on the third day, the neck swelled up, the pain of swallowing increased, and he could not eat or drink, so his family took him to the hospital.

Doctor Ho Le Hoai Nhan - Deputy Director of Can Tho ENT Hospital - said that after one day of surgery, Mrs. G's condition was stable: alert, able to communicate, and still had pain at the surgical site. Due to the surgery to remove a foreign object in the esophagus, the patient was given a feeding tube through the stomach and continued to be monitored.

"When eating, everyone needs to pay attention to avoid getting bones stuck or swallowing foreign objects (especially the elderly and children). When discovering that a bone or foreign object is stuck in the throat, or if there are signs of pain or difficulty swallowing, you need to go to a medical facility immediately for examination. Avoid using folk methods to treat or remove it yourself, as this can lead to infection or push the foreign object deeper," Dr. Nhan advised.

THAI LUY

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/mac-xuong-ngai-di-benh-vien-nguoi-phu-nu-dung-cach-vuot-nguoc-20250819172020083.htm