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Original poster

I’ve accidentally breathed in a pea… somehow!

96 replies

strawberryjeans · 16/11/2023 21:17

Not a joke post, though I know it sounds like one.

God knows how but I think I’ve managed to breathe in a pea, ie aspirate rather than it going down my oesophagus it’s gone down my windpipe! It was in my mouth and I gasped, and felt it go down the wrong way. It hasn’t made me cough, at all. It’ll sound so silly but is it something I should worry about or can the body dissolve things like that.

Thank you

OP posts:
RagzRebooted · 16/11/2023 22:04

Would a pea show up on an X-ray?

StopLickingTheDog · 16/11/2023 22:09

Stand on your head for a bit (because gravity) then have a good cough and see if anything comes out. I think I'm only partly joking there!

Worth giving your nose a good blow incase it went up under your soft palate instead although you'd probably feel that (I did this with a baked bean and it wasn't comfortable!)

Shittenshite · 16/11/2023 22:13

I personally wouldn't go to A&E unless I felt unwell or had other medical issues which could complicate the situation (ie being immunocompromised and therefore less likely to be able to fight off infection).

111 have been pretty good in our local area recently. It used to be the case that they'd schedule a callback in 2 or 4 hours but it'd either be 12+ hours or just never get a call back. I have two very young children so needed 111 twice in the last two months. On both occasions they made appointments at the local out of hours surgery and both times that appointment was within one hour of the call being answered and triaged. Maybe we got lucky, but that's a risk you can decide to take.

It's likely that if you go to A&E you may be low priority as they battle to stay afloat looking after the most seriously ill and injured people coming through the doors, and you may end up being there many hours, but again that's your choice.

Whatever you decide, I think you should seek medical advice (if only by phone) for tonight and just see what that advice is before making a decision on what you could or should do.

Hope you're okay.

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General health
lostinwales · 16/11/2023 22:14

@RagzRebooted was just coming on to say possibly not! X-ray is good for things of different densities but a nice squishy pea could probably find lots of structures to blend in nicely with. The reason people get liquids to ingest that are very dense and therefore radiopaque to view oesophagus/abdomen contents is because you need nice contrasting densities to make a clear image. Pea/human chest cavity 🤷🏻‍♀️ not massively different.

Good for showing if your lung is reacting to said inhaled object though given a little time.

That said I don't know what I'd do in the OPs current situation.

mumtoboys12 · 16/11/2023 22:16

I would call 111 and Ask advice ! X

spookehtooth · 16/11/2023 22:21

I'm no expert, but I'm not seeing cause for worry. There's the cilia (hairs) lining the trachea (windpipe), that move and play a role in removing mucus and other debris. I would expect it to be able to handle the removal of a pea, outside of some exceptional situations

As for infections, we've all seen how well a pea stays intact in places like sinks and other places they end up accidentally before getting cleaned. I wouldn't panic over a matter of hours or even day or two, if the OP wanted to wait for signs of it to come out if its really in the trachea before deciding the next move

Caswallonthefox · 16/11/2023 22:32

I breathed in a pea not so long ago. Coughed until it came back up.
Get thee to a & e.

Original poster
strawberryjeans · 16/11/2023 22:37

I’m surprised at how many people think it’s something for A&E now. Since I feel ok I was going to just leave it until tomorrow and see how I feel. There’s a chance it went down the right way anyway, I guess. I am young, under 30 with no underlying issues

OP posts:
mumtoboys12 · 16/11/2023 22:39

@strawberryjeans just call 111 they will advise

Original poster
strawberryjeans · 16/11/2023 22:40

mumtoboys12 · 16/11/2023 22:39

@strawberryjeans just call 111 they will advise

My area just says to hang up as they’re extremely busy unless it’s an emergency. Wait time is 5 hours. I’m working tomorrow and can’t really stay up all night

OP posts:
mumtoboys12 · 16/11/2023 22:41

@strawberryjeans that's fair enough.

Icantthinkof12024 · 16/11/2023 22:43

Even if a tiny bit of liquid goes down the wrong way I’m coughing and unable to breathe I thought something like a pea would surely prevent or at least badly affect breathing😳

Original poster
strawberryjeans · 16/11/2023 22:45

Icantthinkof12024 · 16/11/2023 22:43

Even if a tiny bit of liquid goes down the wrong way I’m coughing and unable to breathe I thought something like a pea would surely prevent or at least badly affect breathing😳

Edited

That’s why I am hoping I’m overthinking this whole malarkey and that I swallowed the thing after all. Usually I splutter on water/drinks if they go down the wrong way but I dunno with this one

OP posts:
LNY1986 · 16/11/2023 22:46

BeyondMyWits · 16/11/2023 21:36

My MIL was sure she had breathed in a pea, but had no cough and just forgot about it, but one day about 4 weeks later she coughed it up... a now yellowing stinky pea.

This is grim 😳

Toddlerteaplease · 16/11/2023 22:46

I knew someone who aspirated on a peanut. Tragically it wasn't found until til it was too late.

ShirleyPhallus · 16/11/2023 22:47

You might need a broncosco-pea

Pieceofpurplesky · 16/11/2023 22:52

ShirleyPhallus · 16/11/2023 22:47

You might need a broncosco-pea

That made me spit my drink out! Hopefully it works for the OP too

Original poster
strawberryjeans · 16/11/2023 22:53

ShirleyPhallus · 16/11/2023 22:47

You might need a broncosco-pea

Hahaha

OP posts:
Original poster
strawberryjeans · 16/11/2023 22:53

Toddlerteaplease · 16/11/2023 22:46

I knew someone who aspirated on a peanut. Tragically it wasn't found until til it was too late.

Are you serious?

OP posts:
Tilllly · 16/11/2023 22:57

@soleroonic
A swallow specialist..?!?
I mean, totally not the point of thread but how do you end up doing that!?

OP, surely if you ring 111, they'll send you to the ED. And you're symptom free, X-ray won't show a pea, so not sure what they can do?

Original poster
strawberryjeans · 16/11/2023 22:59

Tilllly · 16/11/2023 22:57

@soleroonic
A swallow specialist..?!?
I mean, totally not the point of thread but how do you end up doing that!?

OP, surely if you ring 111, they'll send you to the ED. And you're symptom free, X-ray won't show a pea, so not sure what they can do?

I just hope it’s okay, I don’t know, don’t like the idea of it interfering with breathing or anything like that

OP posts:
Tilllly · 16/11/2023 23:00

People die from being hit by coconuts or champagne corks too. But it's not likely

Tilllly · 16/11/2023 23:02

I reckon

  1. You swallowed it
  2. You've inhaled it and will cough it up
  3. You don't cough it up and begin to feel unwell, and can flag it at that point

It'll be fine, honest. Go to bed, update us in the morning

Original poster
strawberryjeans · 16/11/2023 23:04

Tilllly · 16/11/2023 23:02

I reckon

  1. You swallowed it
  2. You've inhaled it and will cough it up
  3. You don't cough it up and begin to feel unwell, and can flag it at that point

It'll be fine, honest. Go to bed, update us in the morning

Thank you. I shall x appreciate the rational words!

OP posts:
Boomboom22 · 16/11/2023 23:05

Surely xray would show a pea? I think your nearest minor injuries with an xray in the morning should be OK, maybe sleep more upright in case you need to cough in the night or at least on your side.