A young woman experienced a bizarre and frightening medical incident when she accidentally swallowed a 17-centimetre spoon after being startled by her energetic dog.
The Startling Moment That Led to Ingestion
Reymy Amelinckx, a 28-year-old medical representative from Rumst in Belgium, was enjoying a yoghurt on her couch when the unexpected incident occurred. She had placed the spoon in her mouth to free her hands for texting when her Hungarian Vizsla named Marley suddenly jumped onto her lap.
'I was so startled I jerked my head back, and before I knew it, the spoon was lodged in my throat,' Reymy explained. 'I stood up and started to panic.'
The Critical Decision: Swallow or Choke
Faced with an immediate emergency, Reymy attempted to remove the utensil manually but found the situation developing too rapidly for successful intervention.
'Everything happened so fast, it was either swallow or choke,' she recalled of the terrifying moment when she consciously decided to allow the 17cm implement to pass down her throat.
Remarkably, she reported feeling the spoon 'sliding down into my stomach smoothly' despite its considerable length.
Living with a Spoon in Her Stomach
Initially too embarrassed to tell her boyfriend about the incident when he returned from work, Reymy pretended nothing was wrong. It wasn't until after dinner that she recognised the seriousness of her situation.
Medical professionals informed her that the spoon was too large to pass naturally through her digestive system, requiring her to return home and await a scheduled gastroscopy procedure.
'That night was difficult,' Reymy described. 'I felt the spoon moving, sometimes even between my ribs. It was truly terrifying. I felt bloated and nauseous, and I couldn't eat without feeling strange.'
Sleep proved particularly challenging as every position reminded her of the foreign object residing in her stomach.
Medical Intervention and Recovery
Two days after the initial incident, doctors performed the gastroscopy under local anaesthetic to remove the utensil. The procedure required careful manipulation of the spoon within her stomach, which unfortunately caused a small gastric haemorrhage.
'It wasn't pleasant, but I felt pure relief when it came out,' Reymy said of the successful extraction.
Her recovery involved dealing with a sore throat from oesophageal damage, several minor gastric bleeding episodes, and general stomach sensitivity, though she fortunately sustained no permanent damage.
An Unusual Keepsake and Lasting Reputation
Despite the traumatic experience, Reymy decided to keep the spoon as a unique memento of her ordeal. Her boyfriend has expressed interest in transforming the utensil into a work of art, though the specific form remains undetermined.
'I did, however, gain a lifelong reputation as "that girl with the spoon,"' she noted with some humour about the lasting impact of the incident.
The experience has given Reymy particular insight she wishes to share with fellow dog owners and yoghurt enthusiasts, especially those considering hands-free utensil use while texting or messaging.
