Usually, it’s children who are at risk of ingesting foreign objects, but it can happen to adults, too! TikToker Brittany (@nursebaebri85) is talking about how she accidentally swallowed her AirPod.
She has a habit of sleeping with one AirPod in her ear. On that fateful night, she had taken some cough medication and placed her AirPods on the nightstand before falling asleep.
“But nevertheless, I was dreaming because I’m such a dedicated nurse,” said Brittany.
“I was dreaming that I was educating my patient on taking a medication, and he had some anxiety about it. I was mimicking, basically, in my dream, of taking the medication, which was really my AirPod.”
She even took a sip of her drink from the nightstand, but when she swallowed, she felt something get stuck in her throat. She immediately woke up in a panic and tried to throw up in the bathroom. But nothing was coming up.
She ran into her mom’s room with her hand around her throat, yelling that she needed to go to the emergency room because she swallowed her AirPod.
She scrambled for some clothes to put on, hopped into her car, and sped down the road at two in the morning. On the way, she called one of her nurse friends and told him about the situation.
He advised her to call poison control first. So, she hung up with him and called. Finally, poison control answered the phone. The lady tried to have her describe the AirPod. Then, she told her to go to the emergency room.
Brittany checked in at the front desk and explained that she had swallowed an AirPod. She had two hours before she started getting burns in her esophagus and stomach.
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A few minutes later, a triage nurse came to see her. It was the first time he had ever had a patient who swallowed their AirPod.
The nurse kept joking around for her to play a song to see if they could hear it from her throat, which annoyed Brittany greatly.
“By this time, I was so frustrated because I’m embarrassed,” she said. “This is like my sixth pair that I’ve had to replace for various reasons.”
They did some scans and found that the AirPod had moved down into her stomach. They told her to go home, wait for it to pass through her system, and monitor her stool.
Luckily, she was able to pass the AirPod. Believe it or not, the AirPod still works, but she tossed it in the trash. Many TikTok users flocked to the comments section to share their thoughts.
“Not me thinking it slipped out of your ear and you rolled over and inhaled it. I was not expecting a dream demonstration,” commented one user.
“I figured you thought it was a pill. I wonder how common that is because it happens to me with my earplugs at night, but I always catch myself. I’m glad you’re okay,” wrote another.
“I’m trying to imagine my daughter barreling into my room at 2 a.m., telling me she swallowed her AirPod, and I just can’t!” exclaimed a third.
By Emily Chan
Emily Chan is a writer who covers lifestyle and news content. She graduated from Michigan State University with a degree in... More about Emily Chan
