HELP! I think I swallowed a piece of glass!

I was stirring myself a glass of chocolate milk this evening, and after downing two-thirds of it, I noticed a large-hairline crack in the base of the glass that wasn’t there when I took it out of the cupboard.:eek: A few moments later, I became aware of small cut in my gum. I gently probed around and felt what may have been a tiny piece of glass. I immediately flushed out my mouth with plenty of water and it was gone. However, I am not exactly sure where it went. If I did swallow it, it had to have been very small, because I couldn’t find any “chunks” missing from the inside of the drinking glass at all. I examined it quite thoroughly. It had to be just a very tiny sliver. Regardless of the size, I still find this highly unsettling.

My questions are:
(A) Has anyone here ever accidentally swallowed some glass or know anyone who has?
(B) If yes, what was the treatment?
© Will ingested glass show up on an X-ray?
(D) Does the body safely break down miniscule glass particles, do they stay inside forever, or do they simply pass through in the elimination process?

my uncle swallowed glass once at a family reunion…they rushed him to the hospital…but the amblulancedrove off a cliff and into a lake so they never found out if they could save him…so you probably will die…sorry man

Yeah. Don’t worry about it. My sister was in a car wreck and said hello to the windshield with her face. Months later, she still blows glass out of her nose occassionally. Won’t hurt ya at all. If it’s embedded, over time it’ll work it’s way to the surface. Nothing to worry about. I’ll bet we’ve ALL swallowed glass before, knowingly or not.

–Tim

This is NOT medical advice. It’s for sympathy only.

I doubt they could do much but watch and wait, though that would give me the heebie jeebies.

A sliver of a drinking glass probably won’t show up on an x-ray. There’s nothing listed in my Washington Manual (Emergency Medicine Techniques) either. Either it’s a classic watch-and-wait, or it’s a cleverly guarded clinical pearl.

I inhaled a needle when I was 5, trying to refine a drinking straw blowgun. I was sure I’d die. Never told anyone and never passed it (that I noticed). 30+ years - so far so good.

I also can feel what’s probably a bit o’ glass in my temple from a car accident many years ago. But you probably need your digestive tract more than I need my head.

A litle sliver of glass won’t hurt you, it will eventually come out in the end (pun intended).

Most likely you got the cut from just the crack in the glass.

I have, quite literaly, swallowed glass before. (Sisters can be worse than brothers - I have 3, all younger.)

In any case, I am fine and you should be too. If it is slivers it will not hurt unless it goes in your stomach - and you will know that very quickly.

Your only real long term concern is if any of the glass was in big chunks. In that case you would notice it on the bottom of the glass, and you would have blood coming out of . . . . well, both ends. If that happens call 911. OK ?

You guys don’t remember those guys who eat glasses? Remember? They could eat them just fine. Have no idea what it does to their butt.

Girls don’t make passes at boys who eat glasses.