I swallowed gauze!

April 16, 2010 3:32 AM

I just had a tooth pulled out and I fell asleep. I swallowed the gauze in the night! I just woke up. What should I do?

I hate throwing up. If I can keep this thing down, I would prefer it.
I haven't eaten anything since 4 yesterday; I got this thing done at 7.
What should I do???

posted by lhude sing cuccu to Health & Fitness (17 answers total)

This too shall pass --- probably.

IANAD, but that's what I've heard, and it isn't uncommon. You should probably check and see if you can see it though. Yeah, in that stuff. Get a long spatula you won't miss very much and break apart the stools. (if you haven't seen it in a few days, then see a doctor.)

If it were me I'd strip the bed and crawl around on the floor, it might be inside a pillow case or under the bed.

I'd also call poison control, just for some peace of mind. I have been wrong before.
posted by Some1 at 3:42 AM on April 16, 2010

Assuming this is a just a piece of cotton gauze, or one of those little cotton-filled pads wrapped in cotton gauze, I wouldn't worry too much. Cotton is safe to eat in small amounts (although not particularly digestible or nutritious). If it were me I'd just make sure I was getting plenty to drink, and just let nature take its course.

If you're worried, I'm sure a call to your dentist will provide reassurance.
posted by le morte de bea arthur at 3:43 AM on April 16, 2010

Response by poster: Thanks so far.
Sorry I must sound so delirious; I'm not that delirious, it's just 6:47 AM.
posted by lhude sing cuccu at 3:47 AM on April 16, 2010

Yeah, as long as you continue to have regular bowel movements and don't experience any internal pain or other unusual symptoms, you'll be fine, but hey, why not call up your dentist/doctor/local poison control just to get a professional's opinion? IANAD.
posted by Salvor Hardin at 3:48 AM on April 16, 2010

Nthing you're probably fine but call your dentist anyway. It's not like you've got anything else you have to do today.
posted by Doublewhiskeycokenoice at 4:00 AM on April 16, 2010

I did the same thing (x4) about seven years ago. Status (more or less) quo immediately after and ever since.

I didn't search my bed, floor or poo (seriously?) for the gauze, as I figured I probably didn't need it anymore, and if I did, I could probably get some more somewhere.
posted by The Potate at 4:09 AM on April 16, 2010 [2 favorites]

What do you do? Shit it out in 12-24 hours.
posted by notsnot at 4:15 AM on April 16, 2010 [1 favorite]

It won't hurt if you take a few fish oil capsules. They help things move along, and are otherwise extremely good for you. And by few, I mean 2 at each meal time, whether you eat or not.
posted by Goofyy at 4:41 AM on April 16, 2010

I know how disgusting this sounds, but: if the gauze was particularly bloody, you might not have an option re: throwing it up. Stomachs don't like blood (at least not the raw, human kind ) (ew).
posted by oinopaponton at 4:54 AM on April 16, 2010

You will surely die from this. Seriously, you will be fine. The human body is amazing like that.
posted by fixedgear at 5:43 AM on April 16, 2010

Go eat some breakfast, you'll be fine.
posted by unixrat at 5:54 AM on April 16, 2010

if it were toxic the doctor probably wouldn't have put it in your mouth
posted by swbarrett at 6:37 AM on April 16, 2010 [2 favorites]

If it was a ball then you are very likely fine, if it was a strip of gauze rolled up then I might be a bit concerned about it getting tangled up in your intestines, but you would be aware of that pretty quickly.

Smart money is that you are going to be alright.
posted by BobbyDigital at 6:57 AM on April 16, 2010

You will be fine. It wouldn't hurt to consume extra fluids and fiber over the next couple days to hasten it's inconsequential exit, but gauze is nontoxic and flexible so there is a very low likelihood that it will cause an obstruction. if you do have symptoms of obstruction (no bowel movements, bloating, vomiting, etc) call the doc or go to ER but again that is extremely unlikely given the substance.
posted by Carol@ILPoisonCenter at 7:20 AM on April 16, 2010 [1 favorite]

Smart money is that you are going to be alright.

Wait, wait. Can I get an over/under line here? I believe we could work some arbitrage here.

There's a (very rare) practice of swallowing a long strip of cloth and letting it 'work through' so that you have a piece of cloth coming out both sides. If people can live through that, your gauze is not an issue.
posted by unixrat at 7:26 AM on April 16, 2010

Based on observing the backyard after a neighbor's dog ate a T-shirt, my vote is that you will be fine.
posted by CathyG at 8:29 AM on April 16, 2010

You will have to wait until tomorrow to get your gauze back.

Otherwise you will be fine. You should probably call the dentist's office in the morning to see if you need to do anything further to treat your wound from the missing tooth. If it isn't bleeding you probably do not.
posted by caddis at 9:05 AM on April 16, 2010