What could I have possibly eaten and is it still inside of me?
January 31, 2019 9:24 PM Subscribe
Yesterday morning I was eating an egg, cheese and taylor ham on a bagel. I ate half and felt fine. Started eating the 2nd half and felt something weird in my mouth. Something that wasn’t eggy, ham-y, cheesy, or bagel-y. (Possibly gross details)
As soon as I felt it in my teeth I spit it out. The texture wasn’t hard but it was kind of chewy based on that initial bite. I’m not sure if I actually did spit it out and some of the food was already on its way down. Within about a minute I felt nauseous and ran to the bathroom. I gagged and spit but none of what I ate came back up. I tried to force myself to vomit but couldn’t. I continued to feel slightly ill for a couple of hours.
What could have been that made me feel instantly sick? I’m disgusted and wondering if whatever it was is now doing weird things in my stomach or intestines. If it caused problems as soon as it was in my mouth, then wont it cause problems coming out? I don’t have any allergies. I have an on and off relationship with eggs but generally eat them without any issues. I had an incident many years ago after making pasta carbonara that was similar in that as soon as I took a few bites I became ill. One other time a similar thing happened with a smoothie. I blamed the yogurt in the smoothie for that one. The weird nobby thing is throwing me off though and I don’t want to blame the eggs just yet.
It's been over 24 hours and I've been eating and drinking without any issues. I am just slightly nervous about whatever it could have been.
As soon as I felt it in my teeth I spit it out. The texture wasn’t hard but it was kind of chewy based on that initial bite. I’m not sure if I actually did spit it out and some of the food was already on its way down. Within about a minute I felt nauseous and ran to the bathroom. I gagged and spit but none of what I ate came back up. I tried to force myself to vomit but couldn’t. I continued to feel slightly ill for a couple of hours.
What could have been that made me feel instantly sick? I’m disgusted and wondering if whatever it was is now doing weird things in my stomach or intestines. If it caused problems as soon as it was in my mouth, then wont it cause problems coming out? I don’t have any allergies. I have an on and off relationship with eggs but generally eat them without any issues. I had an incident many years ago after making pasta carbonara that was similar in that as soon as I took a few bites I became ill. One other time a similar thing happened with a smoothie. I blamed the yogurt in the smoothie for that one. The weird nobby thing is throwing me off though and I don’t want to blame the eggs just yet.
It's been over 24 hours and I've been eating and drinking without any issues. I am just slightly nervous about whatever it could have been.
I had to look up what Taylor ham was and found that it's a processed meat product thing. I bet that the weird chewy thing was a bit of something that hadn't been properly emulsified in the taylorhamification process, like maybe some gristly bit or a weird unmixed bit of spices and fat. Maybe a bit of bone? Perfectly fine to swallow, if not the most pleasant to chew. On preview, sausage casing is a likely culprit as well.
I am no expert in anything but I feel like if you try to force yourself to throw up, feeling a little ill for a few hours afterward is probably normal? Especially if you're anxious about something you ate, and especially if you have a history of similar responses to different foods. Bodies are weird and really complicated and our reactions to things aren't the most logical - we have lingering responses to momentary stimulus all the time.
posted by Mizu at 9:53 PM on January 31, 2019 [13 favorites]
I am no expert in anything but I feel like if you try to force yourself to throw up, feeling a little ill for a few hours afterward is probably normal? Especially if you're anxious about something you ate, and especially if you have a history of similar responses to different foods. Bodies are weird and really complicated and our reactions to things aren't the most logical - we have lingering responses to momentary stimulus all the time.
posted by Mizu at 9:53 PM on January 31, 2019 [13 favorites]
It sounds like a bit of gristle. If so, it won't do you any harm at all. (In fact, it's quite nutritious.)
posted by richb at 2:48 AM on February 1, 2019 [5 favorites]
posted by richb at 2:48 AM on February 1, 2019 [5 favorites]
Came in to say gristle as well.
posted by STFUDonnie at 6:08 AM on February 1, 2019
posted by STFUDonnie at 6:08 AM on February 1, 2019
I don't know what you found in your food -- most likely it was innocuous -- but I've had similar experience, where I've bit into something my mouth reacted to as "NOT FOOD", with a physical near-vomit reaction; your brain can consciously make you retch and vomit without there actually being any problem in your guts, it's an automatic reaction to trying to get rid of something that might make you sick before it actually makes you sick. Like, for example, when I was younger the rubbery, fatty part of bacon pretty much always did that to me, so I didn't eat it very often.
I'd say you're fine if you haven't actually gotten sick, and that what happened to you is an acceptable reaction your brain -- not your guts -- had to some weird food.
posted by AzraelBrown at 6:09 AM on February 1, 2019 [12 favorites]
I'd say you're fine if you haven't actually gotten sick, and that what happened to you is an acceptable reaction your brain -- not your guts -- had to some weird food.
posted by AzraelBrown at 6:09 AM on February 1, 2019 [12 favorites]
I concur with AzraelBrown. Whenever I'm eating something and I bite into something that registers as not right (typically egg shells in pastry), I get nauseous and my gag reflex kicks in in overdrive. I've never actually vomited, but I generally spit out the bite. Intellectually I know that egg shells are edible, but pastries should not crackle under the teeth.
posted by snakeling at 6:15 AM on February 1, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by snakeling at 6:15 AM on February 1, 2019 [1 favorite]
I had a similar experience but found it on the way out. Thought I had a tapeworm, but it was just something from a ham I ate that my system decided to pass through.
posted by terrapin at 7:25 AM on February 1, 2019
posted by terrapin at 7:25 AM on February 1, 2019
Response by poster: I don’t think it was gristle. I’ve chewed on gristle before and never had this happen. Taylor ham is processed but it’s never had gristle either. Ugh. I’ve found non food things in food before but this one has grossed me out the most.
posted by mokeydraws at 7:40 AM on February 1, 2019
posted by mokeydraws at 7:40 AM on February 1, 2019
Are you sure the resulting physical reaction wasn't psychosomatic? As for the chewy - could have been some cartilage or similar other material.
posted by rich at 8:26 AM on February 1, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by rich at 8:26 AM on February 1, 2019 [1 favorite]
If not gristle, could have been a piece of packaging.
To quell your anxiety about feeling sick: I've felt the very same thing after eating a bite of undercooked egg white. I get so grossed out that I gag a little and feel sick for several hours.
Lots of people eat their eggs with the whites slightly undercooked and I eat raw cookie like I'm trying to get salmonella. I only feel sick when I feel the gooey egg white and I can't logic myself into feeling better. Just gotta let it pass.
posted by meemzi at 9:13 AM on February 1, 2019 [2 favorites]
To quell your anxiety about feeling sick: I've felt the very same thing after eating a bite of undercooked egg white. I get so grossed out that I gag a little and feel sick for several hours.
Lots of people eat their eggs with the whites slightly undercooked and I eat raw cookie like I'm trying to get salmonella. I only feel sick when I feel the gooey egg white and I can't logic myself into feeling better. Just gotta let it pass.
posted by meemzi at 9:13 AM on February 1, 2019 [2 favorites]
This is going to sound really "woo," but I had that experience once with a turkey sandwich I made myself (so I know the meat wasn't rotten, nor was there anything weird in it). I had a bizzare visceral reaction as soon as I took the first bite, and instantly spit it out and gagged. I was overcome with disgust and sadness, and my first thought was that the turkey I was eating died traumatically somehow, or something was so wrong or sad with that particular turkey, it affected the cells of the meat.
I couldn't eat turkey for 6 months after that-- all other meat was fine, and I'm not nor ever have been a vegetarian, it was just this weird moment.
Maybe something like that? Or maybe I'm just a little crazy!
posted by katypickle at 9:34 AM on February 1, 2019 [4 favorites]
I couldn't eat turkey for 6 months after that-- all other meat was fine, and I'm not nor ever have been a vegetarian, it was just this weird moment.
Maybe something like that? Or maybe I'm just a little crazy!
posted by katypickle at 9:34 AM on February 1, 2019 [4 favorites]
Nthing the RED ALERT NOT FOOD OMG BELLY PANIC reaction being A Thing, and one which I have definitely experienced. I've never gotten really sick or nauseous as a result, but it's an instant appetite killer for me.
Based on your description of the texture, this might not be it, but I know I've definitely had that type of reaction to the weird, crispy-but-also-rubbery, overcooked bit on the edge of a fried egg. Maybe something like that could be the culprit?
Either way, I think if you're not having any trouble now, you're probably safe to assume that whatever it was probably wasn't harmful, just super unpleasant. My sympathies—it really is such a weird, gross feeling!
posted by helloimjennsco at 11:43 AM on February 1, 2019
Based on your description of the texture, this might not be it, but I know I've definitely had that type of reaction to the weird, crispy-but-also-rubbery, overcooked bit on the edge of a fried egg. Maybe something like that could be the culprit?
Either way, I think if you're not having any trouble now, you're probably safe to assume that whatever it was probably wasn't harmful, just super unpleasant. My sympathies—it really is such a weird, gross feeling!
posted by helloimjennsco at 11:43 AM on February 1, 2019
Nthing a bit of packaging, and the sick feeling was just residual from the brief adrenaline burst of "Oh gross that's not food!"
posted by sarcasticah at 12:28 PM on February 2, 2019
posted by sarcasticah at 12:28 PM on February 2, 2019
Is there any possibility it was a (warning, gross wikipedia link) tonsillolith? Sometimes they can be dislodged by the action of vigorous chewing or coughing. It matches your description of "weird nobby thing" and "not hard but kind of chewy". And while the thought of biting into one is revolting, it is simply (I am so sorry) "soft aggregates of bacterial and cellular debris" and unlikely to be harmful, having originated from the back of your throat in the first place.
posted by slagheap at 9:07 PM on February 3, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by slagheap at 9:07 PM on February 3, 2019 [1 favorite]
Another chiming in to say I've had this reaction from getting something totally innocuous in my mouth, like a piece of shell in scrambled eggs (UGH!). Bits of gristle/fat/meat/cartilage/casing could definitely do that as well, and just because you have never encountered that in this ham before doesn't mean it can't be there. A lump in yogurt (UGH!) would probably give me the same reaction.
posted by fiercecupcake at 7:45 AM on February 4, 2019
posted by fiercecupcake at 7:45 AM on February 4, 2019
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posted by cabingirl at 9:49 PM on January 31, 2019 [2 favorites]