A WOMAN has issued a stark warning about eating on your lap after her playful dog caused her to swallow a 17cm spoon.
Horrified Reymy Amelinckx said she had to decide between “choking or swallowing the spoon”.
She felt the implement “sliding down into my stomach smoothly”.
The 28-year-old said she was sitting on the couch with the yoghurt when her energetic Hungarian Vizsla named Marley suddenly jumped on her.
“I put the spoon in my mouth so I had my hands free to reply to a message,” Reymy, who comes from Rumst in Belgium, told What’s The Jam.
“Just then, Marley decided to jump on me.
“I was so startled I jerked my head back, and before I knew it, the spoon was lodged in my throat.
“I stood up and started to panic.”
Initially, Reymy, who works as a medical representative, tried to remove the spoon with her hand.
“But everything happened so fast, it was either swallow or choke,” she said.
When her boyfriend came home from work, she said she felt too embarrassed to tell him so she “pretended nothing was wrong”.
“I didn’t feel bad at all – so I didn’t say anything about it right away.
“It wasn’t until after dinner that I realised it was actually quite serious.
“There was a 17cm spoon in my stomach.
“Online, everywhere said the same thing: go straight to the emergency room.
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“It was only then that I realised how dangerous it could be.”
Doctors told her the spoon was too large to pass naturally, so she had to return home and wait until a gastroscopy could be scheduled.
Reymy said: “That night was difficult, 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.
“Sleeping was difficult because every position reminded me of the spoon in my stomach.”
The utensil was removed two days later under local anaesthetic.
“I wasn’t allowed to swallow while they pulled it up,” Reymy said.
“They had to rotate it in my stomach, which caused a small gastric haemorrhage.
“It wasn’t pleasant, but I felt pure relief when it came out.”
She added: “I’m so glad the spoon was eventually removed with a gastroscopy and that they didn’t have to surgically cut open my stomach.”
A few hours later, the spoon swallower was allowed to go home.
“After the removal, I recovered quickly,” she said.
“I had a sore throat due to damage to my oesophagus, a few minor gastric bleeding episodes, and a sensitive stomach for a while, but no permanent damage.
“I did, however, gain a lifelong reputation as ‘that girl with the spoon’.”
She added: “The next day, I went back to work as usual.
“My colleagues didn’t believe me until I showed them the X-ray.”
Despite the nasty experience, Reymy decided to keep hold of the spoon in question as a keepsake.
“My boyfriend wants to turn it into a work of art,” she said.
“He doesn’t know exactly what yet, but it will definitely be a unique piece.
“That’s the least such an adventure deserves.”
Reymy shared some advice for fellow dog and yoghurt lovers – or those thinking of going hands-free with a utensil in order to text.
She said: “Enthusiastic dogs + eating on laps = risk zone.
“Teach them a ‘wait’ or ‘quiet’ command for jumping moments.
“For yogurt eaters: don’t eat with cutlery completely in your mouth.
“Don’t multitask with animals, and avoid jump scares and laughing with your mouth full.
“If you swallow something that really shouldn’t be there: seek medical attention immediately.
“Embarrassment is temporary, internal damage isn’t.”
Reymy added: “It’s a bizarre story, but one with a happy ending – and a legendary anecdote for parties.”
