Reymy Amelinckx, a 20-year-old medical representative from Rumst, Belgium, experienced one of the strangest accidents imaginable when she swallowed an entire spoon measuring nearly 7 inches long. The incident unfolded on an ordinary evening while she relaxed on her couch eating yogurt. To keep her hands free for typing a message, she held the spoon in her mouth. Her playful dog, Marley, suddenly leaped onto her, startling her so much that she jerked her head back and accidentally swallowed the utensil whole.
In the moments that followed, Reymy stood up in panic as the spoon became lodged in her throat. She faced a terrifying choice between choking or forcing it down further. Opting to swallow, she managed to get it into her stomach but felt surprisingly little immediate discomfort. When her boyfriend returned home from work, she kept the entire episode secret out of embarrassment and went about the evening as if nothing had happened.
Only after dinner did the gravity of the situation sink in for Reymy. She began searching online for advice and quickly learned that a foreign object of that size posed serious risks. Everything she read urged immediate medical attention, prompting her to head to the emergency room. Doctors confirmed the spoon’s position through imaging and explained it was far too large to pass naturally through her digestive tract.
Reymy had to wait two days for a scheduled gastroscopy, spending an agonizing interim at home. “That night was extremely difficult,” she later shared. “I felt the spoon moving, sometimes even under my ribs. It was really terrifying. I was bloated, I felt nauseous and couldn’t eat without a strange sensation. Sleeping was hard because every position reminded me that I had a spoon in my stomach.”
The removal procedure took place under local anesthesia at a local hospital in Belgium. Medical staff carefully maneuvered the endoscope to grasp the spoon, rotating it inside her stomach to align it properly for extraction. Reymy was instructed not to swallow during the process, which caused some discomfort and minor bleeding. “I wasn’t allowed to swallow while they were pulling it out,” she recalled. “They had to rotate it in my stomach, which caused minor bleeding. It wasn’t pleasant, but I felt enormous relief when it finally came out.”
Fortunately, no open surgery was needed, and Reymy went home just hours later. Her recovery proved swift despite a sore throat from esophageal irritation, slight stomach bleeding, and temporary sensitivity. She returned to work the very next day, though her colleagues remained skeptical until she showed them the X-ray evidence. “My colleagues didn’t believe me until I showed them the X-ray,” she said with a laugh.
The spoon itself survived the ordeal intact, and Reymy decided to keep it as a quirky memento. Her boyfriend has even bigger plans, intending to transform it into a one-of-a-kind piece of art. “He doesn’t know exactly what yet, but it will definitely be unique,” Reymy noted. “Such an adventure deserves at least that.” The incident also earned her a lasting nickname among friends and coworkers as “the girl with the spoon.”
Reymy’s initial panic stemmed from the sudden jolt caused by Marley. “I was holding the spoon in my mouth to have free hands to reply to a message,” she explained. “At that moment, Marley jumped on me. I was so scared that with a jerk I threw my head back, and before I realized what was happening, the spoon got stuck in my throat.” She initially downplayed the danger because she felt fine at first. “I didn’t feel bad, so I didn’t say anything right away,” she admitted. “Only after dinner did I realize how serious the situation actually was. Only then did I realize how dangerous it could have been.”
Cases of adults accidentally swallowing large objects remain rare but do occur, often involving everyday items during moments of distraction. Medical professionals frequently handle foreign body ingestion through endoscopic procedures like gastroscopy, which allow visualization and removal without invasive surgery. When objects exceed certain sizes or sharpness, natural passage becomes risky due to potential perforation or obstruction in the gastrointestinal tract. Endoscopy has become the preferred method in most hospitals for upper digestive tract issues, offering quicker recovery and fewer complications compared to traditional surgery.
Swallowed foreign bodies most commonly affect young children who explore the world orally, but adults encounter them too, sometimes from habits like holding items in the mouth or during eating challenges. In emergency settings, X-rays quickly locate metallic objects, guiding treatment decisions. Prompt intervention usually prevents serious complications, as seen in Reymy’s successful outcome with no lasting damage.
Have you ever experienced a freak accident with an everyday household item? Share your wildest stories in the comments.
