Care worker has surgery after swallowing six-inch COVID test swab
A care worker was rushed in for emergency surgery after swallowing a six-inch COVID swab while taking a home test.
Bobby Lee, 31, got into difficulty after placing the swab in her mouth at her property in Peterlee, County Durham, last month.
She decided to test after feeling unwell during a night shift and the swab got stuck.
Unsure what to do, Bobby then tried to swallow it but it only went part way down her throat.
The mum-of-two then raced to A&E, where doctors said they had never seen a similar case before.
She was quickly transferred to a nearby hospital where she received emergency surgery.
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Lee said: "When I swabbed the back of my throat I sort of gagged.
"The stick twanged in my mouth and got stuck at the back of my throat, with the swab down my throat and the end stuck in the roof of my mouth at the back.
"I tried to remove it but just couldn't get it out, so I literally thought to myself I was going to have to try and swallow it.
"I swallowed, and it went down a bit, but it only went half way down my throat so you could see the end of it sticking out of my throat."
She added: "I didn't even ring 111 because I had my little girl with me, I just jumped in the car and drove straight to A&E.
"I was just shocked because I didn't know what was going to happen, if I was going to stop breathing with the little one on my own."
After getting into the hospital, Lee was sent to a separate hospital where doctors tried to work out what to do.
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Lee said: "Every time I was swallowing I couldn't feel it at the back of my throat anymore, but you could still see it.
"They'd never experienced the issue though so they didn't know what to do. I was breathing alright, but you could still see it.
"Eventually I had a mini-surgery with a camera down my throat.
"It had gone all the way into my tummy, the pictures they took with the camera down my throat even showed it near my intestines.
"It had to come out of my mouth though as if it had gotten into my intestines it would have punctured them.”
The NHS advises anyone who needs help with a test to watch step-by-step guide videos here or to call 119.
Free universal testing ended in April as part of the government's 'living with COVID' strategy.
Most people living in England have to pay for tests, although some people can still get swabs for free, including NHS and social care staff.