Fish bone swallowed.

Eastender

Hi folks,

Had put up thread earlier but gave wrong thread title and wanted to update what's been happening.

It's been a month since I swallowed a tiny fish bone and had a neck & chest x-ray nothing found. Also nasal endoscopy done - no bone seen but found Fungal infection, which was a surprise as I never had that before and given Nystatin for a week but that did not help with discomfort with swallowing. Still had problems with swallowing and then ref to Gastroscopy recently, again nothing unusual found. But still have discomfort swallowing and not sure what to do now.

Read a medical journal in USA where they recommend having CT scan as tiny fish bones are not picked up by traditional x-ray as I am not sure why I still have this sore throat like feeling, though never a sharp pain.

peachyprice

Perhaps its psychosomatic.

Pollycat

Earlier thread for context:
https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/5995885/private-or-nhs-ent-treatment

Eastender wrote: »

Hi folks,

Had put up thread earlier but gave wrong thread title and wanted to update what's been happening.

It's been a month since I swallowed a tiny fish bone and had a neck & chest x-ray nothing found. Also nasal endoscopy done - no bone seen but found Fungal infection, which was a surprise as I never had that before and given Nystatin for a week but that did not help with discomfort with swallowing. Still had problems with swallowing and then ref to Gastroscopy recently, again nothing unusual found. But still have discomfort swallowing and not sure what to do now.

Read a medical journal in USA where they recommend having CT scan as tiny fish bones are not picked up by traditional x-ray as I am not sure why I still have this sore throat like feeling, though never a sharp pain.

It's not really relevant what happens in USA but if you are still having discomfort, then why don't you go back and tell your GP?

DCFC79

Wasn't necessary to start a new thread, just edit the original thread and add a new post to the thread.

Toothsmith

There is a big downside to having CT scans 'just to see'.

They come with quite a big dose of radiation which can cause it's own problems. They're not the thing to have for fun, and your Drs are quite right not to request one at the drop of a hat.

https://www.nhs.uk/news/medical-practice/caution-urged-over-ct-scan-radiation-doses/

The USA has it's own agenda in healthcare. CT scanners are expensive and need to pay for themselves, plus it's a pretty litigious society, (Which unfortunately seems to be where we're heading too) so a good deal of !!!!!-covering also plays a part in the recommendations they have, which aren't always in the patient's best interests.

fred246

A few years ago I remember comparing people who had bumped their heads and gone to hospital. In the USA you would almost always end up with a CT scan with a large dose of radiation to the head. It would be paid for by insurance so the patients were happy to use the insurance they paid for and presumably were impressed by the hi-tech scanner. In the UK you were more likely to wait in the waiting room for a few hours and then get sent home with a head injury card on the basis that if your brain was working well you would be unlikely to benefit from having a hole drilled in your skull. The outcome would be the same but the patients in the USA would have been exposed to a harmful dose of radiation. I do find it worrying that I think people are demanding more USA style care.