Woman hospitalized by cheap BBQ brush
Rob Gibson, QMI Agency
First posted: Monday, July 07, 2014 06:47 AM EDT | Updated: Monday, July 07, 2014 04:10 PM EDT
CALGARY - A Red Deer, Alta., woman had to undergo two surgeries and spend a week in hospital after wire from a cheap barbecue grill brush ended up in her food and lodged in her throat.
Kim Schellenberg wants other people to be aware of the potential hazard,
"It's not something that ever crossed our minds," Schellenberg said. "It went from just this thing caught in my throat to the ability to kill you, that's when they decided to go in from the outside."
Schellenberg now has a four-inch scar on her throat.
The wire bristle attached itself to a hamburger and before Schellenberg knew what was happening, it was too late.
She tried to get the bristle out herself but the pain was too much, so she asked to be taken to the hospital.
Problem was Red Deer no longer has an ear nose and throat specialist so they had to go to Calgary.
By the time they reached the hospital the wire had worked its way further down Schellenberg's throat.
After hours of surgery followed by more X- rays, doctors made an incision on Schellenberg's throat and went in from the outside looking for the wire.
They never found it and Schellenberg was hospitalized for five days while being monitored. The fear was the wire could puncture her bowel or cause other complications.
Experts warn that the cheap brushes can break during cleaning, leaving sharp pieces of wire stuck to the grill.
Schellenberg Googled "barbecue bristles" and discovered it's not the first time this has happened. There was a case last June in Montreal and in 2012 the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a warning in the United States after six cases in the state of Rhode Island.
Woman hospitalized by cheap BBQ brush | Canada | News | Toronto Sun
Rob Gibson, QMI Agency
First posted: Monday, July 07, 2014 06:47 AM EDT | Updated: Monday, July 07, 2014 04:10 PM EDT
CALGARY - A Red Deer, Alta., woman had to undergo two surgeries and spend a week in hospital after wire from a cheap barbecue grill brush ended up in her food and lodged in her throat.
Kim Schellenberg wants other people to be aware of the potential hazard,
"It's not something that ever crossed our minds," Schellenberg said. "It went from just this thing caught in my throat to the ability to kill you, that's when they decided to go in from the outside."
Schellenberg now has a four-inch scar on her throat.
The wire bristle attached itself to a hamburger and before Schellenberg knew what was happening, it was too late.
She tried to get the bristle out herself but the pain was too much, so she asked to be taken to the hospital.
Problem was Red Deer no longer has an ear nose and throat specialist so they had to go to Calgary.
By the time they reached the hospital the wire had worked its way further down Schellenberg's throat.
After hours of surgery followed by more X- rays, doctors made an incision on Schellenberg's throat and went in from the outside looking for the wire.
They never found it and Schellenberg was hospitalized for five days while being monitored. The fear was the wire could puncture her bowel or cause other complications.
Experts warn that the cheap brushes can break during cleaning, leaving sharp pieces of wire stuck to the grill.
Schellenberg Googled "barbecue bristles" and discovered it's not the first time this has happened. There was a case last June in Montreal and in 2012 the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a warning in the United States after six cases in the state of Rhode Island.
Woman hospitalized by cheap BBQ brush | Canada | News | Toronto Sun
