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What Causes Heartburn After Swallowing A Chicken Bone?

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Posted on Tue, 15 Apr 2014
Question: I quess I swallowed chicken with little bone yesterday. Because I have a gastritis, I am not sure heartburn came from the bone stucked in esophagus or gastritis. Except that heartburning, there is no any symptom like pain while drinking or eating, hard to breath, chest pain.... And also want to know that if the bone is too tiny, so eventhough it stucked, is it very difficult to know symptom (becuase of the size)
doctor
Answered by Dr. Grzegorz Stanko (25 minutes later)
Brief Answer: Detailed below. Detailed Answer: Hello! Thank you for the query. Heartburn can be a single symptom of bone stuck in the esophagus. Especially if it last longer than regular gastritis symptom. If it is only gastritis, drinking cold water should cause some relief for a while. If its a bone stuck, eating solid foods should cause some pain when swallowing. If you are not sure, you should consult a doctor. It is because such bone in the esophagus can cause inflammation, ulcer and perforation. So it is too risky to just sit and wait. Simple barium swallow test should answer the question. If the bone will be localized, gastroscopy can remove it. If the bone is tiny, and it has stuck (or better has stick to the wall), no symptom can be present at all. This can last till some inflammation will appear or the bone will be somehow moved forward without any complications. Hope this will help. Feel free to ask further questions. Regards.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
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Follow up: Dr. Grzegorz Stanko (18 minutes later)
Thanks for your help. May I ask last question. 1. although chicken bone is very small, can it be seen by x-ray? 2. After drinking water, my heartburn decrease for a moment. No pain while I drinking and eating food.... Do I have to check? or only anxiety?
doctor
Answered by Dr. Grzegorz Stanko (45 minutes later)
Brief Answer: . Detailed Answer: 1.Yes, bone can be seen in the x-ray even a small one (not always, it depends of it location, can be obscured by some other bones/objects). But with contrast swallowing much more can be seen, even the structures normally invisible in regular X-ray. 2. If after drinking heartburn decreases for a moment, you may wait with it and see if it will be improving or not (most likely the bone has just passed through). Most likely its just a gastritis. If you have PPI prescribed (like Omeprasole, Pantoprasole, Lansoprasole, Esomeprasole), and you take it once a day, in the morning, you may take another dosage of it in the evening (especially if it is Omeprasole 20 mg, Pantoprasole 20 mg, Esomeprasole 20 mg) and continue two dosages for a week or so. Please also avoid fatty foods, spicy foods, coffee (very important), alcohol, orange juices. Regards.
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Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
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Answered by
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Dr. Grzegorz Stanko

General Surgeon

Practicing since :2008

Answered : 5795 Questions

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What Causes Heartburn After Swallowing A Chicken Bone?

Brief Answer: Detailed below. Detailed Answer: Hello! Thank you for the query. Heartburn can be a single symptom of bone stuck in the esophagus. Especially if it last longer than regular gastritis symptom. If it is only gastritis, drinking cold water should cause some relief for a while. If its a bone stuck, eating solid foods should cause some pain when swallowing. If you are not sure, you should consult a doctor. It is because such bone in the esophagus can cause inflammation, ulcer and perforation. So it is too risky to just sit and wait. Simple barium swallow test should answer the question. If the bone will be localized, gastroscopy can remove it. If the bone is tiny, and it has stuck (or better has stick to the wall), no symptom can be present at all. This can last till some inflammation will appear or the bone will be somehow moved forward without any complications. Hope this will help. Feel free to ask further questions. Regards.