I am currently 22 weeks pregnant. Two nights ago, my husband and I went out to dinner with some friends and I ordered fish. Halfway through the meal, I choked on a very small fish bone, and after much coughing and spluttering, I came to the conclusion that the bone was stuck, wedged into my esophagus. Every time I tried to swallow, the pain was excruciating.

After a very restless night, I visited the doctor the next day. She told me that it was possible that the bone was still there, but confirmation and removal could only occur via a throat X-ray, which they refused to do in light of my delicate condition. She said the only solution was to try to dislodge the bone by eating dry bread and sucking on throat lozenges.

I then visited the chemist to purchase some lozenges, only to be told that I couldn't have anything with antiseptic in it and I shouldn't under any circumstances take a sore throat gargle containing iodine. (I had already gargled twice with Betadine by this stage.) Further, I was told I couldn't take aspirin or any pain reliever containing codeine.

Thank God, the dry bread worked and I managed to dislodge the bone of my own accord. It was much easier 20 years ago, when women had no idea what was bad for them and just did whatever the heck they pleased.

My recommendation – stay away from bony fish during your pregnancy!

Content on this site is not a substitute for professional medical or healthcare advice, diagnosis or treatment, and may not be used for such purposes. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical question or condition. Reliance on information presented on this site is at your own risk. This site contains the opinions and views of other users. Given the interactive nature of this site, we cannot endorse, guarantee, or be responsible for the accuracy, efficacy, or veracity of any content generated by our users.