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By Karen L. Hudson, About.com Guide to Tattoos since 1999

Forum Discussion: Help! I Swallowed My Tongue Ring!

Sunday October 16, 2005
If you swallow your tongue ring (which, for the record, is really not a ring but a barbell in most cases, but tongue barbell just doesn't flow as well as tongue ring and so therefore, for lack of a better word or phrase, tongue ring is suitable at least in my book) it can be a scary thing. What should you do? Join this discussion to see what others are saying or share your own experiences and/or advice.

Comments

October 11, 2007 at 4:20 pm
(1) crystal says:

my doctor has instructed me to go to the er to have xrays done to make sure it hasn’t punctured anything internally. especially since it feels like i swallowed a large pill and it is stuck. i think i won’t put another back in after this. if it puntures something or i can’t pass it i’m scared of what will have to be done

January 5, 2008 at 5:00 pm
(2) Mari says:

I swallwed my tongue ring about 24 hours ago…I was curious if i went to the bathroom if it should have passed by now? i kinda had a stomach ache last night but I feel fine…any advice?

January 5, 2008 at 6:39 pm
(3) Karen Hudson says:

If you feel fine, it probably has passed without any issue. But pay attention to how you feel in the next couple of weeks – if you suddenly start having any problems, don’t forget about the possible connection to swallowing the barbell and see a doctor. But if you feel fine, you probably are – these things usually slide through the digestive system without incident.

January 10, 2008 at 9:16 pm
(4) sarah says:

i swallowed my barbell with 1 ball, and i’m scared :S, i have a little stomach ache, but i think its because im nervous, what should i do?

February 19, 2008 at 6:21 pm
(5) Rae says:

I didn’t have mine in… and I was playing with it… And kinda Swallowed it. I know, I had the chance to try and cough it back up, but my throat just kinda… -Gulp- I am so freaked out right now.. It was only like… a hour ago? My stomach hurts sooo bad. -Is Scared-

February 25, 2008 at 5:20 pm
(6) nate says:

i swallowed my bar and one ball two days ago and am kinda freaked out i just hope it passes

April 14, 2008 at 12:26 am
(7) Crissie says:

i just swallowed my ball and it’s 9:30 at night. there is no where to get a replacement ball and i don’t know what to do…i don’t want to take it out b/c i just got it pierced

April 20, 2008 at 11:15 pm
(8) dad says:

Yes my daughter swallowed her tongue ring and we are not sure what to do but wait and see if she looses it when she go to the bathroom but if it dont that may be a bad thing OR IS IT DOES ANY BODY KNOW WHAT WE SOULD DO ?

May 9, 2008 at 10:36 pm
(9) Lu says:

I bought a new barbell yesterday but the bottom ball screw was really difficult to get it and every time I connected it, it kept falling out. Finally I got it in, screwing it really tight. Then just a while ago it fell out and I swallowed it, I could feel it in my throat. I wasn’t sure what part I had swallowed. I was freaking out so dad did that push thing on my stomach for when you choke something, and then I found it, the long part. But I swallowed the top part that goes on top of it. I would only be worried if I swallowed the long bit, ’cause they can rip through things. Hopefully I’ll just pass the little ball bit which I swallowed. They close up fast if you don’t have a barbell in. But I think they’re more trouble than they’re worth and I’m just gonna let it close up for good.

June 9, 2008 at 8:21 pm
(10) donna says:

i swallowed the top of my tounge bar & its stuck in my throath & i can feal it in my neck & whe i put my igers back my throat it feals like its stuck under a layer of skin. Im having no trouble breathing but im still worried??

June 30, 2008 at 7:04 pm
(11) ME says:

THIS SUCKS, i think its stuck in my ass!, becuase i have this little grey/dark lump on my ass hole its small but its there and when i ress down on it it stings, it has to be thhat bar for sure!!! but my paretns dont even know that i have it done? wtf do i do? im screwed!

September 1, 2008 at 2:00 am
(12) Nyoko says:

I was wearing a retainer (or clear barbell) but i fell asleep with it and the next morning when i woke up and i took it out the tiny ring that kept it from falling out got stuck in my hole! And now its really sore and has been all day. I’ve tried to get it out, but i can’t and im scared of riping the hole. I don’t think i swallowed it. So what so i do! It’s really sore…

September 18, 2008 at 12:10 pm
(13) Vanessa says:

I swallowed my tongue ring about a month ago and I am feeling it now. My Stomach has been hurting since monday in different areas. I have tried using laxatives to see if it comes out but nothing happen. What should i do? I’m really scared :( HELP!

October 29, 2008 at 8:21 pm
(14) Aine Dublin says:

ok im seriuosly scared i swallowed my tounge bar wit one ball on it i can feel it movin i hope it doesnt do anythin bad or cause damage it better not hurt when i have 2 pass it so not lookin forward 2 that if its not out in a few days im off da doctor or a&e im scared HELP!!!!!!

love
Aine

November 4, 2008 at 2:36 am
(15) ashley says:

i swallowed the bar of my tongue ring with the top ball on it and i called the poison hotline…they said that it should be fine and i should pass it within 5 days (and they told me to look!), but they said that if i didn’t pass it, or if i can’t make a bowl movement, that i should go get an x-ray because it might be clogging my intestines (or something to that effect) and i might have to get it removed…they didn’t say anything about it puncturing anything so i’m not too worried about that…i guess i’ll just have to wait.

December 30, 2008 at 10:39 pm
(16) victoria says:

omg guys…i just swallowed my tongue ring and im freakin out….im sooo scared.

January 3, 2009 at 1:13 pm
(17) jen says:

Okay so I swollowed my tongue barbell with the top ball on it because I had bought a new tongue ring yesterday and the bottom ball kept fallin out so I just screwed it back and it would be fine. Now it fell out when I was eatin and I swollowed it. I tried to make myself throw up but it’s not helping but when I threw up there was a bit of blood so I’m really scared I would have internal bleeding, someone please help me

Give me some sort of advice.

March 10, 2009 at 4:58 pm
(18) Cheryl says:

i swallowed my tongue bar and one ball about an hour ago every time i burped i can taste metal and my stomach is sore. Should i try and be sick and get it up that way???

March 25, 2009 at 11:39 pm
(19) jaylen says:

i did it too so what should i do plz help me

April 22, 2009 at 5:14 pm
(20) Kyan says:

I have a tongue ring that has a hoop on the top ball. Last night when I was sleep, the hoop came off and i swallowed it o.O It not like the bar itself but i’m a little worried. I guess the best thing to do is wait and see if my bowel movements are abnormal?

April 24, 2009 at 3:03 am
(21) Tina says:

I swallowed my tongue ring when I was eatting and it was just the ball what should i do bc i feel really sick and i keep throwing up is that bad ??????? please help me I don’t know what to do.

April 29, 2009 at 4:51 am
(22) lee says:

omydaaaze i swallowed my new tounge ring yesterday while eating pizza,my mum said it could rust in my stomach if it dosent pass through but my friends said it defiantly would come out the back end,really dont know what to do id feel really silly going to the doctor as he has already commented on how unhealthey they are and because of the connection made with tongue rings i wouldnt want him to get the wrong idea,what shall i do????????

May 5, 2009 at 6:45 pm
(23) blueyes says:

um…. ok i just swallowed my tongue ring, the bar and the ball on top… so i tried throwing my lunch up but it didnt work… i called my friend and she did the same thing a long tme ago and she didnt have ne problems.. so im waitin :)

May 15, 2009 at 1:05 pm
(24) Lieta says:

I swallow the ball on my tongue ring all the time… I never seem to catch it… If it’s just the ball, no worries you’ll be just fine…

The bar i have NEVER swallowed… My doc said to be careful as it can puncture something, but other then that, it’s just a wait and see kind of thing…

I wouldn’t try and throw up… That would probably do more damage then good.

May 30, 2009 at 6:47 pm
(25) tiffany says:

I swallowed my tongue ring like a month ago and i saw it in my stool a day later after it was swallowed it was so disgusting.

June 25, 2009 at 10:02 pm
(26) amanda says:

i just swallowed my tongue ring and im pregnant what should i do?

June 30, 2009 at 4:46 pm
(27) Katie says:

I swallowed my barbell and ball while eating-it was a poorly made tongue ring, but I put it in anyways.

I called a doctor-he said NOT to throw it up because a forceful act usually causes more damage than good.

Unless I’m noticing that I’m feeling large amounts of pain or am bleeding or anything I should be fine, but to be alert during the next few days.

If you threw up a little bit of blood, you most likely just scraped your throat while throwing up, stomach acid is very strong.

If you can feel it going through your intestines, calm down. That’s all in your head, the only parts you would feel it at would be the top of your small intestine or your throat.

If you notice anything extremely unusual or feel any pain in one specific part of your body (if the barbell does puncture anything-which is highly unlikely seeing how it’s relatively dull compared to many things the body has swallowed-it will be stuck where it has punctured and won’t travel any farther so the pain will be specific to one location) go get an x-ray.

Good luck.

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