Doctor Finds Grill Brush Bristle Lodged in Woman’s Throat for Months

A single hotdog bite landed Linda Pelham in the hospital unable to breathe, speak or swallow. After six months of agony, Michigan Medicine physicians discovered a wire grill brush bristle stuck in her throat.

8:00 AM

Author | Jina Sawani

Ruler
Over half of an inch of metal was stuck in Linda Pelham’s throat after eating a hot dog.
When we found out that there was a wire in my throat, my husband swiped a magnet over our grill and picked up an additional 30-40 wire bristles, previously unseen by the naked eye – it was alarming.
Linda Pelham

Summertime can include many joyful occasions, including family barbecues with delicious food and fun conversation. However, 64-year-old Michigan native Linda Pelham had no idea that one event would lead to a six-month long rollercoaster, riddled with pain, confusion and an eventual medical emergency.

This is her story:

June 30: Pelham and her family gather for a cook-out at her home. Before guests arrived, her husband made sure to clean the grill with their trusted wire brush. Pelham requests a charred hot dog, which her husband cooked directly on the grill.

After just one bite, Pelham feels a searing pain on the left side of her throat, coupled with difficulty swallowing and speaking. In a panic, her husband performs the Heimlich maneuver, and she begins to breathe normally. 

LISTEN UP: Add the new Michigan Medicine News Break to your Alexa-enabled device, or subscribe to our daily updates on iTunes, Google Play and Stitcher

However, her pain continues, and they head to the local hospital's emergency room. While there, the doctor scopes Pelham's throat and finds nothing. A CT scan is then scheduled for July 9.

July 5: At 2 a.m., Pelham wakes up in a panic, hardly able to breathe or swallow. She notices that her night shirt is soaked in saliva and assumes she couldn't swallow as she slept. After moving herself to a nearby recliner, she eventually falls back asleep.

Three hours later, she wakes up again, gasping for breath in a cold sweat. At 8 a.m., she heads to a nearby urgent care clinic, where the doctor gives her a steroid shot. Once Pelham fully recovers her abilities to breathe, swallow and talk, the doctor orders X-rays that reveal a metal wire lodged in the left side of her throat.

Both Pelham and her husband deduce that the wire must be a bristle from their grill brush.

July 9: Pelham returns to the hospital for her CT scan and is immediately referred to an otolaryngologist in a nearby city. When she arrives, they scope her nose and schedule a more invasive surgery for later that evening.

During the surgery, the doctor finds nothing.

August – November: Pelham continues to go back to her local hospital for regular steroid shots to help her breathe normally, and she is eventually referred to Michigan Medicine's Department of Otolaryngology.

A scan of the metal grill brush bristle embedded in Linda Pelham's throat.

Brain Kilbarger, PA-C, a physician assistant, initially sees the patient and orders X-rays, which reveal a wire bristle deeply embedded in her throat. Kilbarger consults with Mark Prince, M.D., professor and chair of the department, who meets with Pelham and orders another set of X-rays. Each time, the scans show that the wire bristle is on the move, traveling from one side of her throat to the other.

MORE FROM MICHIGAN: Sign up for our weekly newsletter

Prince informs her that an incision will have to be made in order to extract the wire, but it'll be risky. Both the jugular and carotid arteries are very close to where it is lodged.

December: After a new set of X-rays, it's determined that the wire has moved once again. This time, however, it is located in the back of Pelham's throat. After a lengthy surgery, Prince and his team carefully remove it, with no harm done to her arteries.   

Both she and her husband rejoice that her pain will finally come to an end.

The journey ahead

After six months of agony and distress, Pelham now passionately encourages others to practice grill safety when barbecuing. 

Linda Pelham with her husband, Chuck

"I can't stress how important it is to use brushes with plastic or other non-metal bristles when cleaning your grill," says Pelham. "When we found out that there was a wire in my throat, my husband swiped a magnet over our grill and picked up an additional 30-40 wire bristles, previously unseen by the naked eye – it was alarming."

She also adds that without Prince and his team, she might still be suffering.

"I'm so proud of the work they do at Michigan Medicine, and I'm forever grateful for Dr. Prince and his expertise, dedication and care," says Pelham.

As for Prince, his main takeaway is that patient persistence matters when something doesn't quite feel right.

"I was glad that Linda kept seeking answers to her problem," says Prince. "Wire bristles from barbecue cleaning brushes are often very difficult to identify visually or by radiology exams, often resulting in the need for multiple examinations until someone sorts out what is happening – I'm proud of Linda for being persistent about her care."

To learn more about safety tips for your next barbecue or picnic, click here.  


More Articles About: Wellness & Prevention Otolaryngology — Head and Neck Conditions Urgent Care Emergency & Trauma Care
Health Lab word mark overlaying blue cells
Health Lab

Explore a variety of healthcare news & stories by visiting the Health Lab home page for more articles.

Media Contact Public Relations

Department of Communication at Michigan Medicine

[email protected]

734-764-2220

Stay Informed

Want top health & research news weekly? Sign up for Health Lab’s newsletters today!

Subscribe
Featured News & Stories woman older with provider
Health Lab
Should older adults, with fewer years to live, keep getting cancer screenings?
Cancer screening guidelines increasingly factor in how long a person has left to live, to guide whether to continue or stop screening. A new poll explores older adults’ attitudes toward this approach.
watch on hand
Health Lab
Tailored text messages not enough to improve mobility after heart issues
A Michigan Medicine report shows that adding a mobile health application to such devices yields mixed results. Tailored text messages to encourage high-risk people to move more may improve some short-term outcomes but doesn’t always improve physical activity levels for everyone.
bacteria black background yellow cell
Health Lab
The surprising origin of a deadly hospital infection
Surprising findings from a Michigan Medicine study in Nature Medicine suggest that the burden of C. diff infection may be less a matter of hospital transmission and more a result of characteristics associated with the patients themselves.
lungs
Health Lab
Pulmonary embolism deaths, disparities high despite advancements in care
Despite these innovations, a Michigan Medicine study finds that the death rate for pulmonary embolism remains high and unchanged in recent years – more often killing men, Black patients and those from rural areas. The results are published in the Annals of the American Thoracic Society.
map green teal
Health Lab
As Medicaid ‘unwinding’ continues, Michigan report provides key insights
Medicaid expansion’s impact on low-income Michigan residents included reduced uninsurance, increased primary and preventive care, and better financial health.
hospital staff emergency room patient rush
Health Lab
Nearly three-quarters of stroke patients requiring higher level of care wait over two hours for transfer
More than 70% of people experiencing a stroke who require a transfer wait longer than two hours to be transferred from the initial emergency department to hospitals with higher levels of care to receive time-sensitive care, a study finds.