Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Lactobacillus acidophilus : a cautionary tale

that's the name of the good bacteria that's supposed to promote healthy bowels & is one of the "probiotics", a group of organisms used for medicinal purposes. this is commonly found in cultured drinks that's advertised extensively & is widely available in most supermarkets.

and kids just love them. i myself find it's just too sweet for good health but i digress.

today, we had a 4-year-old girl in hospital just from drinking that. no, the bacteria didn't cause her harm but the straw did. did you notice that the straws that come with these bottles of cultured milk are much stiffer, in order that they may pierce thru the foil-top? this poor girl was enjoying her drink when she tripped & fell, causing the straw (the blunt end) to pierce thru the inside of her mouth.

the puncture wound had to be surgically stitched up. & it will be the most expensive bottle of lactobacillus cultured drink anyone ever bought!

so, parents, warn your kids NEVER run, hop or skip, even with plastic utensils in their mouths!

24 comments:

Unicorn Girl said...

I never knew that - the danger of straws.
On another note - the title of the of your post sounds more like a purple monster......yeay - purple monster :) peculiar ???

house-tai said...

Having a 4 y/o girl myself, reading your post made me covered my mouth in horror. THANKS FOR THE REMINDER!!!!

Reanaclaire said...

Accidents do happened by anything, right?

Jean said...

even i could hurt myself with the stiff straw. lol

My recent post:
Malacca Hainanese Chicken Rice Ball

Yvonne Foong said...

Wow! Luckily, I wasn't a jumpy kid!

doc said...

UG,

how does the title sound like a purple monster?

doc said...

House-tai,

community service.

doc said...

Claire,

just another activity to exercise caution.

doc said...

Jean,

yes, if you're not careful!

doc said...

Yvonne,

actually it must be rare & it's just a series of unfortunate steps that led to the injury.

Medie007 said...

ouch.. that sounds painful...

Unknown said...

phew....good thing they sell yakult minus the straw here. i knew a filipino who got blinded by drinking coffee. he was a bit tipsy, and went to order a glass of coffee from a roadside stall. he didn't realize there was a long thin spoon in the glass and the spoon poked right into one of his eyes as he was attempting to drink it. so i now tell people that drinking coffee can blind them ;)

doc said...

Medie,

not only painful but expensive as well!

doc said...

Hana,

thanks for your comment.

that would then be the most expensive glass of coffee in the world!

read the most expensive fish in the world here:
http://doc1s1n.blogspot.com/2007/07/most-expensive-fish-in-world.html

Hello Kitty said...

Thank God it was not fatal, and her mum found out in time, right?

Reminds me of what my mum used to tell me - don't jump and run about when you are eating or drinking. Mothers are always right.

Anonymous said...

Now that you mentioned, I realize those stiff straws could potentially be dangerous.

doc said...

Kitty,

the girl was in pain & bleeding from the mouth - that's how the parents found out.

yeah, always listen to mother's advice!

doc said...

MT,

i also didn't realise that till this girl's injury.

zewt said...

no kidding... sounds like some greys anatomy series or something.

doc said...

Zewt,

not that dramatic but no less a cautionary tale。

Adino said...

That's my worse fear come true! My daughter loves to hold the straw in her mouth even after finishing the drink, and run around.

Maybe next time I will replace with a regular stray, or pour the drink in her sippy cup.

doc said...

Adino,

yes, if she persists with the straw-in-the-mouth stunt, better change to the regular soft straw.

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