Popcorn Gets Stuck In Man’s Teeth And Sends Him Straight To ER For Major Heart Surgery

Who doesn’t love munching on popcorn, especially while chilling out with friends or binge-watching Netflix? I don’t know about you, but the first thing I do is pop a bag in the microwave whenever it’s time for Netflix and chill. We know that plain popcorn is good for you, in fact, according to MedicalNewsToday, plain popcorn contains all the fiber, vitamins and minerals your body needs to function. On the other side, popcorn sent a father of three from Coverack in Cornwall straight to the ER where he underwent major open-heart surgery. What gives?

Meet 41-year-old firefighter Adam Martin who was enjoying a handful of popcorn while watching a movie with his wife, Helen, when one tiny husk got stuck between his teeth. We’ve all been there and most of us know just how annoying that situation is. Usually, we swish our tongue, poke our teeth with our fingers, brush our teeth and swirl huge amounts of mouthwash just to get that stray kernel out because it just doesn’t feel right. Well, Martin was no different. Like most of us, he absolutely hated the feeling of having popcorn stuck between his teeth.

So after three days of kernel-agony, he picked his teeth with a pen lid, a toothpick, a piece of wire and a metal nail in an attempt to get the stuck popcorn out. He was able to remove the husk but what he didn’t know is that he had given himself a gum infection that spread to his heart that left him fighting for his life. A week after he had picked his teeth with DIY dentistry objects, he started experiencing night sweats, fatigue, headaches… and a heart murmur – all pointing to the fact that he had developed an infection. On October 7^th, 2019, Martin went to see a doctor who asked prescribed some blood tests and x-rays, but none were able to point out what Martin was really going through.

Martin went home with some medicines to help him recover, but a few days later, he developed flu-like symptoms as well as a blood blister on his toe. On the 18^th of October, a worried Martin went straight to the Royal Cornwall Hospital where he received a horrifying diagnosis – he had developed endocarditis and the blood blister on his toe turned out to be a Janeway lesion. For those who’re not aware, endocarditis is caused when bacteria spreads in the body through the bloodstream. The condition enlarges the heart causing serious damage to the valves. Martin’s severe aches and pains in his legs turned out to be an infected clot in his femoral artery which was cleared out after an exhaustive five-hour operation.

While he was recovering from his femoral artery surgery he received another blow – his heart was severely damaged and he needed to go for another emergency surgery. On the 21^st of October Martin was transported to the Derriford Hospital in Plymouth, approximately 130km from his home, where he underwent a seven-hour surgery to replace his heart’s aortic valve and repair the mitral valve. At the end of October, after the surgeries were successfully completed, a recovered Martin returned home to his wife and three kids – Megan, Holly, and George. Martin stated that had he visited the dentist instead of picking his teeth with foreign objects, he would have avoided the entire ordeal. Martin has vowed that, no matter how enticing the situation, he will never eat popcorn ever again, after what happened.