They say soda is bad for you, but in one woman’s case, it was a lifesaver. A team of doctors in Massachusetts reported the unusual case of an elderly woman with a large bezoar — a hard, indigestible mass of foreign material — that was trapped in her stomach. The patient had been experiencing a burning pain in her upper abdomen and right side of her torso for about a month when she finally went to the doctor. She had tried two common over-the-counter medications for acid reflux, but neither had any effect. The woman had a history of Type 2 diabetes and had been taking a GLP-1 receptor similar to Ozempic. She had lost about 40 pounds in the last year, but her weight loss had accelerated in the last month or so, which gave doctors some idea about what might be causing her discomfort. Oddly enough, the doctors recommended drinking Diet Coke (diet because of her diabetes) because evidence has shown that the combination of acidity and carbonation works well at dissolving bezoars. The patient did as instructed and reported that she felt a “tugging” sensation in her stomach, after which her nausea and discomfort disappeared. A subsequent endoscopy confirmed that the bezoar had dissolved. Doctors say that this intervention is generally cost-effective and is associated with a lower risk of complications than invasive procedures.
