DW: This is why I have no piercings below the belt.
A 26-year-old Mexican woman went to the doctor about a month-long cough only to discover the cause was her own septum nose piercing, which she had inhaled in her sleep without realizing it. Monica Deyanira Cabrera Barajas’s best theory is that a metal stopper fell off while she was sleeping on her back, letting the ring slip into her throat and down into her lungs. Doctors told her the circular metal barbell was just half a millimeter from her aorta, prompting emergency surgery.
The first procedure took almost 90 minutes and failed to remove the piercing, as it had become attached to tissue. A second, more complicated surgery eventually succeeded. Doctors told her she was extremely lucky to be alive, as a puncture to her lung or aorta could have been fatal. She posted about the experience on TikTok, where the video received millions of views. She said she loves piercings but will not get a septum piercing again.
Source: Oddity Central