A woman has revealed that she accidentally swallowed her AirPod while distractedly talking to a friend because she mistook it for a vitamin.
Tanna Barker, a 52-year-old realtor from Utah, went viral on TikTok when she shared the “embarassing” story of how she ate one of her AirPods. Now, many viewers have sent her advice as she waits for the wireless headphone to naturally pass.
“Okay, I’m gonna be very vulnerable right now,” she began the video, which has been viewed more than 2.7m times since it was posted on Saturday 9 September. “I had a situation happen this morning that I’m still dealing with.”
Barker explained that she was on her morning walk when she ran into her friend, Kathleen, who she hasn’t seen in quite some time. “She was filling me in on her life and it’s been very, very busy and full and a lot went on, actually,” she said.
However, Barker couldn’t hold back her laughter as she recounted: “Halfway through my walk, I decided to take my vitamins. So I put my vitamins in, took a drink and I was like: ‘Man, those are stuck.’”
She then “guzzled” her water to wash the vitamin down, said goodbye to her friend, and kept going on her walk. But when she went to reach for one of her AirPods, she realised it was nowhere it be found.
“My pills were in my hand. I swallowed my AirPod,” Barker said, laughing.
Much like anyone would do in Barker’s situation, she quickly called friends and professionals in the medical field who “all suggested the same thing” - to let the AirPod pass naturally. “I don’t know if anyone has ever done that, it’s embarrassing, but I did it and we’ll see what happens. I’m gonna follow the advice of professionals,” she added.
Despite swallowing her one AirPod, Barker pointed out that there’s still a “bonus” to the unfortunate situation: “I still have my right AirPod.”
@tannasellsutah?OH MY GOOOOOOOSH!!!! You have to watch this! So embarrassing!!! #istillcantbelieveit #whatinthelivingheck #thistooshallpass #whatthe #iamshook #getoutofmybelly
♬ original sound - IamNanaTannaShe captioned her TikTok video with the hashtags: #istillcantbelieveit, #whatinthelivingheck, #thistooshallpass, #whatthe, #iamshook, and #getoutofmybelly.
Barker’s viral video has since received thousands of comments from TikTok users, a majority of them mostly curious whether the AirPod was still working inside Barker’s body and if she can hear music from her stomach.
“The first thing I’d do is play music and see if I can hear it from my stomach,” one person commented.
“Play music really loud so you can track its progress,” another user joked.
“I’d literally have a panic attack knowing an AirPod is in me,” said someone else. “Not knowing what will happen, possibly blowing up.”
@tannasellsutahPart 2…take 2…#2
♬ original sound - IamNanaTannaIn a follow-up video, Barker revealed that it was actually her husband’s AirPod that she swallowed, but he’s maintained a positive outlook on the situation. She recently told her husband that she was going grocery shopping and he asked how long she’ll be out, before telling Barker: “Oh, never mind. I could track you.”
Many Apple users are aware that wireless AirPods are able to be tracked on the iPhone’s Find My Devices feature. When one TikToker asked Barker if she’s tried locating the AirPod with the tracking device to see if it still worked, she revealed that the app signaled her AirPods were in her stomach. “We did ‘Find My’ AirPod yesterday and it worked! Today, I think the battery is dead,” Barker replied.
Speaking to Insider, Barker explained that she was told by medical professionals to let it pass naturally, and that it shouldn’t cause any harm because the battery is encased in the AirPod.
@tannasellsutahPTAS - Post Traumatic AirPod Stress #ptas #thistooshallpass #shareyourshine #findhumorinlife #iammworthy #airpodsareforears #whatinthelivingheck #getoutofmybelly
♬ original sound - IamNanaTanna“One of them asked if I had swallowed both [AirPods] and I said no. And he said: ‘Well, that’s good because it has the magnet in it and that could have caused an issue,’” she told the outlet. Another doctor suggested that she go to the emergency room if she runs a fever, or her “stomach gets hard” and she’s nauseous.
“I just have to find humour in my life,” Barker told Insider. “And so that’s kind of a default, thank goodness.”
The saga finally came to a close when Barker updated her followers on her recent bowel movements. “When I first posted my post, one of the hashtags was #ThisTooShallPass… and it has,” she said in a video posted on Monday.
@tannasellsutah?Take✌?with Tanna‼️? Wait for it… #thistooshallpass #take2withtanna #iammworthy #shareyourshine #findhumorinlife #airpodsareforears #whatinthelivingheck #ipood #yoursoulisbeautiful #selffull #youarebright
♬ original sound - IamNanaTannaBarker also patted herself on the back for maintaining a positive attitude about the AirPod debacle, and thanked her newfound fans for joining her on the ride.
“Oh my goodness, it has been such an amazing experience and such a wild ride, and I am so grateful that I have been able to protect my mindset,” she continued. “When things like this happen in my life - and this has been the most extreme for sure - but I have had experiences in my life where I’ve been able to have my mindset protected, and that I’ve been able to look at it with positivity and lightness. So I hope that I can continue to do that for you guys.”
The Independent has contacted Barker for comment.
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