When Annie and her (then) 12 year-old-son Henry began their 'excellent adventure idea' to the remote Flinders Ranges, they had a clear plan in place. With plenty of food and water and with their trusty swags on board, they envisaged a long but exciting road trip from their rural home in Barham NSW to the edge of South Australia's magnificent outback. But after an unexpected detour to a remote homestead on their first night, their hopes of enjoying an early pub meal and a good night's sleep at Parachilna's Prairie Hotel on day two of their trip soon evaporated. Embracing her adventurous spirit, Annie had decided to savour some local cuisine - in the form of a slow cooked harissa goat with zesty lemon and quince pearl couscous. She admired her plate and took her first bite. And that was the moment that Annie 'got a goat stuck in her throat!'
In this jaw dropping episode #113 of the Flying Doctor podcast, Annie recalls that shortly after taking her first mouthful of goat, she realised the lump of meat was tougher and larger than she'd expected. Fighting the instinct to spit the meat out, she tried to discreetly swallow the goat instead. Which is when things started to go wrong. The lump of meat became firmly lodged in the base of Annie's throat - a scenario that is medically referred to as an esophageal obstruction. Quietly excusing herself, Annie had no luck removing the firmly lodged piece of meat from her throat. The goat simply wasn't going anywhere! After phoning a nurse practitioner friend, Annie was told that the Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS) was quite possibly her only option - as the obstruction would most likely need to be removed under a general anesthetic. Thanks to the kindness of strangers, Annie was taken to the closest hospital at Leigh Creek, where the Doctor on call contacted the RFDS, to arrange for her to be taken to either Adelaide or Port Augusta for treatment. Unable to properly swallow or consume any food or liquids by mouth, Annie then spent a sleepless night in a hospital bed and on a drip.
Incredibly, Annie was not the only esophageal obstruction that RFDS staff faced on their shift that day. After learning that her plane had been diverted to another patient at William Creek, Annie began to worry that her condition would seem 'silly and superficial' compared to any 'real RFDS emergency'. But as she was loaded onto the RFDS aircraft, she quickly learned that the young man in the other stretcher was a local pilot, who also had a piece of meat stuck in HIS throat. The RFDS nurse on duty confirmed that the odds of treating two esophageal obstructions even in a year, let alone on one aircraft in one day, were truly astounding. Fortunately, with no further complications experienced by either patient, Annie (and her fellow RFDS passenger) were safely transported to Port Augusta, where she underwent a simple surgical procedure to remove the goat from her throat. So what is Annie's advice to any fellow outback travelers? It's never too rude to spit in public if your life is on the line! And whatever happens, just keep chewing!
