Hmmmm........Sudsy!

I had a few glasses to wash this evening, so rather than fill the sink, I just squeezed a drop or two of anti bacterial dish washing liquid into each one, and then proceeded to wash them individually. In the middle of this process, I remembered that I hadn't taken my daily glass of Metamucil (ground psyllium seed), so I stopped and got the jar of Metamucil out of the cupboard, and grabbed a glass. I put a rounded teaspoon of Metamucil in the glass, and filled it with about 10 ounces of water, and stirred it up. It's orange flavored, but a bit thick, so the best way to drink it is to turn the glass up, and just pour it down the hatch. About 3/4 of the way through, I realized that it didn't taste quite right. "This tastes kind of soapy", I thought. Then it struck me! I had grabbed one of the glasses I just put detergent in! My next thought was, "I just drank eight ounces of soapy water, this can't be good!" I grabbed the bottle of liquid detergent, and read the label on the back. I saw where it contained about 20 different chemicals, with names I can't even pronounce, and then this:

Warning
For external use only
-------------------------
Keep out of reach of children. If swallowed, get medical help, or contact a poison control center immediately.

I live forty five miles out of town! How was I going to medical help immediately? Panic set in! I ran to the bathroom and tried to induce vomiting, by sticking my finger down my throat. When I was young and drank too much, I often used to do that, and then drink a big glass of water before going to bed. It never failed to induce vomiting, but this time nothing happened. "Maybe I'm not sticking my finger down deep enough" I thought, so deeper I went, probing my throat until I could fee the remnants of my long gone tonsils. Still, nothing! Now I really began to panic! What kind of horrible death was I going to suffer? How could I have been such a fool, as to pour this hemlock down my own throat?

I ran to the computer, and looked up the number for the poison control center in Richmond. After a couple of misdirected Google searches, I found it, and dialed the number. A guy answered and ask how he could help me. "I think I accidentally swallowed some dish washing detergent, while drinking some Metamucil", I said. I told him how I was washing some glasses and inadvertently used a glass I had put detergent in. "How much detergent was in it?" he asked, and I said just a drop or two, and he asked, "How much water did you drink with the Metamucil?" "About eight ounces" I said. Then I told him I tried to induce vomiting, but he said "You don't want to do that. You already gave yourself the antidote. With detergent all we recommend doing is diluting it." "Don't worry" he said, "you haven't poisoned yourself. My name is Ben, if you start to feel nauseated, call me back." Relieved, I thanked him and hung up the phone.

That was about 3 hours ago. Supper tonight had a slight soapy flavor, and there has been a lingering taste of detergent on my tongue, but other than that, everything seems be fine. I'm waiting to see what my morning trip to the toilet is going to be like. I've never given myself an enema, by mouth before!

Melissa (strangely feeling all clean inside)