When you’re celebrating your birthday, it’s completely normal to get a little crazy. But you have to feel sorry for Gaby Scanlon, a British teenager, who ended her 18th birthday night with an emergency operation to remove her stomach. What? It’s because she drank a cocktail that contained liquid nitrogen.
As most people know, liquid nitrogen is so cold it burns. If ingested, it can cause severe internal damage. But a few bars use liquid nitrogen in their cocktails to flash-freeze drinks and/or add a cloud of vapour around the glass. It’s cool, but not so cool when it puts you in hospital.
According to The Guardian, Gaby Scanlon began to feel sick during the night of her birthday after drinking a Jagermeister drink made with liquid nitrogen, “becoming breathless and developing severe stomach pain”. Gaby was diagnosed with a “perforated stomach” and the police said her condition actually could have been fatal if the doctors didn’t operate immediately. Removing her stomach saved her life.
But, uh, how does a person live without a stomach? The BBC explains that people without a stomach can still eat and drink normal food, but they just have to watch their portions and take vitamin supplements. Hopefully Gaby can make a full recovery. For the rest of us, make sure any food or drink you eat that uses liquid nitrogen is properly prepared! [The Guardian, BBC]