A couple were left mortified when they found their five-year-old son eating chewing gum.
The boy consumed an entire packet of sugar-free gum which contained roughly 40 pieces, swallowing each one.
His parents called the poison hotline but were told to monitor his condition.
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Then six hours later, the youngster started experiencing stomach cramps, diarrhoea and was in serious pain.
According to a case study from JEM Reports, the boy was rushed to hospital.
Doctors began searching for "bezoars", which are also known as indigestible foreign objects often swallowed by children.
The medical team, led by Dr Chizite Iheonunekwu from Cleveland Clinic Akron General, performed CT scans on his stomach and pelvis.
This is when they discovered a large mass within his stomach.
He spent two days in the hospital while doctors discussed the best way to remove the mass.
Knowing the child had been "eating a large amount of chewing gum", they decided to perform an esophagoduodenoscopy (EGD).
The pieces of chewing gum had reportedly blocked 25% of his stomach and gastrointestinal tract.
Doctors placed a metal tube down the child's throat and removed the chewing gum from his tummy.
It took "several passes" of the EGD to get it all out and he "complained of a sore throat" before being sent home.
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There is a misconception that chewing gum stays in your stomach for seven years.
But it actually passes through your system and leaves the body within a few days.
Dietician Beth Czerwony to Cleveland Clinic said: "If you've swallowed a piece of gum, it'll come out about 40 years later in your stool.
"If you do this every day, or multiple times a day, it can cause an intestinal blockage.
"A blockage isn't going to clear itself. Left untreated, it can cause a rupture of the gastrointestinal tract."
Chewing gum is commonly made from a synthetic gum base, meaning it has no nutritional value for the body.
She concluded: "Gum base isn't able to be digested, so it just stays in your guts all the way through and doesn't break down."
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