A woman who had a marigold seed painfully lodged in her cheek shared images of the shocking moment it finally came out of her salivary gland after three weeks.
Alexa Hendricks, 22, of Kentucky, went viral on Tik Tok after detailing how the particle ended up embedded on the inside of her cheek while eating a salad topped with edible flowers at Ruby’s in New York City earlier this month.
The influencer, who has more than 231,000 followers, published her first story about the ‘crisis’ on March 5, just days after eating at the restaurant.
“If you look closely, you can see that there are little flowers with similar stems,” he explained after showing a picture of his food.
Alexa Hendricks, 22, of Kentucky, had a flower seed lodged inside her cheek for three weeks before it popped out while she was in the car with her boyfriend.
The influencer explained in her TikTok video that she was eating an apple when her jaw started to hurt. She could feel her seed moving down as she pushed the outside of her cheek.
The horrific pictures showed how the sharp seed slowly came out of his cheek.
‘So I was eating the salad, and I was almost done. I had a few more bites left. Suddenly I felt this sting on my cheek inside my mouth.
Hendricks said he used his tongue to feel the inside of her cheek and could feel something sharp sticking out. When he went to feel it with his finger, he dug deeper into her cheek.
She went into the bathroom fearing that she was having an allergic reaction because her cheek was swollen.
Hendricks included a photo of the inside of her mouth, saying, “You can see there’s literally something on the side of my cheek.”
She noted that it hurt to eat or open her mouth wide, and said she couldn’t sleep on that side of her face because of the pain.
After an uncomfortable few days, she went to see a dentist, who was unable to feel or see anything during her exam. Perplexed, she referred her to an oral surgeon.
‘Oh! I just took it out,’ she told her boyfriend while filming the moment. ‘Oh Lord. That’s been on my cheek. I told you there was something in there! i knew it bro
The now viral video has been viewed more than 4.5 million times.
The doctor was also unable to find anything on her cheek and suggested that it was possible her cheek was swollen from the trauma of the puncture. He prescribed a mouthwash and ibuprofen for the pain.
‘Another update on my cheek situation. It has moved back to my ear, so when I’m chewing, I feel a little bit of pain and like it’s pinching my ear,” she said on March 10.
I realized this last night at dinner and then at every meal I had today. Maybe it’s dating?
Hendricks later admitted that she skipped her follow-up appointment with the oral surgeon to go to the beach with her boyfriend, Samuel.
He said the swelling had gone down and he began to doubt that he had something inside his cheek.
TikTok users kept asking for updates, but she had nothing new to share until March 22, when the marigold seed spilled from her cheek while she was in the car with her boyfriend.
Hendricks first spoke about his “breakdown” in a clip that was posted on March 5.
He explained that he was eating a salad with edible flowers at Ruby’s restaurant in New York City when he felt something prick the inside of his mouth.
Hendricks went into the restaurant’s bathroom fearing an allergic reaction because his cheek was swollen.
“This literally came out of my cheek,” she said, holding up the seed for the camera.
Hendricks explained that he was eating an apple when his jaw suddenly began to ache.
When he pushed down on the outside of her cheek, she could feel the seed move until it was finally out of her parotid gland.
‘Oh! I just took it out,’ she told her boyfriend while filming the moment. ‘Oh Lord. That’s been on my cheek. I told you there was something in there! I knew it, brother.
The video has been viewed more than 4.5 million times and more than 1,600 people shared their thoughts in the comments.
“God the relief must be amazing,” wrote one person.
I’m so glad it worked! added another. I hope you saved it to show the restaurant. You deserve some kind of compensation.
Hendricks shared a photo of herself smiling to show how the side of her cheek had become swollen.
He went to see a dentist and an oral surgeon, but neither of them could see or feel the seed.
Hendricks said he began to doubt he had something inside his cheek until the seed came out while he was in the car.
Hendricks added that the restaurant is paying for his medical bills, saying, “They’re really on top of things and wanted to make things right.”
“You don’t understand how satisfying this is for us,” someone else shared.
People also had a lot of questions for Hendricks, who defended his dentist and doctor, saying they believed him but couldn’t locate the seed.
She also shared that she had talked to someone at the restaurant about the edible flower because she didn’t want the same thing to happen to someone else.
Hendricks recalled how the staff member apologized profusely, but she assured him it was a “freak accident.”
She added that the restaurant is paying for her medical bills, and they’ve also offered her free merchandise and brunch with friends the next time she’s in town.
“They’re really on top of things and they wanted to make things right, so I was very grateful for that,” she said.
And their food was amazing, like I said in my previous videos, so I’m really excited to be back. I’m just not going to get anything with edible flowers if that’s an option.