So my husband made me a protein shake – with a vegan base, cherry juice, almond milk, and blackberries.  If you drink 5 cups of liquid before 11:00 a.m., you are basically ensuring that you will be well hydrated for the day ahead.

I drank a glass, and then went for a second.  I felt the plastic in my mouth.  I took it out and realized that a silica gel pack must have dropped from the vega-based protein into the blender and was now on its way down to my stomach.

I panicked.  I called the 24-hour nurse hotline on my insurance card.  The nurse was not definitive.  She couldn’t tell me if I was ok or not.  She told me to call 911 and have the paramedics check me out.  The packet I showed them said:  “Do not eat” but also  “Contains a Harmless Substance.”  Phil was screaming :  “Don’t let them take you to the hospital.  It will be 6-8 hours before they let you go.”  And no one was telling me if what I swallowed is harmless or poisonous!

Phil got in touch with my daughter who Gooogled it up.  “What happens if you ingest silica pack?”  and the answer:  “ABSOLUTELY NOTHING.”  By that time, the paramedics had gotten in touch with Poison Control and they confirmed I did not need to go to the hospital.

Would you want to grow old with a man that doesn’t notice a silica packet dropping into the blender?