We've been home from our travels for almost 72 hours, and we've already had a trip to urgent care. The doctor says this is a coin. Stow claims it's a key. Whatever it is, he managed to drop it from his fingers, into his open mouth, and down his throat while he was lying on the ground as I changed him for bed. I didn't realize he had anything in his hands until he gagged and jumped up. I guess the good news is that once something inadvertently swallowed has reached the stomach, there's usually smooth sailing. The less good news is that, to make sure it passes safely, somebody gets to be on poop inspection duty (or should I say "doody"?) for the next one to three days until it comes through. Ren seems bored. I'll let him do it.
But, seriously, this little trip to urgent care reminds me to remind you to be vigilant about your button batteries--you know the ones you use in watches and Hex Bugs. Unlike the gem currently resting in Stow's digestive track, button batteries, when swallowed, can burn a hole into the esophagus and cause life-threatening injury very quickly. When we were in Japan, we saw a news program demonstrate how fast this can happen by placing a battery on a piece of cut hot dog. Within minutes, it had burrowed deep down and out of sight. The nurse tonight said she's seen cases where the kids told their parents what had happened right away, and "They still had a bad outcome." So, here's my PSA: Make sure that your older kids understand the risk and that your younger ones can't accidentally get their hands on a button battery. After all, as our evening adventure proves, it really is pretty easily for kids to swallow things they shouldn't.
Can I post pictures on here? Because I've got an x-ray showing a swallowed coax cable end. Experts were consulted before it was decided he would pass it just fine. Minimal poo-searching was required due to its size.
ReplyDeleteAlso, they each, one day apart, swallowed a ball bearing (from a marble-like game) and my mother-in-law got the joy of looking for those while I was at work. Clearly I did not pay her enough.