My 12 Month Old Swallowed a Nickel!!!!

hi -
there was a previous post: http://www.mamapedia.com/questions/11444737045704998913

one of hte responses said " My daughter swallowed a penny. We did the xray thing too. It was in her stomach. The pediatrican called a pediatric gastroenterologist and he said it could take any where from a few days up to 2 months for the penny to pass. It came out 10 days later. I too did the bowel movement checks. It came out just fine. "

obviously keep your eye out for any medical complications and contact the doctor if you are worried

Good luck

Hi K.,

I had a kid that swallowed everything. Please double check this with your doctor but I was told by the ER nurse and ER doctor that once it is in the intestinal tract all is well. I don't want to panic you so breathe, but the issue that the ER doctor had was that if it was thrown up out of the stomach for any reason it could possibly block an airway. Just keep an eye on her. It's been there a week. I doubt anything unusual will happen.

I don't see why she wouldn't be able to pass it. Even tiny babies can make a big "poop." Seriously, it should pass fine. I'll be praying for your nerves. I understand completely how waiting can be!

God bless,

M.

A nickel is pretty big. if it is still there I would think that it would be removed via endoscope vs surgery. But it also depends on the location, with the stomach being the best place for the scope to reach.

IF it stays there she can get nickel toxicity that causes anemia. I am not sure how long that will take to occur.

I have seen it happen in dogs. Our physiology is not much different than dogs in that respect.

My cousin used to swallow everything. She is in her 40's now and I bet she still has stuff in her stomach. If the doctor says it's okay then I woudln't worry. But if you are worried get a second opinion. It should pass on it's own sooner or later. Also, is it possible that she passed it and you missed it? I remember when my cousin swallowed the quarter and my Aunt was sure she hadn't passed it but when they did the xray it was gone. I for sure would get a second opinion before I let some doctor remove it. Also 17 pounds really isn't that small for a year old that was 2 months early. My daughter was 11 days late and weighed 18 pounds at a year old.

My daughter swallowed a penny when she was a baby, and she did pass it after several days. Most of the time children are fine. They just want to keep an eye on it in case she doesn't pass it. Occasionally swallowed things can get stuck or turn in directions that do damage. But, don't freak out, most of the time they just pass.

Ahhh, what did the pediatrician say?

I would hesitate to have them take it out and suggest that waiting a while longer might be OK. I'd ask why they want to take it out at this time.

Info as a matter of interest. I escorted an adult to court on a civil commitment and learned that she had swallowed a razor blade and was refusing to let them take it out. The doctor testified that it would be best to remove it but it would probably not do any harm since it hadn't hurt her thus far. I saw the x-ray. It was in her stomach. The judge ordered her continued hold but allowed the razor blade to stay inside her. I was amazed and asked more questions. I learned that it is common for people mentally ill with a certain kind of illness (don't remember it's name) to swallow non-food things and to not be harmed at all by doing so. The hospital does monitor their progress with x-ray.

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Well I have good news and bad news. Yes kids swallow dimes and nickels and pass it normally. I knew a girl who swalled a little battery. That lead cannot be good for her. Anyway they all passed it without an issue. Nowmy cat swallows a dime and while its passing it gets stuck and blocks something and she wasnt keeping down food and pucking it all up and endup paying to have it surgically removed. If the doctor looked at it and is ok and monitoring its probably small enough to pass np. Just keep in contact with the doctor and watch for signs like her puking her food and not being able to keep it down or not going to the bathroom on schedule