Hi, everyone! My funny nearly 8 yr. old was "balancing a penny" on the tip of her tongue last night and accidentally swallowed it! My hubby got out his metal detector (odd, I know) and tracked it from her collar bone down to her ribs, which is where it still is this a.m. We just figured, "well, it'll pass".. no harm. However, this a.m., she is complaining about her stomach hurting to the point of tears.. it comes and goes. She LOVES school and isn't the type to fake the hurt.
So, I kept her home and have a call in for the Ped. to call me back. In the mean time, I researched it a bit and come to find out it's debatable as to whether it's a really serious thing or not. Just wondering how many of you have had this happen and the outcome? I ultimately will do what the Dr. says, but I was looking for any input you may have.
Thanks!
L.
Update: Well, the penny is in a location where she can safely pass it. So, it's a waiting game now. (whew) Her stomach illness is actually something that is "going around", as I learned, talking to a mom of a classmate. The doctor confirmed that the stomach achiness and (little bit of) vomiting had nothing to do with the penny. Was told to give her plenty of liquids and keep an eye on her.
Thank you all so much for your information, reassurances and advice. I wish every mom knew of this site! You guys are great.
L.
Although my son has not swallowed a penny, he has swallowed a tire from a car (rubber), I spent weeks looking through poo to find it. That's what the doctor said to do, so we knew not to panic.
Please let us know if she's ok!
I have a 7-year-old also and I know if she swallowed a penny she would be freaking out. She may be giving herself a stomach ache from worrying about the penny in there.
I swallowed a penny when I was little and it came out no problem.
Hello, I am a teacher and one of my students had swallowed a penny when he was 3 years old and the parents didn't know it. For 2 years he had lost his appetite, could not eat, developed asthma and became weak and sickely.
Finally through some discovery they found the penny had lodged itself in his esophagus. He had it operated on and removed. Over time his health improved.
I suppose the message is..take this seriously and get the penny out!
K. M.
Get her to the emergency room. If she throws it up it could lodge in her windpipe. My daughter swallowed the ball bearing from the Mousetrap game and it lodged at the esophageal valve. They may simply give her muscle relaxant to help it pass but you need to know where it is....
God bless..I'm praying!
M.
My friends daughter swallowed a dime. They waited a few days but...It stayed in her throat until the MD removed it with a "grabber" tool tht he put down her throat...
She was fine. Just a little sore.
Glad your doctor is involved.
I hope it moves on down and out soon.
xo!
Megan
Hello,
Obviously if you have any question about your daughter's health then a trip to the doctor is always gonna put your mind at rest. I was about her age when I was playing in the car and swallowed a quarter. My parents didn't take us to the doctor unless we were missing a body part (even with my kids unless they have a serious fever). However, every day they had my aunt check the "evacuations" to make sure it did pass. It finally did. I never got a tummy ache or anything but all kids is different. It could get lodged in the intestine or something so see the doc. Hope that helps at all.
R.
There are a few different problems that could occur that people have pretty much covered.
1. If it's an older penny it could cause some serious problems if it doesn't pass because of the metals that were used to make it.
2. It could get stuck in a really bad spot and cause an infection.
3. It could get vomited back up and get stuck in the throat/windpipe.
4. It could dislodge from where it is and get stuck somewhere in the intestines and cause problems in the digestive tract.
The fact that your daughter is feeling pain is a sign that the poor girl is going to need some kind of intervention, I think. I would get her to the ER, personally, and call your pediatrician back and let them know that you're on the way. If your insurance requires something formal to cover an ER trip, call Poison Control and they'll likely tell you the same thing IE. direct you to go to the ER. You can then tell them that at the ER and they'll log it (if you can't get a call back from the pediatrician right away this is especially important).
The one caution I would throw out that I know from years in working in veterinary medicine (dogs commonly swallow coins) and high school chemistry.We were always looking at X-rays to determine if they had swallowed any pennies. If the penny had any nicks in the copper coating (pennies after '82 are only 5% copper) the zinc inside the penny can be exposed. The HCl (hydrochloric acid) in stomach acid will dissolve all the zinc in the penny if it is exposed. So if the penny was fairly new with no knicks it is relatively inert (harmless). If it had any dents on the side that expose the interior, your daughter may ingest some zinc. Just make sure it passes because the zinc can make her feel ill.
I'm sure you've already seen or consulted your pediatrician by now, but my son did the same thing twice. The first time he was only 2, and being first time parents, freaked out when he was complaining of stomach pains the next morning. We took him to the ER after consulting our doctor who said that usually it passes on it's own, but if it gets stuck in the intestines, that's where problems could result. So, we took him in, and they took x-rays, and basically told us to go home and wait 2 days. So, 2 days later he had passed it, and we ended up with a very expensive keepsake which was the x-ray photo with the penny in his stomach. It was great for show-n-tell when he got to preschool and needed to bring something that started with the letter "X"! LOL
He did again about a year later, except this time it was a nickel! This time we just waited a few days before calling the doctor, and sure enough he passed that one too.
I hope everything goes ok, with no complications. I'm sure it will be ok. Good luck!
-A.
If I had a nickel for every penny my brothers got me to swallow when I was a kid! ;)
Most likely, it will pass on through without any complications. She might be scared and that makes her tummy hurt. I think I might freak out if my dad used a metal detector to track something inside of me! (I think it is too cute though!)
I would say that if you guys act as if it's no big deal, her tummy ache will go away. If it doesn't, of course see the doctor.He has probably seen tons of kids full of change!
I'm with the moms who say get her to a doctor if you haven't already. Whether is comes out in her poop or it comes out from a doctor you need to know that it is out. I agree with the moms who pointed out that if she vomits it could be lodged in the windpipe.
When my son was a baby he swallowed a penny and it was lodged in his esophagus. He had to have it surgically removed and they said the only thing keeping it from tipping over in his throat was that he had a feeding tube at the time that went in his nose and down his throat to his tummy. It was enough to scare me into taking CPR and first aid class!!!
ironically Lifesaver candies bear their name b/c the hole in the middle prevents loss of air if it gets lodged! :-)
It may depend on when the penny was made- some of the older ones have different metals in them. I would think in a kid as long as it passes through and seems like there should be room it would be fine. It sounds like you did the right thing and called the doctor to see what they are going to recommend. Hope she is feel better soon!
This story is not kid related, but I do know a small dog that was really sick, after tests, etc finally did surgery and found the penny ( it didn't show on the xray that was done for whatever reason). The penny in that case was an old one and the metal was causing the problem, full and quick recovery and the dog was right back to trying to get everyone with his teeth :)
Hello my grandson swallowed a penny His stomach didn't hurt. It took 2 day of checking his poop to make sure it came out. All is fine! D.(grandma)
A friend of mines daughter did this last year. The doc was fairly certain it would pass BUT they did an x-ray just to be safe. Apparently it can get stuck in the pocket of the stomach and cause a horrible infection. I would call your doc or make sure it comes out today. Darn kids ;)
As long as she didn't choke on it...It will pass!
My son swallows things he shouldn't. The doctor always seems to be more worried about him choking on it on the way down. Once its in his stomach, it will eventually leave "his system" I give him 3 tablespoons of mineral oil (sold in the laxative section of the drug store) mixed in with some juice. That seems to help things "pass". Ask your doctor.
I have memories of swallowing pennies myself and I'm fine today. But, the post about how the penny caused an infection in the stomach would be enough for me to get her checked out. I'm sure she'll be fine.
i used to swallow coins when i was young. not really sure why, but anyways, nothing ever happened to me. perfectly fine.
Neither of my kids ever did this, but a co-worker of mine was sitting at my desk when I opened this & she said her son swallowed a dime once & it came out without an issue. Like the other Mama said, it's most likely a case of your daughter making herself sick with worry over it.
It is only dangerous if it doesn't come out. You have to check the poop(gross I know). My husband REPEATEDLY swallowed all types of coins because his family did not believe in childproofing. It stopped only when the doctor threatened to call the cps on them.
It's lucky she didn't choke. Often pennies can get caught in the trachea, and if they land the right way, can cause suffocation because of their shape and size.
There is still a risk of the penny getting caught in the intestines, or causing tears, block or a rupture. While chances are slim, these scenarios are possibilities. Your best bet is to get into a doctor's office or er and get an x-ray to see what's going on.
As a kid (about 4 or 5) I swallowed a penny, and mom hung me upside down and literally shook it out of me. It did come flying out...don't ask me how. She had never heard of the Heimlich maneuver and this is all she could think to do. I guess we were lucky! I do remember it was painful when it was stuck in my throat...and with each breath it rattled around. I'm sure if it moved the right way, I could have choked.
It can be serious. My friends five year old swallowed a nickel. It took several days for it to pass. However she didn't have any discomfort. If you daughter does then it might be lodged somewhere. Def a good idea to get it checked out. They will take X Rays and you can see where it is.
My son did this when he was 18 months old. Chances are it will pass with no issues. However, doc will probably say she needs to come in for x-rays to make sure it did indeed go into her stomach. If it is not in her stomach, there could be several issues.
Also, they gave me some story about the lead base or some metal base in them prior to 1978 or 87 or something. Anyway, since I had no idea what year the penny was made, they strongly suggested the x-ray to make sure it was in the stomach and not able to release this metal internally. Sorry, I realize that is about as non-informative as it can be!
If it is in her stomach, it should pass in 2-3 days. My son passed his on the 3rd day. FYI, they did say if he did not pass it in 7 days, that we would need to come back in.
I've known peole who've swallowed more odd stuff - like an earring!!! It will pass - y our DD has a tummy ache today from thinking about it I bet. I think the mineral oil is a good idea - lubricate things to make it easier!
