6.16.2011

Not so fun adventure...

The other day I let Cobin and Lucas have a penny each in the car because the idea of money fascinated them. Lucas brought his in after a long morning trip to the DMV to get a new driver's license. I started my video workout after Micah went down for a nap, and the big boys were playing in the same room with me. I knew Lucas still had the penny, but I didn't expect him to tell me he had just swallowed it(around 11 am.) It was clearly an accident (not that it was in the mouth, but that it had gone down) because he was upset and began to cry. He was breathing fine, so I didn't freak, but I called the ped. She said take him to the ER right away, just in case. Usually in these situations the coins will just pass through, but I was pretty sure it was in his throat because when I kept asking where it was, he kept pointing to his lower throat. We got to the nearest ER where he was asked to get an xray. Here's what it looked like:
The doc said that its rare for them to not go down, so he gave Lucas some juice to drink and then we waited a bit before the next xray to see for any progress. None. He said that it was only the 2nd case in 20 years where it didn't go down....and that it looked way too big to be a penny, it had to be a quarter. (I think I should know since I was there and there were no quarters or other coins available, but whatever doc) He was going to consult with the children's hospital at that point. They wanted to transport him by ambulance so he could get immediate treatment if it shifted in a bad way, and then they would remove it at the hospital. After several hours with all three kids in the ER, I finally got ahold of James and he came to get the other boys just in time for me to be able to ride with Lucas in the ambulance. He was super duper excited to ride in one, but halfway through fell asleep since he never got his nap. At the children's hospital, we got one more xray to verify it hadn't moved, and then called in an ENT. Lucas was given general anesthesia and then the cent was removed with some kind of scope and forceps. Afterwards he got popsicles and was happy. He only had breakfast and didn't get to eat anything until 9 at night. I am so grateful for hospitals and people who know how to help my children when I can't!!

3 comments:

Sharla said...

Oh man, I'm sorry, but I'm so glad all is well. I've had kids swallow them and yes, they have just passed through. Fun times. Especially when they should be old enough to not put things in their mouths ;/. Yay, for Dr.s!

The Kelly Family said...

I'm, so glad he's ok, it sounds like something Porter would do.

Rebecca said...

That sounds like something Ella would do. Oh man. I'm glad he's ok! What a crazy day for you guys!