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Re: Toddler Ate a Penny

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In a message dated 12/15/03 6:30:41 PM Eastern Standard Time,

wanitawa@... writes:

> One of my brothers did that a few times, younger and older. As long as they

> don't choke on it it always came out other end no problem.

My mom ate a penny when she was a kid and there was no problem.

Chris

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In a message dated 12/15/03 10:07:30 PM Eastern Standard Time,

gayle123456789@... writes:

> I wouldn't worry. Just be happy it wasn't a 50 cents piece. And if you

> can catch it on the way out, I'd bronze it! <grin>

I wonder if it will come out the other end with a picture of Mickey Mouse in

place of ol' Abe.

Chris

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>Hi everyone. My son, , age 2 1/2, just swallowed a penny. If any of

>you have experienced anything similiar with your children, and have any

>advice on what to give him to help it pass out, it would be extremely

>helpful. I am trying to be very calm right now, but the whole " watch him to

>see if he has convulsions " thing is stressing me out just a tad. Thanks to

>all in advance.

>

>Sincerely,

>

>Michele

One of my brothers did that a few times, younger and older. As long as they

don't choke on it it always came out other end no problem.

Wanita

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hopefully you take this in the jest it is and take no offense.

but now atleast your son is literally worth a " penny " :) hehe

_____

From: Wanita Sears [mailto:wanitawa@...]

Sent: Tuesday, 16 December 2003 9:23 AM

Subject: Re: Toddler Ate a Penny

>Hi everyone. My son, , age 2 1/2, just swallowed a penny. If any of

>you have experienced anything similiar with your children, and have any

>advice on what to give him to help it pass out, it would be extremely

>helpful. I am trying to be very calm right now, but the whole " watch him

to

>see if he has convulsions " thing is stressing me out just a tad. Thanks to

>all in advance.

>

>Sincerely,

>

>Michele

One of my brothers did that a few times, younger and older. As long as they

don't choke on it it always came out other end no problem.

Wanita

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>

> My mom ate a penny when she was a kid and there was no problem.

None other than getting _you_ back years later as " change " ! ;-)

But seriously Michele, nuts, seeds, beans and other legumes,

lobster, and crab are probably better sources of copper for

your baby than your change purse. :-)

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For future reference: Call poison control. They are a really

nice group and you can call them any time the kid ingests something

you aren't sure about. I called them when my daughter ate a raw

rhubarb stem ... I was always told they were toxic until cooked

and guess what? Cooking isn't what makes them non-toxic, the

stems are ok, the leaves are not.

Their number in WA was 1-800-732-6985, but I haven't called

for a long time. Sounds like you got some advice already though.

If a kid swallows something you REALLY want to get out of them

you can give them epecac, and it's worth keeping around

for emergencies.

For a definitive writup on penny swallowing, try:

http://ehpnet1.niehs.nih.gov/docs/1999/107-6/forum.html

In a presentation at the 84th annual meeting of the Radiological Society of

North America, held 29 November-4 December 1998, Sara M. O'Hara, an assistant

professor of pediatric radiology at Duke, and colleagues described the case of a

two-year-old boy who was brought to the emergency room complaining of

stomachache. Upon taking an initial X ray of the boy's abdomen, O'Hara spotted a

small, metal disc in his stomach. A follow-up X ray four days later indicated

that the item appeared to be dissolving.

Once the object was removed from the boy's stomach with an endoscope, it was

found to be a 1989 penny, riddled with holes. Intrigued, O'Hara and colleagues

Lane F. Donnelly, H. Briner, and S. Bissett of the Duke radiology

department and Emil M. Chuang of the Duke pediatrics department decided to

investigate what had happened to the penny.

O'Hara visited the U.S. Mint Web site to find out what pennies are made of. She

learned that pennies minted after 1982 are composed largely of zinc. O'Hara

checked with a staff chemist, who told her that the chemical reaction between

zinc and stomach acid (hydrochloric acid) is similar to that in wet cell

batteries and would likely be caustic to the stomach lining. Apparently, when

the penny became trapped in the boy's stomach, its zinc base reacted with

stomach acid to produce hydrogen gas and zinc chloride (a major ingredient in

the smoke from smoke bombs). According to O'Hara, this chemical reaction

dissolved the zinc base of the coin, creating holes in the coin and ulcerations

in the stomach lining. Other U.S. coins, which are made mostly of nickel, would

not be expected to present this problem.

Zinc is an important nutrient that aids in maintaining a healthy immune system

and promotes wound healing and reproductive health. Too much zinc can result in

ulcers, anemia, and damage to the kidneys, liver, and bone marrow. But it takes

much more than the recommended daily dose of 12-15 mg to cause adverse health

effects. Large doses of dietary zinc (120-150 mg) can cause stomach cramps,

nausea, and vomiting. Taking in high levels of zinc over several months may

cause anemia, pancreatic damage, and decreased levels of high-density

lipoprotein ( " good " ) cholesterol.

While one penny is not typically enough to cause such systemic damage in a

child, it can spell trouble for a pet. For children, the more likely danger

would be if the penny became lodged in the stomach, where it would effectively

act as a small blowtorch, eating away at the stomach lining. According to Dr.

O'Hara, coins rarely cause bowel obstruction, and there are no other known

problems associated with a coin lodged in the gut. The major hazard associated

with children swallowing coins is that the child might choke.

Children and pets who swallow pennies should be monitored to ensure the coin

passes. If it doesn't show up within two days or if the swallower starts having

stomach problems, the child or animal should be taken to the doctor immediately.

-- Heidi

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I am trying to be very calm right now, but the whole " watch him to

> see if he has convulsions " thing is stressing me out just a tad.

Thanks to

> all in advance.

I wouldn't worry. Just be happy it wasn't a 50 cents piece. And if you

can catch it on the way out, I'd bronze it! <grin>

Mom of 3, and ex-money swallower myself . . . from what my Mom told

me!

Gayle

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Thank you all for the humor(I needed it), and the advice/sympathy. I read

that pennies are now mostly made of zinc, and this can cause a battery acid

effect in the stomach. Man, I wish I had a metal detector.

take care...I'll keep you posted

Michele

>From: Heidi Schuppenhauer <heidis@...>

>Reply-

>

>Subject: Re: Toddler Ate a Penny

>Date: Mon, 15 Dec 2003 16:56:35 -0800

>

>

>Here is another one ... using a metal detector to see

>how quickly it is moving!

>

> http://www.aafp.org/afp/20030115/letters.html

>

>-- Heidi

>

>

_________________________________________________________________

Our best dial-up offer is back. Get MSN Dial-up Internet Service for 6

months @ $9.95/month now! http://join.msn.com/?page=dept/dialup

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You never ate a raw rhubarb stem dipped in sugar as a child, wow. :|

Kids in this part of Canada do, it's yummy.

Re: Toddler Ate a Penny

For future reference: Call poison control. They are a really

nice group and you can call them any time the kid ingests something

you aren't sure about. I called them when my daughter ate a raw

rhubarb stem ... I was always told they were toxic until cooked

and guess what? Cooking isn't what makes them non-toxic, the

stems are ok, the leaves are not.

Their number in WA was 1-800-732-6985,

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>

>You never ate a raw rhubarb stem dipped in sugar as a child, wow. :|

>Kids in this part of Canada do, it's yummy.

Really? I only heard of it from one woman and was afraid to

try it. We have 8 really big rhubarb plants but I don't

like " mushy " cooked stuff much. Maybe I should try

it raw ...

-- Heidi

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I ate three pennies just before I turned 3 and they all came thru in about 18

hours. Of course my mom spanked me right after I ate them so maybe that helped

them along, Ha-ha. We ate alot of non food items as kids, mainly because my

older brother wanted to see what happened. An I never ratted on him. Amy

Toddler Ate a Penny

Hi everyone. My son, , age 2 1/2, just swallowed a penny. If any of

you have experienced anything similiar with your children, and have any

advice on what to give him to help it pass out, it would be extremely

helpful. I am trying to be very calm right now, but the whole " watch him to

see if he has convulsions " thing is stressing me out just a tad. Thanks to

all in advance.

Sincerely,

Michele

_________________________________________________________________

Tired of slow downloads and busy signals? Get a high-speed Internet

connection! Comparison-shop your local high-speed providers here.

https://broadband.msn.com

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Well, he ate the penny just before 6pm last night, and it came out at 11 am,

right after he woke up. :) It was all corroded, and the color was like

gasoline on the street in the sunlight! I think that was because it took

three hours for us to get him to eat. He was really disgusted when he

watched me go through his log(like I wasn't!). When I put on the glove and

said I had to look for the penny he opened his mouth really big and pointed

down his throat! I found the penny, and he was looking at me all skeptical

like, that's the one I put in my mouth? I explained digestion to him and he

yelled OH! LOL. Thanks everyone for your support.

Sincerely,

Michele and -.01$

>From: ChrisMasterjohn@...

>Reply-

>

>Subject: Re: Toddler Ate a Penny

>Date: Tue, 16 Dec 2003 10:05:04 EST

>

>You know, if your kid doesn't like beets, if for no other reason than

>curiosity, this is a great opportunity to measure his transit time ;-)

>

>Chris

>

>

>

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ROFL! As the mother of a toddler, I can only imagine the scenario all too w=

ell!

- Cyndy

--- In , " the scorpio " <rawbabymama@h...>

wrote:

> Well, he ate the penny just before 6pm last night, and it came out at 11 =

am,

> right after he woke up. :) It was all corroded, and the color was like

> gasoline on the street in the sunlight! I think that was because it took =

> three hours for us to get him to eat. He was really disgusted when he

> watched me go through his log(like I wasn't!). When I put on the glove an=

d

> said I had to look for the penny he opened his mouth really big and point=

ed

> down his throat! I found the penny, and he was looking at me all skeptica=

l

> like, that's the one I put in my mouth? I explained digestion to him and =

he

> yelled OH! LOL. Thanks everyone for your support.

>

> Sincerely,

>

> Michele and -.01$

>

>

> >From: ChrisMasterjohn@a...

> >Reply-

> >

> >Subject: Re: Toddler Ate a Penny

> >Date: Tue, 16 Dec 2003 10:05:04 EST

> >

> >You know, if your kid doesn't like beets, if for no other reason than

> >curiosity, this is a great opportunity to measure his transit time ;-)

> >

> >Chris

> >

> >

> >

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From: the scorpio

" My son, , age 2 1/2, just swallowed a penny. "

I know of a guy who passed a 1974 penny that he remembered swallowing as a

child. He was doing a bowel cleanse. The thing had sat inside him for over 20

years!

I also had a friend whose son swallowed a penny. They were just told to watch

his stools. Sure enough, out it came and they retrieved it with chopsticks (the

disposable ones of course!).

Filippa

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