My 4 year old swallowed 30 pieces of gum

[LoneWolf]

Arrgghh! He got into my wife's purse. She had a large new pack of Wrigley Spearmint Gum. He ate every piece of it. He isn't feeling too hot right now. I know swallowing gum in and of itself isn't a big deal, but 30 pieces? When do you make the call that you should go to the doctor? I'll wait to see how he is doing tomorrow. He just has a small tummy ache right now.

Have any of your kids swallowed a bunch of gum? What happened?

[Jobar]

30 pieces would make, what, a wad bigger than a golf ball? I'm not positive, but I think gum passes through the digestive tract mostly unchanged, and in a clump.

You might want to phone a local hospital about this, LW. If I had to prescribe something for this when no doctor was available, I think a large dose of castor oil or other vegetable oil would be in order, to lubricate the passing of such a large indigestible lump; but IANAD. Call one, now, is my advice.

[BioBeing]

Never 30 sticks!

I'd guess he may be a bit constipated if it all gets stuck, but it should work its way out.

[diana]

Get a crowbar to help him pass it.

And...your wife carries 40 pieces of gum around in her purse???!!!

d

[Daydream]

[chuckle] I'm sure the gum will work its way out just fine but it wouldn't hurt to give the doctor a call for your peace of mind.

[Faerie]

Feed him prunes, will get the tummy going in a hurry! :)

He should be fine, the little one's constitutions are generally hardier than adults when it comes to sweet stuff. Phone the doc if you're feeling fretful about it though, peace of mind is worth a phone call.

I once fostered a little girl of about 2 when she "found" my birth control pills and ate the whole lot in a go, THAT had me racing to the emergency room, only to be told to expect her to have a period within a couple days, which she did, talk about having to explain the facts of life to a two year old.... also a valuable lesson as to the level of curiosity a two year old possesses.

[DMB]

I would be worried about it blocking him somewhere. I second the advice to call a doctor.

[Febble]

I would be worried about it blocking him somewhere. I second the advice to call a doctor.

Thirded.

[Zygote]

My son swallowed a refrigerator magnet when he was three. The doctor's office said that if it was the diameter of a dime (3/4"), he'd pass it without a problem, but if it was as big as a nickel (7/8"), he should come in. I had another magnet just like it and it was the diameter of a dime, but a bit thicker. I had to strain every bowel movement through a strainer to make sure that it did actually pass and the doctor's office called to check until it came through.

So, yeah, call a doctor.

[Notta]

I was looking up what to do if your kid swallowed some gum, and if it were a single piece or two there's absolutely no concern. Larger pieces of gum, though, can cause constipation or even a bowel blockage. Call the doctor & explain the situation. In the meantime, prune juice and/or some other intestinal lube wouldn't hurt. But the sheer amount of gum may be a problem. Let us know what happens, please.

[Berthold]

Faerie:

My Mom used to criticize that quite a few medications have a too close resemblance to lollipops: The shapes, the colors, and the taste of the coating.

Even over-the-counter pills can be dangerous if a child eats them like lollipops. :eek:

[Daynna]

I once fostered a little girl of about 2 when she "found" my birth control pills and ate the whole lot in a go, THAT had me racing to the emergency room, only to be told to expect her to have a period within a couple days, which she did, talk about having to explain the facts of life to a two year old.... also a valuable lesson as to the level of curiosity a two year old possesses.

WOW. I wouldn't even think things would be developed enough for that to be possible!

[Pandora]

I once fostered a little girl of about 2 when she "found" my birth control pills and ate the whole lot in a go, THAT had me racing to the emergency room, only to be told to expect her to have a period within a couple days, which she did, talk about having to explain the facts of life to a two year old.... also a valuable lesson as to the level of curiosity a two year old possesses.

WOW. I wouldn't even think things would be developed enough for that to be possible!

BC pills are almost completely hormonal in nature. Even if her body hasn't naturally developed the estrogen and progesterone levels that lead to a normal period, it's definitely going to react when they're introduced artificially.

My sympathies Faerie. What a task having to explain that :(

[Matty]

well once upon a time there was a talking snake and an untrustworthy woman called Eve............................................... ......

[LoneWolf]

All is good. All the plumbing seems to be in working order now.

And as for the early period...HOLY COW!

[Jobar]

Did you give him anything to help things along?

[His Noodly Appendage]

Newborn girls sometimes have a mini period as a result of all the hormones swimming around in the mother. A bit freaky, but no big deal apparently.

[Notta]

Some newborns also lactate, due to their mother's hormones circulating in their blood. I believe people used to call it 'witch's milk.'

The more you know......

[Free in Freeport]

I hope it doesn't make him take the same shit 5 times!

[BracesForImpact]

Glad things worked themselves out. Maybe now he'll fart a really big bubble. I ate a whole jar of Flintstones vitamins when I was a kid.

[His Noodly Appendage]

That explains a great deal :p

[Christina]

My sister ate an entire box of Ex-lax on vacation when we were little kids because she thought it was chocolate. She and mom were stuck in the cabin for 2 days while I got to go out and have fun with my dad. We still tease her about that.

[BracesForImpact]

That explains a great deal :p

What!? *twitch*

[DMB]

My sister ate an entire box of Ex-lax on vacation when we were little kids because she thought it was chocolate. She and mom were stuck in the cabin for 2 days while I got to go out and have fun with my dad. We still tease her about that.

That is classic. Poor mother!

[openeyes]

Glad things worked themselves out. Maybe now he'll fart a really big bubble. I ate a whole jar of Flintstones vitamins when I was a kid.
They must have been the iron-free kind. FYI, accidental high iron ingestion due to kids taking lots of iron supplements is the most common form of deadly overdose in kids under 5.

[Bane]

I ate a whole bottle of kids' multivitamins when I was little, but it didn't do much. Apparently I just ran around for a while and then got an upset stomach.

My brother, however....he drank AMMONIA, which had been put really high up and behind a lot of squash etc. He spent a few days in the hospital after doing that.

[Christina]

I drank some sort of bleach detergent once when I was about 2 and had to be rushed to the hospital to have my stomach pumped. I don't remember anything about it though.

[Free in Freeport]

My misadventure in eating happened when I was definitely old enough to know better.

I was 8 or 9, and ate half a bag of my grandmother's prunes. She knew what I was up to, and decided to let me learn the hard way. You know the rest.

[Christina]

I used to babysit for my friend's kid while she took some classes and I swear that kid shit twice in 2 hours every single time that I had him. Finally I figured out that she was feeding him figs as a treat in the car on the way down. I wanted to kill her.

[Bane]

I would have been pissed off too. Yuk.

[Jobar]

My sister ate an entire box of Ex-lax on vacation when we were little kids because she thought it was chocolate. She and mom were stuck in the cabin for 2 days while I got to go out and have fun with my dad. We still tease her about that.

I've been told I did that when I was too young to know what it was, or to remember it. My mom says she called the doctor, who laughed and said it wouldn't hurt me- but to be sure I stayed close to a bathroom!

[Daynna]

Beware sugar-free jelly beans also. They have a laxative effect. True story. :(

[Notta]

The first (and only) time I bought a 'sugar free' pie for my family we ALL discovered the laxative effects of Splenda and the new generation of sugar-free sweeteners! None of us can tolerate even small amounts of sweeteners, except for the old stand-bys of aspartame and saccharin.

[Thalia Thinks]

I use to sneak baby aspirin when Puck wasn't looking. They tasted so good. That and Peptobismol.

Please let us know if he does fart bubbles. In fact, take video! :D

[Bane]

I had a mishap a while back involving chamomile tea, which usually makes me very slightly dozy. I drank some after taking my trazodone, and became stoned. Lesson: Google it first!

I slept, though--like the fucking dead.

[Free in Freeport]

I had a mishap a while back involving chamomile tea, which usually makes me very slightly dozy. I drank some after taking my trazodone, and became stoned. Lesson: Google it first!

I slept, though--like the fucking dead.

Ok, fess up folks. Anyone besides me contemplating experimentation along these lines?

[Christina]

Nah, I get way better drugs.

[miss djax]

Beware sugar-free jelly beans also. They have a laxative effect. True story. :(


ah sorbitol. we have that story in my family too ;)

[Sarpedon]

So what happened with the gum?

[LoneWolf]

He had a bit of a tummy ache that night but then everything passed normally. I'd like to say he learned a valuable lesson but I doubt. Us, on the other hand, will guard the gum much better. :)

[Bane]

Glad he's all right :)

I just remembered that my brother did the same thing when he was a toddler. He ate an entire packet of mint gum. He was completely fine, luckily.

FB:
I've contemplated deliberately zonking myself out recently due to stress. Can't say I wouldn't go for something to knock me out cold these days....

[Pandora]

Can't say I blame you. There have been a few times when I've been so stressed it starts interfering with my sleep - I wake up with my stomach in knots, feeling slightly sick etc. After a few days of little sleep, I end up being even less able to deal with the stress. It ends up just getting worse and worse. There are times where an assisted good night's sleep can do wonders for your peace of mind.

Of course, I'm boring and don't go in for anything too dramatic. NyQuil usually knocks me out pretty effectively.