“Daddy sorry, I put battery in my mouth” and my heart sank.
We were already panicking and we started looking for the button battery, but we cannot find it. Daddy was supposed to buy a new one for the calculator that’s why he kept it on his table, but Thalie reached it.
Accidents happen, but it can be prevented only if we became more mindful and placed them in a higher place. I would like to share our experience and hope that it’ll help anyone in the same kind of situation.
- Do not induce vomiting – the first thing I did was induce vomiting, in case the battery is still in her throat area. But I found out that this is wrong. It only added stress to Thalie and she kept on crying.
- Give honey – I watched this Tiktok video regarding giving honey if your kid ingested a battery. This helps protect the lining of their esophagus. I watched this a few weeks ago and I saved it, “just in case.” I never thought this will actually become useful!
- Bring to the ER right away – It took us 3 hospitals before Thalie was accepted in the ER. Every hospital has full capacity during this pandemic! Good thing AUF accepted us an X-ray was the first thing they did to confirm ingestion.
Battery ingestion was confirmed
They called the Poison Control Department in PGH to seek advice. Battery ingestion is very dangerous and might cause serious damage when it leaks or corrodes inside the stomach. At this point, I am already fearing for my child’s life.
The battery is already in her stomach, but time is of the essence here. We have 48 hours or so, or the battery has a higher risk of corroding inside her body. All her doctors decided to wait before taking more drastic actions i.e. surgery.
Thalie wasn’t allowed to eat or drink at first because they are afraid that any kind of food might interact with the battery inside so she was only given dextrose and suppository, but the battery is still not going out through her stool.
Thalie was already complaining because she wants to eat, so we raised the concern to her doctors. After 18 hours of no food intake, we got the go signal for her to eat. She pooped naturally without the help of a suppository during the next hours, but we still can’t find the battery in her poop.
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After 32 hours of battery ingestion
32 hours after ingestion, during her repeat X-ray, the battery is still not moving! It seems stuck in the terminal ileum. “The terminal ileum is the distal end of the small intestine that intersects with the large intestine.” It’s a very small hole and our fear is, if the battery won’t fit here, they have to open her up.
We prayed, and prayed, and prayed some more. I asked God if He can let me witness a miracle. The button battery has to travel all the way through her large intestine for the next 16 hours, but it hasn’t moved much for the past 32 hours. What are the chances that it will move so fast for the next 18 hours?? I prayed for a miracle.
Monday, 3:30 in the afternoon, around 41 hours after ingestion, I saw the most beautiful poop in her diaper!! The button battery came out naturally. We almost cried and hugged each other.
It was the best feeling, more than a sigh of relief, we were rejoicing! Thalie was able to poop out the battery and she’s perfectly fine. The battery was cleaned up and it didn’t look corroded. That’s why we were sent home the same day.
She’s still under observation for the next 48 hours in case of:
- vomiting
- stomach ache
- blood in her poop
But we are hopeful that she did not get any complications from this. She doesn’t have to take any medication aside from #ErcifloraProbibears, to strengthen her digestive tract.
Overall, Thalie is doing well all-throughout. She did not complain of any pain aside from the dextrose and blood extraction (for a blood test). We are also very thankful that she told us right away that she put the battery in her mouth.
It pays to have a talkative child during this kind of situation. If she didn’t tell us right away, we will not notice and worse things might have happened. But I don’t want to think of any of that right now. We are truly grateful that we were able to surpass this incident.
To all the doctors and nurses who helped us, thank you so much! The biggest thank you to our pediatricians Dra. Charmie Arribe and Dra. Bernadette Anne Mendoza for guiding us all throughout.
To all our family and friends, thank you for all the help and prayers. We are truly loved and surrounded by a great support system. We love you all and we thank God for all His grace.
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About the Author
Mommy Nicole, is a stay-at-home-mom to two lovely girls, and the lady boss at Wellness Mom PH