QuestionHe swallowed a dollar coin on Wednesday evening,I took him to the hospital on Wednesday and he was released.It was right above his stomach at the time.Then on Thursday,my family doctor recommended I take him to Children's Hospital. They x-rayed him and found that it was in his intestines. I gave him an Ex-lax yesterday because he seemed constipated. He used the bathroom and still no coin.The doctor told me of things to watch for,but I'm just curious of how long this could take before it comes out.Thank You for taking the time to read and respond to this E-mail.
AnswerThe good news is that it had not lodged in his esophagus... the tube from the mouth to the stomach. This could have caused a sore on the esophagus and a hole, etc. It is now in the intestines and it is a fairly tight fit, so it may take days to move on thru. And, when it does, it may have trouble coming out of the anus, because that is another tight fit.
Also, I don't believe in giving children that young harsh laxatives like ExLax. If he is constipated, I recommend more liquids and just giving it some time... it will eventually move on thru.
Give him another 3 days as long as he isn't vomiting or has abdominal pain. If you don't find it, then another xray would be reasonable.
Hope this helps....
