Penny update

Well, what started as a relatively funny BOY story about swallowing a penny has gone completely south- slight pun intended. The issue with David swallowing the penny has turned into quite a nightmare. We had xrays done on Tuesday- they show that the penny is still in the middle belly- they actually told me they thought it was in the transverse colon. The Doctor assured me it would pass and sent me home to give David Magnesium Citrate. If he did not pass the penny within 48hrs after that, we were to return. So, two days of fun with Magnesium Citrate and Miralax still produced no penny. We end up back at the minor emergency center for more xrays. The penny is still in the "middle belly"- very difficult to tell where exactly. Meanwhile, we are trying to get a referral to a pediatric gastroenterologist and we're on the line with poison control center. Apparently, the biggest concern is that the penny could be lodged in the stomach or colon and could lead to a rupture or blockage. Also, there is the minor point that pennies made after 1982 are made with zinc and that can have a corrosive effect in the body. Great! Little David failed to mention what year the penny he swallowed was. So, poison control is stressing the importance of removal of the penny to the nurse, the Dr and myself. It had been 7 days since he swallowed the penny. Most children will pass swallowed foreign objects within 4-5, after that, everyone becomes more concerned. Apparently, less than 1% of children who swallow objects still have them "stuck" in their body 5 or more days. This is about where I begin to panic. We spent the better part of the evening at Dell children's hospital and more xrays later....the penny is still in the stomach. The on-call surgeon was called for consult and they advised us to go home and continue to wait it out. They told us that they really want to try to avoid surgery so unless David becomes increasingly ill, or has acute abdominal pain- we wait. So, here we are, Day 8...waiting. We will follow up this week with our pediatrician and they may do an xray again to verify progress- if it is still "lodged", we will be referred to a ped/gastro for further options. Shooooooo! What drama! I will never look at a penny the same again! Stay tuned.....