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Fourteen-month-old Terrell and his mom were visiting his grandmother just two days ago. His mom left the room for just a second and a moment later found Terrell chewing on a box of rat poison.
She rushed him to the hospital. The doctor’s examined him, said he was fine, but “we encouraged his mom to come back if she saw any sign of bruising or bleeding, and sure enough, because she’s a really good mom, today, she noticed in fact, his stool was very red, and she was worried that he might have intestinal bleeding,” explains Dr. Kathleen Nelson, professor of pediatrics.
Luckily, there is a simple blood test for intestinal bleeding. Dr. Nelson tested Terrell’s stool and it was clear. “If this was blood, this would be bright blue, like this, and it’s not blue at all, it’s sort of red. So it’s not blood that’s causing the redness,” Dr Nelson says showing Terrell’s mom the test.
It was something else. Probably something Terrell put in his mouth, “has he had anything to eat that’s been red?” asks Dr. Nelson. “I gave him a strawberry Pediasure, but it was pink,” says Terrell’s mom.
“My feeling is that was probably the culprit. Sometimes as dyes are digested they can come out looking a little bit different in color,” explains Dr. Nelson. She says one way that toddlers experience things around them is to taste them, chew on them.
And for kids who like to put things in their mouth, “you really have to get down on his level, sit on the floor, and really see what might be in his eye view,” advises Dr. Nelson. |
By Larry Eldridge
CWK Network, Inc.
According to experts at the Mayo Clinic, a poison is any substance that can cause harm to your body. Your child can ingest a poison in a variety of ways – such as by eating it, inhaling it into the lungs or absorbing it through the skin. The most dangerous poisons are:
- Pest control agents
- Medicines, including iron pills
- Cleaning products that can cause burns, such as drain opener, toilet bowl cleaner, oven cleaner and rust remover
- Antifreeze
- Windshield washer solution
- Hydrocarbons, such as furniture polish, lighter fluid, lamp oil, kerosene, turpentine and paint thinner
- Carbon monoxide
- Pesticides
- Wild mushrooms
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By Larry Eldridge
CWK Network, Inc.
The American Association of Poison Control Centers offers these tips to help keep children safe from camphor and other poisons:
- Move poisonous products and medicines out of the reach and sight of children.
- Store poisonous products in their original labeled containers.
- Keep medicines, vitamins and household products in containers with child-resistant caps.
- Before using a potentially poisonous product, carefully read the label on the bottle.
- While using a potentially poisonous product, never leave it unattended. A child may find it.
- After using a potentially poisonous product, put it back in a locked cabinet. Make sure the container is closed tightly.
- Never call medicine “candy.” Children may eat medicine thinking it is candy.
- Do not take or give medicine in front of children or while another child is watching.
- Check your house for peeling paint.
- Install carbon monoxide detectors.
- Keep the telephone number of your local poison control center on or near your telephones.
Experts at the Mayo Clinic also encourage parents to be aware of the following signs, which may mean your child has ingested something he/she shouldn’t have:
- Trouble breathing, speaking or crying
- Ineffective coughing
- Wheezing or noisy breathing
- Trouble swallowing
- Loss of consciousness
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