What would happen if you swallowed a penny?
In this brief study, we will answer the question, “what would happen if you swallowed a penny?” and address the proper care taken to handle the situation.
What would happen if you swallowed a penny?
If you swallow a penny, it is believed that the penny is eliminated from the system within 4-5 days, preferably within two days, if it has gone through the neck and into the stomach. Stomach or chest discomfort, drooling, difficulty swallowing, vomiting, and fever are all possible symptoms of a lodged coin. If you have any of these symptoms, get medical attention immediately and follow the doctor’s instructions.
When Should You Be Concerned?
- Objects with a diameter of one inch (25 mm) or more often create difficulties. Quarters (24 mm) are also featured in this set of figures. It is more likely that these bigger items will get lodged in the esophagus. The esophagus is a tube that connects the back of the throat to the stomach and allows food to pass through. Suffocating is made more difficult by an esophageal blockage, which often produces throat and chest discomfort. It is possible to experience gag reflexes, vomiting, drooling, or spitting. It is also possible that you may be unable to eat or drink anything.
- Battery-powered devices, magnets, and other sharp items, in addition to big objects, may create difficulties in the home.
- Children under the age of two are more prone than older children to get entangled with items in their environment.
When You Swallow a Penny, Get Help Right Away?
If there are any indications that a coin or foreign item has been placed, you must refrain from doing so.
- Try your best to vomit as much as possible.
- Locate a beverage or something to eat.
- For the following, two to three days, check his feces every two to three days, as necessary. This is accomplished by straining the feces and saturating them with hot water before disposal. Thus, you will have peace of mind in knowing that the foreign material you ingested was completely harmless and that you will no longer need to be concerned about it.
- Consume foods that are soft and fibrous. Bananas are an excellent choice if you want to speed up the process in your system.
- Make sure to drink lots of water to keep yourself hydrated throughout the day. Your body will operate optimally if it is properly hydrated, and you will have no difficulty passing the coin-containing excrement.
Swallowed Coin Treatment and Removal
Whether or not you feel discomfort, you should seek medical attention if the coin does not come out after trying all of the techniques listed above and stays in the body for more than 48 hours. Immediately consult with your doctor and seek medical care. The doctor may advise you to wait a little longer and may provide medication to aid in the removal of the coin from your system. A doctor will also use an X-ray to determine the precise location of the coin, thus verifying that you only swallowed a coin and nothing else. There is no need, on the other hand, to extract a penny via medical means. Instead of a coin, though, the doctor may recommend endoscopy if the ingested item is anything sharp that has the potential to harm or puncture your child’s gastrointestinal tract (GI system).
What Are the Signs and Symptoms of Swallowing a penny?
After swallowing and passing through the stomach, the penny will very likely make its way to the colon, where it will be evacuated along with feces. If, on the other hand, the penny becomes trapped in the stomach, it poses a potentially dangerous scenario that must be handled with care. If a penny is ingested and becomes lodged in the esophagus, it may produce strange symptoms such as the following:
Blood in the stool (which may look black), odd bowel noises (which may also be heard), stomach discomfort, and vomiting are all possible symptoms if the coin becomes lodged in the colon and rips the intestinal walls, as well as other complications. The penny may get stuck on occasion, but you should be able to swallow and eat normally. When you’re in this position, you’ll be coughing constantly. Inflammation and irritation of the esophageal tissues may result from the trapped coin, which may lead to additional esophageal rupture and potentially hazardous situations in the future.
How Long Does It Take To Pass a penny?
It takes a few days or less for the penny to travel through the digestive system and be excreted.
If you’re in good health and aren’t experiencing any symptoms, you may as well let the penny pass through your feces. Self-medicating with laxatives to speed up the elimination process is not advised, although it may be ineffective if done without seeing a doctor. There would be no compulsion to eat meals throughout this period. If you are fearful, the best thing you can do is get medical attention immediately.
Conclusion
In this brief study, we answered the question, “what would happen if you swallowed a penny?” and addressed the proper care taken to handle the situation.
