Every parent faces all over the world from the title you’ve probably guessed!
Yes, your baby swallowed a screw. Now it is stuck in the child’s windpipe!
All right, let’s get straight in you can’t prevent your baby or toddler from putting things in his mouth.
Many parents have experienced themselves with their child having potentially swallowed Something like a coin, nail, or screw. For the most part, such things will surprisingly pass through the digestive tract and come out without any problem.
In this post, we will share advice for parents on what to do if their child swallows a small object, such as a screw, and how to tell if he or she needs to be taken to the hospital.
Being a careful person, you may be curious to know: What happens if you swallow a screw? Swallowing a small screw will cause no serious issues, it will just come out in the stools. However, if you swallow a large, sharp screw, it may hurt your windpipe, stomach walls, or GI tract. So if you feel choking, coughing, drooling, suffocation, or vomiting, you should seek an instant medical aid.
If you want to keep these dangerous screws in your cabinet rather than inside your children, keep reading to know the journey of the screw in the human body.
What Happens If You Swallow A Small Screw
The harmful effects of swallowing a screw also depend on its size. If that’s a small bit, attempt to spit by pressing the back of your oesophagus with your finger and gurgling. A small screw is not dangerous, but a big screw needs a medical check-up and x-ray for further treatment.
How To Remove A Small Screw
Don’t worry, a small screw will do nothing to your inside. It will find its way out without alarming you. It would be less risky to your intestines and sensitive tissues of the bowel. But it happens, only when you succeed to spit it out immediately.
If that small screw is still disturbing you in your trachea, then go to a gag practice. It’s quite simple, To start spitting, use a finger and bring it down in your throat. Usually, it will go out with the meal you just had.
How To Know If Your Child Swallowed A Screw: Parenting Tips
If your kid swallowed a screw, some symptoms may develop in his/her body. Such signs will appear immediately if the screw causes blockage in the esophagus. Being careful parents, you should know these common signs to handle the case safely:
1. Cough
Unfortunately, if the screw is stuck in the airway, it will cause coughing. As the screw is a sharp metal object, it can hurt the throat and your child may suffer from coughing with blood.
In such conditions, you should go to an emergency. On the other hand, if the cough does not happen then the screw has passed the airway.
2. Choking Signs
Choking signs occur if some foreign object gets lodged in the esophagus. A choking child may feel difficulty in breathing, speaking, eating, or shouting.
3. Wheezing
Wheezing is a symptom of something stopping the airways or the trachea of your child. An ingested screw may stop the oxygen supply towards the lungs.
4. Other Signs
After swallowing a screw, your child may show the symptoms of drooling, panic response in eating, blood in saliva, stress, and pain in the chest.
5. Safe Signs
Don’t worry, if your child is alright. You are lucky if he/she doesn’t show any health issues. Because the odd screw has traveled the sensitive body organs quite safely.
How To Treat If Your Child Swallowed A Screw
After you come to know that your child has swallowed a screw, try to sort out the problem patiently. Follow these tips to handle that odd screw:
- Maintain a peaceful environment for your child and even more for yourself.
- Don’t force your child to vomit.
- Don’t try to pull out the screw on your own.
- Take the patient to the local Urgent Care Center, where they will be able to help you.
- Doctors will perform an X-Ray to decide, whether it is safe to pass away on itself or use another way to extract the screw.
How To Deal With An Ingestion Of A Screw
Swallowing a screw may not be a terrible idea, depending on the circumstance.
Swallowing screws is not always a medical emergency. If swallowed, talk to your physician right away. Symptoms of a medical emergency include:
- Severe chest pain
- Breathing problems
- Severe headache
- Pins and needles
- Pale or blue lips
- Unconsciousness
- Rapid, shallow breathing
- Reddened eyes
- Vomiting
Can Swallowing A Screw Kill You
Swallowing a screw may not be as common as it sounds. Although it can cause some pretty serious issues, including choking or blockage. But it is not too dangerous to kill you.
Everyone’s been told to stop swallowing foreign objects like screws. Learn the real risk of swallowing screws, and be aware of some easy ways to avoid this potentially dangerous mistake.
Swallowing a screw will cause serious throat pain, something usually only seen in children; it’ll also cause a variety of other medical problems that will often necessitate surgery. So be careful, while taking something in your mouth.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it Possible to Swallow a Screw?
Children are more prone to ingest many foreign objects like toys, batteries, coins, nails, or a screw. It is common in children of 6 months -3years old. They have a habit of putting everything in their mouth to explore new things. So, it is not strange to swallow screw-in infants or toddlers.
What Happens If You Swallow a Piece of Metal?
When someone ingests a sharp metal object, it will hurt the soft tissues of your esophagus. As a result, you have to suffer severe infection in the throat and bleeding. Seriously, such metal objects can make holes in your GI Tract.
How Do You Know if You Swallowed a Screw?
In case, the suspected child has developed no alarming signs. It’s okay. But if you find him disturbed with drooling, coughing, suffocating, or vomiting, take him to an emergency as soon as possible.
What Will Happen If You Swallow a Nail?
Mostly, kids are mischievous, they can swallow strange items like needles, screws, coins, or nails. Luckily, these things may come out from the other end on their own. In rare cases, such things may hurt the soft tissues of their trachea, GI tract, or esophagus.
The Last Lines
Unfortunately hundreds of children each year accidentally ingest metal objects like nails, pins, or screws. Parents may not know what an emergency it is. In fact, a small screw can easily pass away from the body in the stools.
But a large, and sharp screw may get stuck in the esophagus and may damage soft tissues of his/her GI tract, and stomach. By keeping sharp metal objects out from the reach of children, you can save the aftershocks of these odd items.
