By: Bobbi Best
I would like to share a story that as a family we laugh about now, but at the time it did not seem that funny.
My daughter was about 19 months old and had had her hearing aids for about a month. She was getting used to them and was starting to leave them in and not pull them out constantly. I was cooking dinner and she was sitting on the floor in the living room playing with toys. I was busy in the kitchen and when I looked to see what she was doing, because she was being very quiet, I saw that she had the hearing aid close to her mouth and then I realized she had something in her mouth. I knew as soon as I got to her and saw the hearing aid in her hand without the battery what she had just swallowed. I immediately phoned the nurse help line to find out what I should do. They told me to go straight to the emergency room. Since we were new to the area, I had to find directions to the nearest hospital, and then off we went.
I had my daughter and my two sons with me, as my husband was working at the time. The nurses took us to a room right away, and we did not have to wait long before the doctor came in. He said it was not likely a problem as long as the battery had traveled through the stomach quickly. The doctor said if the battery was in the stomach too long, the acid in the stomach could start to break down the battery and cause a serious reaction in her stomach. So she was sent for an x-ray; luckily for us the battery was in the intestines and was on its way out. So with a sigh of relief we went home. The next day, the battery was revealed in her diaper. No I did not save it, however, the thought briefly crossed my mind! My daughter is six now and she likes to hear me tell the story; she thinks it is funny and a little gross!! I know that most hearing aids for young children have a safety on the battery, but these were loaners and they did not have any to loan us that had the safety. So beware: this could happen to your child, and if it does head straight to Emergency for an x-ray!!
