What Doctors Mistook For The Flu Was Actually Swallowed Magnets
October 18, 2016
Swallowed Magnets Warning
You'll find magnets on just about any fridge. And yet, they aren't something you'd ordinarily think of as dangerous. However, swallowed magnets can be deadly.
Sometimes it happens accidentally. But believe it or not, some kids out there are actually ingesting these common household items on purpose! And the dangerous trend is something every parent needs to know about.
Swallowed Magnets: Accidental
Toddler, Ava Kendall, is one of the accidental cases. She managed to get her hands on the small silver magnets from the fridge, and swallowed nine. Her parents had no idea until the 2-year-old started holding her stomach, crying out in pain.
At first, doctors at the urgent care thought Ava had the stomach flu. Worried it was something more serious, Ava's mom, Lexi, took her daughter to the hospital, where a scan revealed the toddler had swallowed magnets.
RELATED: Parents warn when their young son nearly dies after swallowing a button battery
Magnets will pull together, even through skin. So, the magnets Ava swallowed found their way to the little girl's intestines where they ripped holes in the lining.
Credit: KBTVAfter a four-hour surgery and a few weeks in intensive care battling infection, Ava recovered. But it was far too close of a call for her parents, who are warning everyone to keep any and all magnets out of reach.
“The doctors were saying she probably wouldn’t have made it 24 hours,” Lexi said.
But what's just as alarming is that it's not just toddlers falling victim to this danger. Some children old enough to know better are choosing to swallow magnets!
RELATED: Recovering teen and his family are warning others of the dangers of the duct tape challenge
Swallowed Magnets: Intentional
It's not just curious toddlers who are showing up in ER's with magnets in their stomachs. Doctors are beginning to see a trend of older kids partaking in this dangerous activity as well. Whether it's due to using magnets to mimic body piercings, dares, boredom or just plain ignorance to the deadly consequences of ingesting magnets, more and more kids are doing so.
It's unclear exactly why 10-year-old Brady Westphal decided to swallow eight magnets. But like little Ava, severe stomach cramps sent him to the doctor's office. The boy was afraid to admit what he'd done, so again, the stomach flu was suspected. But when Brady wasn't getting better, an x-ray revealed the truth.
The swallowed magnets left a trail of damage through Brady's abdomen and intestines as they pulled themselves together. It took a seven-hour surgery, twelve days in the hospital and the grace of God to put the 10-year-old on the path to recovery.
Learn more about Brady's situation in the video below:
Swallowed Magnets: Everyone Should Be Aware
Brady's story is a reminder that this warning doesn't just apply to small children, but rather kids of all ages. Parents need to be aware of how magnets react inside the body so they can pass that knowledge onto their children.
“These magnets, especially if swallowed at different times, the magnets don’t move all the way through the intestinal tract," said Dr. John Grunow, OU Children’s Hospital. "Then they pinch together, one to another, and the tissue in between gets pinched. The blood supply gets lost, and the tissue ultimately dies.”
Because the symptoms are so similar -- abdominal pain, fever, vomiting -- the life-threatening condition is often mistaken for the flu. It's imperative that if a child is old enough to confess, they alert their parents immediately if they have swallowed magnets.
RELATED: Terrified parents warn others after their 3-year-old nearly died from dry drowning
And for the parents of young children unable to fess up, Ava's mom makes this plea:
"If you have magnets, get them away. On top of a bookshelf or refrigerator isn’t enough. I don’t want any parent or any other kid to go through what we have gone through, because it’s awful.”
Please share this story with everyone you know to make sure they keep their loved ones safe!
This car remote start warning is something everyone needs to hear!
h/t: Yahoo News / NBC4i News
Today's Devotional
A Prayer for Those Who Are Lonely or Isolated This Christmas - Your Daily Prayer - December 23
This Christmas, remember how precious you are to the Creator. Remember that there is nothing you can do or say that would ever separate His presence and love from you. It’s okay to go through Christmas feeling alone and isolated, but make sure you turn to God to fill those feelings of loneliness.
Today's Devotional
A Prayer for Those Who Are Lonely or Isolated This Christmas - Your Daily Prayer - December 23
This Christmas, remember how precious you are to the Creator. Remember that there is nothing you can do or say that would ever separate His presence and love from you. It’s okay to go through Christmas feeling alone and isolated, but make sure you turn to God to fill those feelings of loneliness.
Past Stories
- Husband Decorates His Neighbors' Homes For Wife Who Loves Christmas
- Couple Befriend Older Neighbor After Hearing Music Coming From His Apartment
- California Man Carpools With Adult Children On His Very Last Day of Work Before Retirement
- Family of Three Grows To Seven Overnight With Birth of Quadruplets
- The World's Oldest Dog Spike the Chihuahua Turns 25 Years Old
- Christmas Tree Planted Back in 1979 Inspires and Unites a Small English Village
- Dick Van Dyke Turns 99 After Evacuating From a Wildfire and Welcoming His Lost Cat Back Home
- Santa and Mrs.Claus Continue to Spread Christmas Magic Even With Santa's MS Diagnosis
- Little Girl Gets a Big Elf On the Shelf Surprise Honoring the Little Brother Who Passed Away
- Little Boy From England With Leukemia Delivers Over 400 Christmas Gifts To Kids At the Hospital
- Gold Star Family Receives a Big Surprise That Will Change Their Lives Forever
- 8-Year-Old With Down Syndrome Is a Hero After Saving Sister From House Fire
- Man Paralyzed At 17 While Snowboarding Has Found True Love and a Wonderful Life
- His Wife Passed Away, Now Their Special Tree is the 2024 Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree
- Granddaughter Captures Last Words Between Grandparents, Married For 69 Years
- New York State Police Rescue Woman Needing a Heart Transplant Stranded in Snowstorm
- Born the Same Year the Titanic Sank, World's Oldest Man Dies at 112
- Family Receives Support From School and Community After Losing House in a Fire
- Soldier Reunites With His Military Dog Yyacob After Years Apart
- Chicago Man Discovers That The Owner Of The Bakery He Loved To Visit Was Actually His Mother
- Husband Pays For 40 Pet Adoptions At Shelter For His Wife's 40th Birthday
- Parents Find Healing After Loss of Son By Donating His Beloved Key Collection To Little Boy
- Mom Dances With Son At His Wedding After Being Placed in Hospice Care 2 Weeks Before
- Grandmother and Young Granddaughter Battling Cancer At the Exact Same Time
- Community Brings Christmas Joy to Virginia Woman With Just Weeks to Live
- Four Friends Recreate A Fun Vacation Photo From 50 Years Ago
- School in Arkansas Mourns the Loss of Their Beloved Emotional Support Dog Abby
- 93-Year-Old Has Made Sure To Attend Every High School Football Game Since 1946
- Texas Mom Doesn't Remember Delivering Triplets After Rare Complication After Birth
- United Airlines Pilot Buys Pizza For 155 Passengers After They Make An Unexpected Stop
- Teenager With Down Syndrome Enjoys Playing Kickball After Parents Organize Neighborhood Game
- Woman in Shock After Finding Winning Lottery Ticket At the Bottom of Her Purse
- Australian Couple Walks Into Their Bedroom To Find the Cutest Koala
- 5 Boys and Their Father Were Saved By Good Samaritan After Explosion
- Daughter of WWII Soldier Finally Learns What Happened To Him, 80 Years Later
- Sisters Scream With Joy Watching Their 4-Year-Old Sister Take Her First Steps
- Her Mom Put a Message in a Bottle As a Child, 26 Years Later Her Classmate Found It
- This Missouri School Was Renamed After Their Much Loved and Dedicated Custodian
- Michael Strahan's Daughter is Now Cancer Free and Has Taught Him All About Perseverance
- These Two Newlyweds Found Love in Their Late 90s, After Meeting At Their Retirement Home
- Sisters Who Were Adopted By Separate Families Nearly 40 Years Ago Reunite After DNA Tests
- Oldest Living Person in the US Passes Away at 115, After a Long and Faithful Life
- At Just 20 and 22 Years Old, These Two Sisters From Minnesota Saved Their Family Farm
- After Over 450 Days in a Shelter, Boone and Rellie Find Their Forever Home, Together
- Sweet Kitten Named Coraline Loses Both Her Eyes, but Inspires Many with Her Spirit
- Donny Osmond Sees the 'End of the Tunnel' Coming After Performing for Over 6 Decades
- An Iguana Hitches a Ride on a Garbage Truck in Tennessee, Now Trying to Find Its Owner
- 6-Year-Old Starts 'Poop Scooping' Business to Help Animals and Adopt One of His Own
- Bride's Dad Drops During Father-Daughter Dance, but Things Lined up Perfectly to Save His Life
- Young North Carolina Father Risked His Life To Save a Couple and Dog From a Sinking Truck
Top Music Videos
The Statler Brothers 'Til the Storm Passes By' The Statler Brothers Live Performance
Jeremy Camp Jeremy Camp 'Ready Now' Powerful Official Music Video
Riley Clemmons Riley Clemmons - All Is Well
Mark Schultz 'Different Kind of Christmas' - Live From Mark Schultz
CCM Magazine Brynn Elliot's Chilling 'Silent Night' Rendition
Blogs
At GodTube, you’ll find daily inspirational videos to lift your spirits and encourage you in your walk with God. Popular videos include worship music from your favorite Christian artists, cute videos with adorable kids and animals, hilarious videos from Christian comedians, user-uploaded videos, and clean viral videos to brighten your day.