What happens if you eat string

An X-ray may be done if the swallowed object is made of material that shows up on an X-ray, or if your child has worrying symptoms. Depending on what the object is and where it is in the digestive system, the object may need to be removed. If doctors are unable to see a swallowed object on an X-ray and your child has no worrying symptoms, it is OK to take your child home. Observe them for any developing symptoms and take your child back to hospital if they have:.

After going home, most children will not need any follow up or further X-rays. There is no need to examine your child's faeces to find the swallowed object. If your child has swallowed a harmless object and is showing no symptoms, there is no need to seek medical advice unless you are concerned about your child.

If the object my child swallowed is sharp, will it cause damage when it passes through their digestive system? Sharp objects like broken glass and small drawing-board pins will most likely pass once they are in the stomach or further along. We acknowledge the input of RCH consumers and carers.

To donate, visit www. This information is intended to support, not replace, discussion with your doctor or healthcare professionals. The authors of these consumer health information handouts have made a considerable effort to ensure the information is accurate, up to date and easy to understand.

This may result in chest pain, a phlegm-producing cough, and wheezing. Sometimes, a fever accompanies these symptoms. Swallowing a magnetic object is a medical emergency. Seek immediate medical attention if you or someone you know has swallowed a magnetic object. A bronchoscopy is a procedure where a doctor uses a thin tube with a camera called a bronchoscope to look at the airways. Doctors also take other symptoms into account when making a diagnosis.

You may need to provide a list of signs that led you to suspect a foreign object was swallowed. If the person can barely breathe due to a blocked airway, emergency treatment is usually necessary. The foreign object might be removed from the airway using back blows, the Heimlich maneuver, or CPR. Read more: Heimlich maneuver ».

Pointed objects could puncture the esophagus or bowels. Small batteries, such as a watch battery, can cause tissue damage. These items should be removed immediately. Seek medical help for any of these conditions. You may need to watch for symptoms, such as vomiting, fever, or signs of pain. The doctor might also ask you to check the stool to make sure the object left the body. Your doctor will likely treat the issue right away if the foreign object is causing pain or damage to the bowels or esophagus.

Has the coin passed out of your body in your stool? Do you still have concerns more than a week after swallowing an object? These include: Your age. Babies and older adults tend to get sicker quicker. Your overall health. If you have a condition such as diabetes, HIV, cancer, or heart disease, you may need to pay closer attention to certain symptoms and seek care sooner.

Medicines you take. Certain medicines, such as blood thinners anticoagulants , medicines that suppress the immune system like steroids or chemotherapy, or natural health products can cause symptoms or make them worse. Recent health events , such as surgery or injury. These kinds of events can cause symptoms afterwards or make them more serious. Your health habits and lifestyle , such as eating and exercise habits, smoking, alcohol or drug use, sexual history, and travel.

Try Home Treatment You have answered all the questions. Try home treatment to relieve the symptoms. Call your doctor if symptoms get worse or you have any concerns for example, if symptoms are not getting better as you would expect. You may need care sooner. Pain in adults and older children Severe pain 8 to 10 : The pain is so bad that you can't stand it for more than a few hours, can't sleep, and can't do anything else except focus on the pain.

Moderate pain 5 to 7 : The pain is bad enough to disrupt your normal activities and your sleep, but you can tolerate it for hours or days.

Moderate can also mean pain that comes and goes even if it's severe when it's there. Mild pain 1 to 4 : You notice the pain, but it is not bad enough to disrupt your sleep or activities.

Pain in children under 3 years It can be hard to tell how much pain a baby or toddler is in. Severe pain 8 to 10 : The pain is so bad that the baby cannot sleep, cannot get comfortable, and cries constantly no matter what you do.

The baby may kick, make fists, or grimace. Moderate pain 5 to 7 : The baby is very fussy, clings to you a lot, and may have trouble sleeping but responds when you try to comfort him or her. Mild pain 1 to 4 : The baby is a little fussy and clings to you a little but responds when you try to comfort him or her.

For example: You may feel a little out of breath but still be able to talk mild difficulty breathing , or you may be so out of breath that you cannot talk at all severe difficulty breathing. It may be getting hard to breathe with activity mild difficulty breathing , or you may have to work very hard to breathe even when you're at rest severe difficulty breathing.

Severe trouble breathing means: You cannot talk at all. You have to work very hard to breathe. You feel like you can't get enough air. You do not feel alert or cannot think clearly. Moderate trouble breathing means: It's hard to talk in full sentences.

It's hard to breathe with activity. Mild trouble breathing means: You feel a little out of breath but can still talk. It's becoming hard to breathe with activity.

Severe trouble breathing means: The child cannot eat or talk because he or she is breathing so hard. The child's nostrils are flaring and the belly is moving in and out with every breath. The child seems to be tiring out. The child seems very sleepy or confused. Moderate trouble breathing means: The child is breathing a lot faster than usual. The child has to take breaks from eating or talking to breathe.

The nostrils flare or the belly moves in and out at times when the child breathes. Mild trouble breathing means: The child is breathing a little faster than usual. The child seems a little out of breath but can still eat or talk. If a disc battery is stuck in the ear or nose : The battery needs to be removed right away—within 1 hour if possible. Use tweezers to try to remove the battery. If you can't remove it, get medical help. If you have swallowed a disc battery, magnet, or lead object : Get medical help right away.

Do not try to vomit. Do not eat or drink anything. Seek Care Today Based on your answers, you may need care soon. Call your doctor today to discuss the symptoms and arrange for care. If you cannot reach your doctor or you don't have one, seek care today. If it is evening, watch the symptoms and seek care in the morning.

If the symptoms get worse, seek care sooner. Call Now Based on your answers, you need emergency care. Seek Care Now Based on your answers, you may need care right away. Call your doctor now to discuss the symptoms and arrange for care. If you cannot reach your doctor or you don't have one, seek care in the next hour.

You do not need to call an ambulance unless: You cannot travel safely either by driving yourself or by having someone else drive you. You are in an area where heavy traffic or other problems may slow you down. Home Treatment The following home treatment may help relieve discomfort after you swallow an object into your digestive tract.

Do not cause induce vomiting unless your doctor or the poison control centre specifically instructs you to do so. The term foreign body refers to any non-food object located with the digestive tract of a dog or cat. When this is a long, thin, string, type object, it is referred to as a linear foreign body. Although it would seem that linear foreign bodies should pass uneventfully, this is not always the case. The string can become wrapped around the base of the tongue or anchored in the stomach which can be a choking hazard, cause the cat to swallow the string, or if the string had a needle attached, the needle may pierce the stomach or intestines and more.

A gastrointestinal blockage meaning If one end of the linear foreign body becomes lodged at some point in the gastrointestinal tract, such as at the base of the tongue an especially common location for linear foreign bodies in cats , in the stomach, or in the intestine, the free end of the foreign body will trail down the remainder of the gastrointestinal tract.

Since the string is wrapped around the internal organs, the intestines will attempt to move this linear foreign body down the gastrointestinal tract for elimination but since the linear body is unable to move, this will result in the intestines to bunch up and narrow.

This is an emergency and lead to painful swelling in the cats stomach and the cat will be unable to eat until the item is removed. Think of a string rubbing these organs, this may cause the organs to perforate and puncture which will prevent the organs from working appropriately and lead to internal bleeding, another emergency.

Early intervention is crucial and can make a life-or-death difference for your cat. If there are no complications, your cat should pass the string in its feces in 10 to 24 hours. The problem is that it's often impossible to know how much your cat ingested and whether any remains in its digestive system.

Monitor and contact your veterinarian if you notice one or more of these symptoms in your cat, these symptoms can happen quickly or may be noticed more slowly over a few days after your cat ingesting the string. Typically, symptoms appear within one to two days. However, it's possible that a cat ate something weeks prior and showed only minor symptoms. If you observed your cat playing with a string and chewing on it; then the string was gone.

You should monitor your cat for any symptoms and contact your veterinarian.