How many days does it take to digest a screw?

Five. It takes five. Here’s a little story. Saturday afternoon I was folding laundry in my bedroom while the kids were playing in the living room…soon I hear “mom! he’s choking!”  I rush out and can hear Vincent making choking/gagging noises and I start to panic. By the time I get to him, it’s over-he swallowed it. He’s not choking. He’s fine. But I’m worried.  I have no idea what it is, but I know it isn’t food.

I ask Elora-“did you see what Buddy had in his mouth?”

-“Yes” she says, “ I saw it. It was a gray cylinder.”  My first thought is he’s swallowed a battery.   Elora tells me she’s sure it isn’t a battery, but it did have an “X” on the end of it. Sounds like a screw.  I ask her if it was a screw.  “No it isn’t a screw.” I started asking her more questions like “are there any more of them in the house? Can you show me what it is?”  We go room to room looking for another one of whatever it is that Vincent swallowed. I ask her more questions, “what do you do with it? It is a toy?”  She says she really doesn’t remember. I’m sure it’s either a battery or a screw. Both sound like bad news to me.

So it’s off to the ER. X-rays confirm- it’s a screw. I’m so relieved when the doctor says it should pass through on it’s own and that the chance of perforating anything is very slim.   He tell us to watch him closely and rush him back if he seems to be in pain, but otherwise we can just go home and wait for it to come out.

Yesterday finally, I found the screw. Five days and five poopy diapers later. the end.

.