# Ds aspirated (inhaled) some peanut chunks!!



## lexbeach (Mar 6, 2002)

I just wanted to share with you all our scary story of Luke and the peanut. Luke is one of my just-turned-two-year-old twins. A week ago, he choked while eating a peanut. Actually, he laughed with a chewed up peanut in his mouth. He immediately began coughing very badly. We knew he was getting air because he was crying in between coughing, but it was scary. I thought he must have inhaled some of the peanut (a good amount of it had come flying out with his first good cough). He finally stopped coughing after about 5-10 minutes (it felt like forever), and he seemed fine except for that he was wheezing. At this point it was about 7:45 p.m., and I decided to bring him into the ER after talking to a nurse on the phone. Our local hospital is pretty small, and it was about an hour before Luke was examined. First, they treated him as if he were having an asthma attack. When he didn't respond to the breathing treatment, they sent him for a chest x-ray. Luke was sleeping/nursing in my arms until the x-ray, at which point the technicians had to wake him up and put him in this horrible contraption to take the pictures. It was awful, but I could nurse him right away after, so it wasn't too bad. All this time he was wheezing horribly. Sometimes his chest would even cave in. The ER doctor looked at the x-ray and didn't see anything. He consulted with a pediatrician on the phone, and they decided to send us home, saying that since the peanuts weren't visible on the x-ray, it meant that they were tiny enough particles that Luke would eventually cough them up on his own. At this point, Luke hadn't coughed since his original coughing fit, so I was skeptical, but it was also midnight, so I was happy to be going home.

Luke hardly slept all night because he couldn't breathe when lying flat. In the morning, I decided to get a second opinion. Luckily, our pediatrician's office is open 7 days a week, so I could bring him in even though it was a Saturday. Immediately after listening to his lungs , the pediatrician decided to send us to the big city hospital where Luke would be seen by a pediatric pulmonologist and most likely have a bronchostomy to remove the peanut chunks. The pediatrican got on the phone with the pulmonologist who instructed me not to let Luke eat, drink, or nurse from that point onward since he would have to go under general anesthesia for the procedure. Moments later, Luke got his very first shots--two steroid shots to reduce the swelling in his lungs--and I wasn't allowed to nurse him afterwards. It was awful. Luckily, he fell asleep in the car on the way to the hospital, so he wasn't too upset for too long.

At the hospital, we were checked into a room, and the nurses woke Luke up (he'd been sleeping in a sling since it was his nap time) to get him into a gown and weigh him. It was about 1:00 p.m. at this point, and Luke pretty much cried to nurse (begged, pleaded) from then until 5:00 p.m., when he finally went in for the bronchostomy. It was awful. Holding my crying, hurting, wheezing baby and not being able to nurse him or offer him anything else. I could tell he was feeling totally betrayed. Of course, none of the nurses or doctors could understand why this was such an issue since I don't think they had seen many nursing toddlers before. I went into the OR with him and held his hand while they put him under. It was HORRIFIC. I would not have wanted him to go in there alone, but it was definitely traumatizing to watch that happen to him. He was screaming, "mommy, mommy, mommy!" into the gas mask, and then he was just out.

I went to wait in the family waiting room with my father, who was there to support me (my mother was at our home watching Jasper, and Lena (dw) was packing (and caring for Jasper) since we were going to move to a new house the next day). The surgeon told us the procedure would probably take 30 minutes. . . After an hour we still hadn't heard anything. The waiting was the worst waiting I've ever had to experience in my life. I thought I might explode. I was surrounded by all the mainstream parenting magazines, and I kept trying to read them to distract myself and feeling even more sick to my stomach than I already felt. FINALLY, after TWO HOURS, the surgeon came out and said that Luke was okay. He had had six chunks of peanut in his left lung (usually when people aspirate, they aspirate into the right lung). One very big piece was very far down in his lung, and it had been very difficult for them to get it out (hence the two hours). I asked why nothing had shown up on the x-ray, and the surgeon said that NOTHING shows up on a chest x-ray unless it is a metal object. I asked what would have happened if we hadn't brought Luke in, and he said that he would have quickly developed pneumonia, and then potentially lung disease. He would not have been able to cough the peanuts up on his own, and the longer we waited, the worse it would have been.

I was able to go into the recovery room with Luke after about 20 minutes. He was still very out of it, lying in a nurses arms, hooked up to all sorts of machines. I wanted to nurse him so badly, but he wouldn't wake up enough. After about 30 minutes, while they were transferring us back to his room, he woke up enough to say, "Mama, nurse." I immediately started to undo my buttons, and the nurse said, "oh no, don't do that in the hallway!" And I said, "you can't stop me now!" And Luke nursed and nursed and nursed and nursed. He actually nursed pretty much straight through until the next morning, when he finally woke up and seemed more like his old self. Jasper came to visit us once before bed and the next morning. It was hard to have my first night away from Jasper also be a night that I was so worried about Luke. But Jaz did okay. We were discharged the afternoon after the procedure. Luke has been really fine ever since; Jaz has been pretty clingy. They've both been nursing up a storm, but that could also be due to the fact that we MOVED to a new home the next day!

The important points to pass on:

#1: Don't let your toddler eat nuts or peanuts! (I guess this is
common knowledge for a lot of people, but since Luke and Jaz have
all their teeth, I didn't realize it was a worry anymore)
#2: Don't let your toddler laugh while eating (I guess this is hard
to prevent, but try to!)
#3: If your child is wheezing after eating, assume that he/she has
aspirated something and have a bronchostomy done. Do not rely on
x-ray results or believe doctors who say that your child will cough
whatever it is up on their own.
#4: Never trust the judgment of a doctor who has not examined your
child. The pediatrician "on call" simply spoke to the ER doctor on the phone before deciding that Luke could be discharged from the hospital the first time we went in.

A week later Luke is totally fine, aside from a slight bronchostomy-induced cough from time to time (after which, he always says, "mom, I coughed AGAIN!"). Jaz seems better too, and we all LOVE our new house.

Lex


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## The Lucky One (Oct 31, 2002)

Oh my gosh, that's awful, but I'm glad he's OK now.

My dh sometimes gives my ds1 nuts (he's 38 months and has all his teeth) and it makes me very uneasy.

I myself have almost aspirated on nuts before.

Choking has always terrified me.


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## ryansmom02 (Jan 8, 2003)

Oh how scary you poor mama








My son is deathly allergic to peanuts so he doesnt eat them......
I am glad he is feeling better.........







for both of you........


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## OwensMa (Apr 15, 2004)

I'm so glad he's alright. How awful. Thank you for the reminder. What a scary, scary thing to have happen.









-nak


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## Rainbowbird (Jul 26, 2004)

I am SO glad that your son is okay. What a very scary experience for all of you. Poor little guy!

I am also grateful to you for posting this warning about nuts. I have seen so many posters here defend their decision to let their toddlers eat foods off the top 10 choking hazards list--nuts included. It drives me, well, nuts! I don't mean people who may not have known, like yourself, but others who just think the lists are useless...they are compiled and publicized for a reason. Your story illustrates what can happen if a child doesn't chew well, laughs, or just plain has an accident while swallowing. It's not worth it!

Sending healing vibes to your little one and good for you for following your instincts and acting on behalf of your little one!


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## sugarmoon (Feb 18, 2003)

((((Lex)))) (((Luke, Jaz and Lena)))

how horrible. I am hearing so many horror stories lately -- yours, annakiss, a friend who just found out her almost 3 yo needs heart surgery, another friend whose 5 yo nearly died of pnemonia...

my baby just had surgery for an undescended testicle, and I know what you mean about how horrid it is to hold them while they go under, crying and fighting. I felt totally like I was betraying him









I'm glad you trusted yourself, and that Luke is okay now!

I do have a question though, since I, too, have been guilty of letting my 2 yo eat nuts. How are nuts different from, say carrot sticks, in the situation Lex and Luke just experienced? It seems like in that situation, anything could/would have been aspirated, no?

((more hugs for your whole family!))


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## lexbeach (Mar 6, 2002)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *gus'smama*
((((Lex)))) (((Luke, Jaz and Lena)))
I do have a question though, since I, too, have been guilty of letting my 2 yo eat nuts. How are nuts different from, say carrot sticks, in the situation Lex and Luke just experienced? It seems like in that situation, anything could/would have been aspirated, no?

I think there are a lot of things that CAN be aspirated, but some are more likely candidates. The surgeon who removed the peanuts from Luke's lung said that they most commonly see young children aspirating nuts, peanuts, and--you guessed it--raw carrots.

We are planning to avoid nuts, peanuts, and raw carrots until the boys are five or so (that's what the surgeon recommended).

Thanks for all the hugs, everyone!

Lex


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## kaje62 (Nov 20, 2001)

My friend Danielle's Lucy who posts here as 4under6 is at Children's Hospital right now. Lucy who will be 4 in May aspirated some almonds two weeks ago. She has pneumonia and is having a bronchostomy. Danielle slept at the hospital with her last night. She has a 10 month old at home. I am not sure if they have to wait for surgery as she has the pneumonia. Please keep her and Lucy in your prayers.


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## Zoesmama (Mar 26, 2005)

That happened to a girl I know with another food. The pieces were stuck in there they had to go in and extract them. It all sounded very scary and I'm sooo sorry you had to go through it. It can happen with other foods but I would still avoid peanuts or nuts in general until after 3.

I know not to give peanuts but I can see how you would think it was okay with all the teeth. My dd has all teeth and I wouldn't give her peanuts. Peanutbutter yes sometimes though she doesn't eat it well but no whole peanuts till well past 3 here. Please don't take this as a flame its totally not you are human and these things happen.







Poor little guy will be okay and I hope no more peanuts for another year or so.


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## charmarty (Jan 27, 2002)

WOW lex I am so sorry you went through that! The poor guy!









You are one awesom ama for following your gut and getting a second oponion.


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## Breathless Wonder (Jan 25, 2004)

I'm so very glad he is okay!







to you mama!


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## Flor (Nov 19, 2003)

NAK
I am printing this out for dh who gives ds peanuts and carrots, I am sorry this happened but thank you for sharing.


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