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‘I DO NOT want to see you at Christmas’

241 replies

SelotapeChicken · 17/12/2025 06:12

Yes I got your attention. I’m not being unreasonable I could save your kids life. Also I am the op of the previous aibu post but I binned my account in a social media cleanse and then realised I needed to try and reshare tbe post. Finally I started a new thread because im
afraid people will see 2024 and think
’zombie thread and disregard my post’

It’s Christmas I am a colorectal surgeon and we have had to perform 5 emergency operations in 2 weeks related to button batteries but this is so far from the normal, it is increasing exponentially
If you suspect your child or elderly person with dementia or anyone with SEND and who has difficulty communicating has swallowed a button battery and I mean if you even notice the compartment on a battery operated toy or tea light is open and missing and you didn't see you child swallow it. GO IMMEDIATELY TO A&E! Button batteries and shiny, easy to grab for
Toddler and easy to confuse for tablets for elderly patients

If your child is over the age of 12 months old give 2 teaspoons of honey every 10 mins until you reach hospital. This is crucial and will coat the battery so it doesn't burn the oesophagus or intestines.
Yes it's not ideal if the child needs surgery but there are emergency procedures we can do to minimise risk of aspiration and the risk of aspiration of honey is less than the risk posed of the battery.

I can’t tell you to give honey to an under 12 month old baby because it’s against nhs guidelines but I would have no issue giving it to my child if I knew they’d eaten a button battery.

In the US, all energiser branded button batteries are coated to taste bitter and covered in a safe dye that dyes the tongue and mouth blue. This is being rolled out the Uk slowly but surely.
There are photos online portraying the damage that honey does to the battery on the slice of ham but it's not to be looked at because the whole point of the honey is to coat the battery and help it not stay too long in one place and move through the digestive tract.

I will also add these absolutely horrific orbeez things to this thread but really they need banning from the world.
If your nursery or child care provider uses them in sensory play, please tell them to stop or move child care providers (hard I know) but orbeez feel brilliant to children and when they have no taste so when they're exploring orally it's very very easy to eat them. And you can't see them on xray until they're a certain size and even then they look like built up gas in the bowel. Obviously if the child has ingested loads then they you see them. However if it's one or 2 they can be tiny when swallowed but they continue to expand and expand, they can case major bowel obstructions.
Please do this. No orbeez and keep and eye out for button batteries (god why are they in so many toys??!)
First photo is a button battery on ham for 30
Mins, second photos is an orbeez removed from
A child and the 3rd shows you how many much they can expand from
The original.
Don't let it impact your life but just keep it at the forefront
If this stops 1 more family from meeting me for surgery on their child then good!

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‘I DO NOT want to see you at Christmas’
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‘I DO NOT want to see you at Christmas’
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‘I DO NOT want to see you at Christmas’
OP posts:
WeightLossGoal2024 · 20/12/2025 00:21

Thank you for everything you do and raisins awareness.

bumping

Bedismyhappyplace · 19/12/2025 23:06

Bumping

wizzler · 19/12/2025 20:53

Bump

ErrolTheDragon · 19/12/2025 16:08

Toddlerteaplease · 19/12/2025 16:05

@ErrolTheDragon self harm.

Bloody hell. Sad

Toddlerteaplease · 19/12/2025 16:05

@ErrolTheDragon self harm.

Probablyshouldntsay · 19/12/2025 15:49

Jesus Christ. Thanks OP ❤️

SelotapeChicken · 19/12/2025 15:35

ErrolTheDragon · 19/12/2025 14:55

wtf would a teenager do that?

Have you met any teenage boys?

swallow these and I’ll buy you a coke/ chocolate bar/ insert whatever thing teenage boys can buy on the way home!!

OP posts:
ErrolTheDragon · 19/12/2025 14:55

Toddlerteaplease · 19/12/2025 14:39

We’ve had kids have to have laparotomies after swallowing magnets. Although mainly teenagers.

wtf would a teenager do that?

SelotapeChicken · 19/12/2025 14:47

Toddlerteaplease · 19/12/2025 14:39

We’ve had kids have to have laparotomies after swallowing magnets. Although mainly teenagers.

The magnets that smash together scare the 💩 out of me as well because they do that in the bowels too but I thought my post was long enough 🤣

OP posts:
Toddlerteaplease · 19/12/2025 14:39

We’ve had kids have to have laparotomies after swallowing magnets. Although mainly teenagers.

nearlylovemyusername · 19/12/2025 13:59

I remember your similar thread a year ago or so. Thank you OP.
Wishing you a quiet Christmas

SelotapeChicken · 19/12/2025 13:49

FadedRed · 19/12/2025 13:28

I wonder if MNHQ could ‘sticky’ this post for a while to save people having to keep bumping it. I will report my post and see what they say.

Great idea!

OP posts:
SelotapeChicken · 19/12/2025 13:49

Toddlerteaplease · 19/12/2025 13:42

We’ve had several kids in with swallowed batteries. Fortunately mostly removed without long term damage. But some have gone home tube fed for months.

we’ve sadly had a few go home with stomas It’s just so bloody easy to prevent and so unbelievably devastating

OP posts:
Toddlerteaplease · 19/12/2025 13:42

We’ve had several kids in with swallowed batteries. Fortunately mostly removed without long term damage. But some have gone home tube fed for months.

Hankunamatata · 19/12/2025 13:40

Agree op.

I wouldn't have any products with buttons batteries in the house when kids were under 10.

I won't have candles in the house either.

FadedRed · 19/12/2025 13:28

I wonder if MNHQ could ‘sticky’ this post for a while to save people having to keep bumping it. I will report my post and see what they say.

SelotapeChicken · 19/12/2025 13:05

Shamelessly bumping

OP posts:
SelotapeChicken · 19/12/2025 05:50

I don’t really want to post the actual photo because it will completely out me but I double checked the policy today and it is definitely still policy to keep nil by mouth except 10 ml honey every 10 mins. We even have the honey in A&E now and I checked that too.

I hope you’re all preparing for a nice cosy Christmas away from us!

OP posts:
ellyeth · 19/12/2025 01:57

Thank you for taking the time to alert people to these dangerous batteries. I hope the new regulations come in quickly. It is very frightening when you say that you regularly treat cases of people, particularly children, ingesting these batteries. The consequences must be devastating. The advice re using honey is so important and, although I'd heard of the dangers of these batteries, I hadn't heard of honey being used to coat them as a temporary measure. I will mention it to anyone I know who has, or has care of, young children.

Thank you so much.

wizzler · 18/12/2025 23:56

Bump

Bedismyhappyplace · 18/12/2025 23:10

Bumping for the night time crowd.

Putyourfeckingsockson · 18/12/2025 20:34

Bump! Thanks op. X

ChoccieCornflake · 18/12/2025 19:52

Thank you!
Bumping

itwasthegintalking · 18/12/2025 18:54

Thanks so much. So important to highlight the risk

Jebbs · 18/12/2025 11:32

Thank you so much for sharing this. Definitely information that needs to be shared, especially when there are likely to be lots of new toys and light up objects that use them (and a busy time when adults are maybe not as focused as they might normally be.
Wishing everyone a safe and uneventful Christmas.

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