I generally don't do this but...

[Vipre]

Earlier today my 22 month old nephew may have gotten a hold of something and he began vomiting badly. He was rushed to the hospital and during examination his throat began swelling shut, he was placed on a respirator and is being moved to the children's hospital and their pediatric ICU unit. Doctors as yet don't know what the something was, or if there was anything, but do to his location when the vomiting started acid may be a possibility.

I like for a moment to put aside any difference we all might have and offer up some positive thoughts to a little boy who is much to young to know what the inside of an ICU looks like.

It makes everything else going on feel so ridiculous and unimportant.

[CaptStumpy]

Earlier today my 22 month old nephew may have gotten a hold of something and he began vomiting badly. He was rushed to the hospital and during examination his throat began swelling shut, he was placed on a respirator and is being moved to the children's hospital and their pediatric ICU unit. Doctors as yet don't know what the something was, or if there was anything, but do to his location when the vomiting started acid may be a possibility.

I like for a moment to put aside any difference we all might have and offer up some positive thoughts to a little boy who is much to young to know what the inside of an ICU looks like.

It makes everything else going on feel so ridiculous and unimportant.

That's terrible. I hope the little guy will be O.K.

[Ravok]

 Jesus. Im really truly sorry to hear this. Its allways worse when it happens to a child.

I will be praying, for him, and you all.

[GDA-S'Cipio]

That's scary horrible, Vipre.  I really hope the little kid will be OK.  Please let us know how things turn out for him.  He's only a month older than my daughter, and I can't imagine how I'd feel if this happened to her.

Since all I can do from here is pray, I'll say a prayer for him and pass that on as a prayer request at church tomorrow.

-S'Cipio

[marstone]

More prayers and hope for the little guy.

[Sirgod]

Don't even think twice Vipre. of course mine as well as the families prayers go towards your son.

Stephen

[Commander La'ra]

Thoughts are with him.

[Vipre]

Thank you guys, from my heart I mean that.

Only one update for now and while I love my family they are really bad at relaying information so I don't know how bad it really is yet.

My nephew was transferred by air from the closest hospital, to which my brother took him, to the children's hospital across town. My brother told me doctors believe he may have ingested degreaser, I've no idea what kind it could be or how powerful or if it was just some kind of degreasing agent. I have to assume they don't know either yet. They think he may have chemical burns in his esophagus because of something about his chest I think, my dad wasn't clear but I think he meant a rash or some kind of external skin reaction. He's on a respirator as I said before, my brother told me he saw when they were examining his mouth that his tongue and mouth were "snow white". I don't know what this could be or mean. They're going to do an endoscopy in the morning to get a better look.

[Nemesis]

Degreasers are very strong soaps and they can give chemical burns.  They can also contain solvents and are strongly alkali (bases).  Normally when working with them you use chemical protection gear to avoid contact with your skin.  Chemical burns can be every bit as bad as those from fire or heat.  Hopefully the degreaser was not an industrial strength product. 

He shouldn't have been able to consume very much due to the affects on his mouth which of course reduces the potential damage.  Likely the vomiting was caused by the reaction between the alkali soap and the acid in the stomach. 

Naturally I also hope this turns out well and that you get positive news very soon.  Let us know. 

[Vipre]

They've done the endoscopy and there's nothing they can do but wait for now.

I'm told it didn't make it to his stomach and they don't believe his lungs themselves, small favors, but did his mouth, throat, voicebox, esophagus, and "windpipe" (though I don't know if my dad meant the trachea itself or just to the point of the larynx). I made a point to ask if the doctors had mentioned anything specific and he told me there was talk of a possible esophagectomy which is what I was fishing for and afraid of hearing as the response. The plan at the moment is to induce a week long coma, which as my dad phrased it "raises a whole new set of complications", and preform a second endoscopy at the end to see if there's improvement.

Sit and wait...I know it could be much worse but it doesn't feel like it at the moment.

[toasty0]

My family prays for your family.

[Dash Jones]

I hope he gets better. 

[Dracho]

God that's just awful.   

[Bonk]

Scary stuff... (particularly as a chemist), your little one will be in my thoughts. The young have an enormous capacity for healing, keep this in mind to help alleviate your parental stress.