- Karen’s daughter swallowed magnets after seeing a TikTok trend
- Indy, then 11, felt ill the next day and Karen rushed her to hospital
- There Indy had to undergo abdomen surgery for four hours to remove the metal
Here, Karen Teague, 52, from Brookby, NZ, shares her story in her own words…
Reading the text from my girl Indy, then 11, my heart sank.
Mum, can you and come get me? My stomach hurts, it read.
It was 7am and she’d been on a sleepover with friends.
As Indy wasn’t usually one to complain, I drove straight over.
When I arrived, I got the shock of my life.
My daughter emerged, clutching her tummy and looking grey.
‘Indy swallowed some magnets last night,’ her mate told me, frantic.
I was horrified.
‘How many magnets did you swallow?’ I asked, gripped with panic.
‘At least two,’ Indy groaned, adding they’d been two hours apart.
‘Indy, this is serious,’ I cried. ‘This could mean major abdominal surgery.’
‘I’m sorry, Mum,’ she said, scared.
She explained how the girls had been following a TikTok trend and putting one magnet on each side of their tongues to give the illusion of a tongue piercing.
They’d been in her friend’s bedroom, and the parents were unaware.
The magnets had been part of a sensory fidget toy that the kids had been playing with.
I looked at it and, even though I could see the magnets were tiny, I knew they could be deadly.
I called Healthline straight away and their advice confirmed my fears.
‘Go straight to accident and emergency,’ they urged.
Wasting no time, we drove straight there.
‘She swallowed magnets!’ I told the doctor.
We have to operate straight away
‘Take her straight to Starship Children’s Hospital for surgery,’ he said.
It was quicker for me to drive there than wait for an ambulance. But by the time we arrived at Starship Hospital, in Auckland, 35 minutes later, Indy was in so much pain with stomach cramps, she could barely speak.
We were ushered in immediately for an X-ray.
It showed two small, dark magnets, very close to one another – one in her stomach and one in her intestines.
‘We have to operate straight away,’ the surgeon explained.
They moved quickly, prepping her for surgery.
‘How long will it be?’ I asked, anxious.
‘It should only take about an hour,’ one told me.
Worried sick, I sat in the waiting room.
One hour turned into two, and then three, with no updates.
My mind ran wild with possibilities, each one darker than the last. I imagined them opening her up and finding devastating, irreparable damage.
Small, high-powered magnets can cause serious harm to children when swallowed.
They are banned for sale in Australia and New Zealand, but can be found in products purchased from other countries.
There might not be any immediate signs that your child has swallowed a magnet.
Magnet dangers
When four hours passed, I was convinced she’d died.
Why hasn’t someone come out to explain? I fretted.
Finally, a surgeon appeared.
‘The magnets had moved through her digestive system further than we initially thought and had perforated her stomach and bowel,’ she said.
‘We hoped to remove them through keyhole surgery, but they kept moving, so we had to open up her abdomen. But we got them out and repaired the damage.’
‘So she’s going to be, okay?’ I cried.
‘She’s stable,’ she assured me. ‘But it was close. Another few hours, and it could have been a very different outcome.’
‘Thank you for saving her,’ I wept, grateful.
I couldn’t believe my girl’s insides had been torn to shreds over a silly internet trend.
When Indy woke, she gave me a weak smile.
I sat by her bed, brushing her hair back.
‘I’m really sorry, Mum,’ she murmured. ‘I feel so stupid!’
‘It’s okay,’ I said. ‘You’re going to be fine.’
Symptoms can take hours or days to appear and may include;
• Gagging or choking
• Drooling
• Belly pain or discomfort
• Pain around face or throat
• Cramps
• Nausea or vomiting
Symptoms to look for:
We were in hospital for a week and, despite Indy’s abdominal muscles being severed, she made a full recovery.
Today Indy is 15 and doing fine, though she has a scar on her tummy that runs from hip to hip, just like she’s had a caesarean.
She wears it like a warrior!
I’m sharing my story to remind parents small magnets aren’t just dangerous for little children to play with.
Many older kids are using them to create the illusion of having lip, tongue or nose piercings, but if they’re accidentally swallowed, they can cause lethal damage.
I’m just so grateful to the surgeons for saving Indy’s life.
If you think your child has swallowed a magnet immediately call the NSW Poisons Information Centre on 13 11 26 for advice, or in NZ call the National Poisons Centre on 0800 764 766.
Do not try to make your child vomit and do not let them eat or drink while you wait for further instruction.
