Have you called poison control?

[lalaland42]

I just found out that California might cut poison control to help balance the budget. :

Poison control just does not seem like an optional service to me. I was wondering if I am just the bad parent who had to call, but somehow I doubt it. Indulge me and vote in my poll. Oh and if you did call poison control, what would you have done if it wasn't available? In my case, I would have taken DD to the emergency room.

[Fuamami]

I voted once. When dd was first mobile she chewed on some philadendron (sp?) leaves.

I think I'd vote to cut it, actually. Considering CA's budget issues, I think that is a service that can go. People have the internet, nurse hotlines, etc. If I hadn't called poison control I would have just called my ped.

[Starflower]

I voted 2-4 times. We've called twice for a dog we used to have. (yes, they can help pets too.)

I saw one website about animals today (coincidentally we have a sick dog today) that listed a Poison Control number that you had to pay for the call. Not sure if it was just pets or a regular number.

Seems to be something they shouldn't cut if you ask me. I guess there would need to be another number people could call - would the hospitals be able to take these calls? We have a nurse-line number we use when helping to decide whether or not to see a doc or go to ER, but we usually have to wait for a call-back. Seems like it could result in more ER visits.

[Mountaingirl79]

I have. I have two rowdy boys. Once I called b/c I left my toddler coloring in his chair while I peed, and when I came back, he had sucked the ink out of the marker and it was all over his face and tongue.

Also, I called it before I had kids when my dog ate a tube of neosporin. (sp)


I would have called some other emergency line, like my docs nurses line, if I didnt have poison control, but what a shame! I hope they don't cut it.

[HarperRose]

I went to the bathroom and when I came back my 2 yr old was in the midst of a pile of ibuprofen tablets! God knows how she found them. They were very helpful!

[pink gal]

I called once when DD got into cat litter deodorizer. I wasn't sure if she had actually consumed any,but I called just to be sure. They were wonderful and reassuring. By the way it's not toxic, but who wants to take a chance.

I would use the service if there was a charge if I needed it in the future. I sure wouldn't want to see it cut!

[99lauren]

I called once. My daugther was about a year old, and we got a sample packet of some kind of mystery fertilizer in the mail with a gardening catalog. We didn't notice that it had a small hole in it. It was just sitting in the mail pile - I will never leave something like this in reach again, you can be sure of that!
Anyhow, my husband thought he saw her put something small and white in her mouth, and thats when we noticed the hole in the packet. We called poison control, and they were helpful to a point, but because the sample packet had no manufacturer named on it, no one could know what was in it. The man at PC told us what signs to watch for etc. so I do think it was helpful.

I could not find any information online for some reason. Maybe liability issues? Anyhow, I was glad they were there - 24 hours a day! They should absolutely NOT close it down!

[Porcelain Interior]

Twice for baby lotion, once for an ingested silica gel packet.

That was before the internet days though. Now I'm secure that I could figure it out without poison control, but man is that a good resource.

[~Boudicca~]

3 times for dd2, who is 2. Ask anyone who knows me around here, my kid is like a goat. Or a Hoover. If it isn't edible, she's guaranteed to ingest it. I am hyper-vigilant about tiny things and medicines but she still finds a way.

[angelcollector1]

I have, although it was about 18 years ago- I'm old and my kids are now adults. My daughter was 3 and she rubbed roll-on deodorant in her eyes.
I know we called for another reason as well for something one of the kids ate that they shouldn't have, but I can't recall what it is now. I try to block out those days of young kids when was a hell child who we later found out has asbergers.

[LuxPerpetua]

I have never used Poison Control but I think it's an essential service. If PC was not available I'd start by calling our family dr. and then going to the emergency room.

[KJoslyn78]

3 times, for my daughter when she ate deordant (the stick kind)

[elmh23]

Yes, twice in the same week for the same kid. This boy will be the death of me.

[AllyRae]

I've called several times. Once was when DS1 was about a year old and he got into Burts Bees banana hand cream and ate it. Poison control had no idea what that was though and said "he'll be fine as long as there are no bee allergies"...um, it's not made with real bees. :

The other was a couple months ago...we were clearing out the chemical cupboard and we turned our head for a minute and DD1 said 'yummy soap' and was standing next to some rinse aid. She had some on her hands and insisted she ate it. We called to be sure, even though we couldn't smell any on her breath and she had no symptoms of swallowing it (turns out she was just fibbing... oy).

[lalaland42]

Originally Posted by Fuamami

I think I'd vote to cut it, actually. Considering CA's budget issues, I think that is a service that can go. People have the internet, nurse hotlines, etc. If I hadn't called poison control I would have just called my ped.

Frequently the nurses at the ER call poison control for weird situations they have never encountered. They have a database for not just household poisons, but also plants and other stuff and they take calls from parents and medical personnel. It is not just a parent hotline.

Here is some info on California's service.

http://www.calpoison.org/about/press.htm
http://pharmacy.ucsf.edu/news/2009/05/20/1/

from the second link:

However, the health professionals in California's Emergency Departments, hospitals, and 911 services who rely on the CPCS to manage serious poison exposures will not have anywhere to turn for such expert advice.

[fruitfulmomma]

I didn't vote because I didn't actually call them. I called my doctor who told me to take my girls to the ER and the nurse there called them.

[lalaland42]

Originally Posted by fruitfulmomma

I didn't vote because I didn't actually call them. I called my doctor who told me to take my girls to the ER and the nurse there called them.

I think that might be the elusive other.

[earthmama369]

Twice for dd. Once she banged a bottle of Tabasco on the table and a drop flew into her open eye. Another time she took a taste of a bottle of The Body Shop brandied apple scented potpourri oil. (The Tabasco was an issue. We had to flush her eye for 20 minutes -- great fun with a toddler -- and keep a close eye on it. Breastmilk helped clear up the last of the irritation. The potpourri oil was fine.)

I can't believe I haven't had to call for ds yet. He's the one I think of as Danger Boy.

If Poison Control weren't available, I would use the internet, call the manufacturer, and go to the ER, as needed.

[2xshy]

I voted 2-4 times.
I called once for me a few years ago, cant remember why and 1x for DD when she ingested laundry detergent.

My mom called poison control for me at least once when i ate some decorative hot peppers or something. I have memories of drinking milk and sucking on ice crying for hours because of that.

[LiamnEmma]

I've called twice, but could have called the ped on call in both instances--or the nurse within the practice. It seems that both instances were mid-morning if I correctly recall.