A mum has issued a stark warning to parents to avoid a certain toy over Christmas which led to her son needing emergency surgery.
Five-year-old Jude Foley had been ill with sickness bugs for some time, with his condition initially brushed off by doctors as nothing serious. But when his health deteriorated, with a worsening of pains in his stomach, his mum Lyndsey decided to take him to A&E.
It was there that an X-ray of Jude's stomach revealed a necklace-type shape, reports Wales Online. They soon discovered that the youngster had 52 magnetic balls - which can be stacked together to form different structures - stuck in the shape of a ring in his bowel.
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He was sent to a children's hospital in Cardiff to undergo a major operation to have them removed. Doctors had to cut Jude's bowel in five places as the magnets were trapped. They also had to remove his appendix as one of the magnets had joined it to his bowel.
"I felt like I might lose him - it was horrific," said mum Lyndsey, from Merthyr Tydfil. "It was lucky that he was operated on that night or it could have been fatal. You don't expect something so bad to happen from a child's toy.
"They operated as son as we arrived. They told me the operation would take two hours but it ended up taking seven. The time went so incredibly slowly."
Doctors told Lyndsey they'd managed to remove the 52 beads and that he was 'very lucky' that there was no long-term damage. Before the surgery they had warned her that he may well end up with a colostomy bag for life and needing monthly injections due to his bowel being so short.
She believes that judo-mad Jude swallowed the balls over a longer period of time, rather than in one sitting. And she is now warning other families not to buy these types of toys over Christmas.
"If you have these beads at home remove them immediately," she said. "If you know of anyone who has them, pass the message on.
"They are so dangerous they shouldn't be put on the market, and I wouldn't want another family to be put through what we have experienced."
Health bosses say ingestion of mini magnets and button batteries can cause serious internal injuries if swallowed. A spokesperson for Public Health Wales said: "Multiple magnets can stick together inside a child's stomach resulting in the need for major abdominal surgery. Studies show that in around 40% of cases, children swallow the item without anyone noticing. In many cases the child may not initially show any clinical symptoms or signs either."
Sarah Jones, consultant in environmental public health, said: "We are asking parents to think carefully before buying products containing magnets and button batteries for children. Mini magnet toys don't make good stocking fillers. They should always be stored out of the reach of small children.
"Similar dangers come from children swallowing button batteries too. Parents should make sure the button battery compartment is properly closed and secure on all toys before giving them to children."
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