Poison Control (the 1st and 2nd time)

The first time we had to call Poison Control for Owen was in the summer of 2009.  He ate the fiberglass out of the fireplace in the basement.  Perhaps he thought it looked like cotton candy, I know I think it does.  Or, maybe he was just being curious.  Either way, Peter was on the phone with Poison Control and the doctor's office for the better part of the day while I waited impatiently at work to find out if Owen was okay.  When all was said and done, we determined that Owen just chewed on the fiberglass a bit and didn't actually ingest any of it.  Poison Control sent us a nice package in the mail a few days later with magnets showing the Poison Control phone number and a list of common household items that are poisonous.


The second time we had to call Poison Control was much more chaotic.  A cell tower by our house had gone down the day before so our cell service was shotty at best.  Texting was all that would go through.  This would be a good add for a landline provider.  I get a text from Peter, while I am at work, asking me to call Poison Control because Owen got the childproof lock off his Fluoride and drank the contents.  What???  I call Poison Control with very little information, e.g. I have no idea what the dosage of Fluoride was, how much he ingested, how much he weighs, etc.  Finally, the nice lady tells me to get a hold of Peter, ask him the questions she asked me and to call her back.


After much back and forth texting between Peter and me, I get the dosage from the pharmacy and call Posion Control back.  Luckily, Owen did not ingest enough to poison him.  But, he would have a pretty good stomach ache for the rest of the day.  The woman I was speaking with said to give him plenty of calcium (did you know calcium counteracts fluoride?  well, now you do) and keep an eye on him.  If he started throwing up or looking lethargic, we needed to take him to the ER.


I thanked the woman profusely, especially for her patience while I tried texting Peter to get answers to her questions.  And, she asked me if I would like her to send me a copy of the Poison Control materials (magnets, lists, etc.).  I told her, unfortunately, we already received that package.