Episode Transcript
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Interviewer: You're out in nature and you get distracted, the next thing you know you see the kid eating some berries. What now? Should you freak out? Is it a problem? Well, we're going to find out from poison expert Dr. Brad Dahl from Utah Poison Control Center. And you said that this is one of the more common things, that a mother or a father is distracted and the next thing they know they see their young child, usually what, two or three, eating some foreign substance, berries or whatever and that freaks them out. So what do you do at that point?
Dr. Dahl: Well, number one, don't freak out. Okay?
Interviewer: Okay.
Dr. Dahl: Yeah, relax. You've got time and the good news is that there are very few things out there that are that poisonous that we're going to run into real problems.
Interviewer: So here in Utah that's the case?
Dr. Dahl: Yes, here in Utah. And us being Utah Poison Control Center it's our job to know what grows here.
Interviewer: Yeah.
Dr. Dahl: And the next best thing to do is to call us before doing anything else.
Interviewer: All right. But the good news is regardless of what it is, there's not a lot that's going to immediately hurt somebody.
Dr. Dahl: That is true.
Interviewer: So we do have time.
Dr. Dahl: We have plenty of time.
Interviewer: Is there something that a parent can do if they're not in cell phone service and they see this happening to determine what the danger might be?
Dr. Dahl: No, not really. Not unless they know what kind of berry it is. But even then, I mean, if you determine it's a toxic plant or something that could hurt your child. I think the natural instinct is to make them throw up and we learned through experience that you just cannot get enough of it out of them to change the outcome. So we recommend not making them throw up. So if there's anything still in the mouth, it's always a good idea to kind of sweep with your finger and get that out.
Interviewer: Okay.
Dr. Dahl: Give them something to drink. Push any residue down in case it's something that's irritating. But, other than that, you get to where you can get some service and give us a call. Don't panic. I know that's difficult as a parent because most of us parents actually like our kids and so we get a little anxious when they do things like that. But if you can keep calm because that keeps the kid calm and then call us as soon as you can and we'll chat about it and take good care of you.
Interviewer: And keep the kid calm because you just don't want that heart rate elevated and that kind of stuff. What about . . . my natural inclination would be to give them some bread or some water, or something to help dilute that. Is that a smart plan or not?
Dr. Dahl: No, it's totally okay to do that.
Interviewer: Does it help?
Dr. Dahl: No, it probably doesn't help, but what it does is, as a parent that's concerned, you feel like you're doing something to help the child and that kind of brings down the anxiety level. And again, things go much better when people are not out of control or anxious about something. You can better watch the child and know if they're really having symptoms that are real symptoms. If you keep asking them if they have a stomach ache, they're going to eventually say yes because you can convince a two or three-year-old to say that.
Interviewer: Sure. Okay. So they eat something, you're saying 100% of the time take it seriously, call Poison Control. If you're out of cell phone range, get into cell phone range, I'd imagine?
Dr. Dahl: Yes. Yeah, don't wait for them to get sick.
Interviewer: Okay.
Dr. Dahl: Because if it something, and if you can bring some of the plant with you, that's always helpful too because most people have cell phones that can take pictures. And you can send us a picture of it and we'll take a look at it and say, "Oh, yeah, we know what that is." Or it's like, "Ooh, yeah, we're not sure what that is." But we'll still give you the best information to make sure your child does the best possible.
Interviewer: Okay. I guess I was hoping for some magic answer that you would say "most of the time you don't have to worry about it," or, "it's these kinds of berries you've got to watch out for," but there is no real universal, it doesn't sound like.
Dr. Dahl: Well, the problem with trying to figure it out without really knowing what you're dealing with is, what if you're wrong? We don't like being wrong. Okay. So we want to treat everything until we know for sure what we are dealing with, like it could be something that's a problem. And so we treat it that way until we're sure that everything is fine. But again, knowing what grows here and knowing how much kids really eat, we know that it's highly unlikely that they're going to get enough of anything that's going to hurt them.
Interviewer: So do all poisonous berries or foods present some sort of symptoms or do some of them present no symptoms? I would think if they're saying they have a stomach ache then I would worry, or if a fever kicks in, I would worry.
Dr. Dahl: That's a great question and I can't really think of any plants that would cause a fever. Most of them are going to be gastrointestinal, nausea, vomiting, possibly diarrhea. That would be the classic presentation.
Interviewer: And that's going to take a while to set in?
Dr. Dahl: Yeah. Usually an hour or so. Sometimes it can be a little bit sooner. But, again, it depends on if they have something in their stomach and exactly what it is they ate. But there are some that contain other toxins that can affect the nervous system and also the heart. And so those symptoms, you're probably not going to see right away either. And you're not even going to be able to tell if it's a cardiac situation. You can't tell if your child's heart is beating fast or slow unless you're actually measuring it.
Interviewer: All right. Did I miss anything here? I'm trying to think from a parent's perspective, questions they might have, things they'd want to know.
Dr. Dahl: No. I think that was pretty good. Yeah.
Interviewer: So we just . . . if we see them eat something then pause on your plans. It's worth taking a picture of it. I love that idea. And finding out for sure from some experts.
Dr. Dahl: Yeah. Give us a call. We're there 24 hours a day. It's a free service. It's confidential and we'd love to help you. We want your call.
Interviewer: Give me that number?
Dr. Dahl: 1-800-222-1222. It's a 1 surrounded by 2s.
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