Strollerderby
Kid’s Hair Chewing Almost Kills Her
That’s it. I’m scheduling a haircut for my daughter.
After years of pulling it out of her mouth and saying “don’t chew on your hair,” I read this: a five-year-old in England swallowed so much of her own hair that it formed a rope that was constricting her organs.
Yes, her hair almost killed her.
Yum. Is it bad to say I chuckled a little at the fact that they called this Rapunzel syndrome (Rapunzel, Rapunzel, poop out your hair)? Come on, she survived! The tot, Millie Wallis, was suffereing from stomach aches for months, and visits to the doctor and hospital turned up nothing for half a year. Finally an “internal scan” revealed a large foreign object in her stomach. They thought it was a tumor until they went in and found the rope of hair, stretching from the stomach down farther in the digestive tract, cutting through her bowel.
It’s a worst case scenario, I know. But it’s none too pleasant pulling hairs out of your kid’s butt because they’ve swallowed them and they’re just sort of hanging out there (sorry for the TMI), so my warning still stands – let them eat cake . . . not hair.
Image: Daily Mail
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4 Comments
TolaniLucia commented on Jan 01 70 at 12:00 amIf I hear of a child chowing down on her hair and in the process accumulating a hair ball large enough to kill her I will respond in disgust. It is perhaps a sad thing this tricotillomania but unfortunately a very nasty sad thing that does nothing to stroke my sensitivity button. I just find it funky.
Anonymous commented on Jan 01 70 at 12:00 amIt’s a OCD spectrum disorder called tricotillomania. It’s not something that people CHOOSE to do, but much like the obsessive hand-washing or counting, it’s very difficult to control, even with medications and counseling.
Some scientists believe that tricotillomania is caused by a haywire grooming gene. That would mean that it is something that a hair-puller/chewer is BORN with, and last I checked gene therapy is still in early stages and there isn’t a whole lot one can do if the sufferer has a particularly intense case.
Yes, it’s disturbing and not “normal” but it’s usually beyond a child’s (let alone an adult’s) control and a little less humor at someone’s unfortunate circumstances would be more in line than calling someone gross or making fun of them.
So try not to be so narrow-minded and hurtful, maybe?
TolaniLucia commented on Jan 01 70 at 12:00 amWho chews their hair?! What a disgusting thing to do. Ick. I am soooooo grossed out.
Anonymous commented on Jan 01 70 at 12:00 amDude, my parents cut my hair so short I couldn’t chew it… I was mad as heck at the time but I guess it wasn’t such a bad call!
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