When 18 month old Cooper Anderson appeared unwell his mother just presumed he had the flu reports Mirror.
It wasn’t until his mum, Tiffany Anderson, began to smell an unusual aroma on her son that she took him to Toowoomba base hospital. Tiffany thought her son smelled like acid.
An x-ray revealed the youngster had swallowed the battery from their 3D TV 6 days prior.
Ms Anderson said: “It didn’t even cross our minds there were batteries in those glasses because we’d never used them, they came with the TV.
“There was no warning sign.”
Doctors removed the battery, but due to the acid present inside it the damage to the little boy’s oesophagus was already done.
“Doctors told me the stomach acid eats the battery and then the battery acid eats you,” added Tiffany.
“His oesophagus looked like a mushed-up hamburger, that’s how the doctors explained it to me.”
The toddler’s condition was so serious at that time that he could not breath unaided, and after he was stabilised he could not eat for a month.
Although the toddler is now home he must endure surgery once a month to stretch out the scar tissue lining his oesophagus.
“I need to get the word out about how dangerous these button batteries are – it can happen to anyone,” said Tiffany.
