The teacher: ‘Suddenly three children have to vomit’

Tuesday morning, math class. The children are obediently doing sums. In the meantime, I’m checking tests. Suddenly Philine calls out: ‘Miss, teacher, there is something wrong with Tobias!’ I look up. Tobias looks dead white. I walk towards him. “Tobias, what is it?” I ask. “I’m nauseous,” he says. Then he starts to spit. An enormous amount of water. So much that I don’t know what I’m seeing. Behind me I now hear more vomiting sounds. I turn around and see Maarten throwing up. Also only water. Nick, next to him, looks as white as wax.

competition

I suddenly realize that I have seen Tobias, Maarten and Nick, the three roosters in the class, very often walk back and forth to the fountain to fill their bottles of water. In warm weather, everyone can have such a bottle on the table. It is thirty degrees outside, so I understood that the boys were thirsty and paid no further attention to it.

Now I can kick myself. I ask Nick, who is still most aware, why they drank so much water. Nick has just released: ‘We had a competition, miss. Who could drink the most.’ Then he also starts to spit. “Guys, keep on throwing up,” I say. “It’s very annoying, but you have to if you drink too much water.”

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To call

After a while the vomiting stops, but the boys still look very pale. Maarten also looks very sleepy. “Can you walk?” I ask. ‘Then we’ll go to the director to see what we can do best.’ They walk unsteadily with me. Director Loes is shocked by our small parade. After I explain, she asks, “How are you feeling now?” Tobias says, “My legs hurt, miss.” Loes and I discuss. Who do we call first, the parents or the GP? The last one, we decide.

“Who do we call first, the parents or the GP?”

The doctor says it is very important that the boys have vomited. The kidneys can only tolerate one liter per hour, with a larger amount the salt balance is disturbed and the brain cells can expand. Then you get water intoxication. Nausea and vomiting are the most benign symptoms yet. In addition to muscle cramps, such as Tobias has, headache, confusion, and sleepiness, which Maarten suffers from. In severe cases, seizures, unconsciousness and even coma can occur, resulting in death. Loes and I are shocked.

Home

The doctor recommends sending the children home and to bed. We call the parents, who will be right in front of us in no time. Loes and I are preparing an email for all parents of the school about the incident, to prevent rumors and to warn them.

Two days later Nick and Tobias are present again. Maarten will stay in bed one more day, his parents have emailed me. He won the match, with two liters of water in an hour.

This article appears in Kek Mama 13-2021.

More stories from The Teacher? Every Wednesday there is a new episode on KekMama.nl. Read the previous episodes here.