Tuesday, July 10, 2007

ER in the comfort of our own home

"We could hook a straw up to the Shop Vac." This is a phrase I never thought I would hear my husband say. But desperate times call for powerful suction.

Last night I stepped away from Willa and her dinner to get something to wipe the cottage cheese off of her face. And arms. And hair. Willa's success rate with spoon self-feeding is growing by the day, but it's a sloppy growth.

When I sat back down in front of her, she was sniffing and putting her finger up her nose, more than usual. I looked down at her tray and had a sinking feeling. Sure enough, there was a pea in her right nostril. I tried to pluck it out, but she sniffed again and it went further up.

Jim was at the grocery store, so I called him asking him to come home asap. I'd need him to hold her head while I tried to nab the pea with tweezers. Then I called urgent care to see if they could remove it if we couldn't. No, the nurse said, she'd have to go to the ER (grumble grumble 4 hours in an ER waiting room grumble $150 bill grumble, for a pea?!).

Jim got home, we laid Willa on our bed with the reading light illuminating the legume in question. We were unsuccessful with tweezers. Turns out a squirmy crying toddler makes my steady hand less steady with metal so close to her brain. This is when he suggested the Shop Vac (I'm still giggling today). I went the more energy efficient route and suggested we just put the straw in a mouth and suck. This is what worked in one attempt.

Note to self: move a straw or two to the first aid kit. Move peas to the back of the freezer.

8 comments:

Em said...

Well, wait until you have more kids. When I was about 7 or so, I told my sister to put a pebble in her nose. My Dad was pulling night shifts at the Med. Center and off we went, so he could fetch it out with a 'shop-vac'! HAHA!

Anonymous said...

I'm sorry, but I'm confused. You put the straw into Willa's mouth and told her to suck? How did that help the pea move? The suction??? Just for my own future reference.~Jen

apt said...

Straw up nostril, stop at base of the pea, suck while easing straw out. Have a tissue ready, there was a teeny bit of blood, probably adgitated from expanding from the pea.

JT said...

To be clear, it was me, and if you need to do this do two things:
1. Gently suck and the pea and a little snot will attach to the straw. If you suck slowly you will not get kid snot in your mouth (he he).
2. Before you stick a straw in your kids nose, heat the tip with a match to make the straw less sharp. I did this so if she moved her head it would not cut the inside of her nose.
3. Get ready for the kid to buck you off like a bronco. We used the straw because we were worried that the whole tweezer would get shoved up there if she got loose.
4. The look you get from your kid will resemble very distictly "WTF did you just do to me". Try it, it is true!

Anonymous said...

Please excuse the moment of Pregnancy Brain from Jen.. I'm laughing at all of you. ~B

Anonymous said...

WOW- this is a terrific learning opportunity for those of us who don't have children yet. Thank you for your wise words of wisdom. hgh

Anonymous said...

so....you didn't want to puncture her brain with the tweezers but it was ok to suck them out with the shop vac? !!!
you new parents handled it wonderfully.
be prepared lots more to come:)

Anonymous said...

What a green way to remedy your child's breathing condition. You are so eco-friendly...not that shop vac's are great and all for cleaning the car.
GLAD to hear all is well. This was a good enough story that it made the phone line between jules and I. Did she post about the crayon with our sister???? must look....