Inappropriate Use of Kleenex

Never a dull moment passes in our house. Friday afternoon as I worked on Bible school plans, Sidney began whimpering and grabbing her nose. As I flipped her upside down to look, I noticed she shoved Kleenex up each nostril. I was able to retrieve one small wad from each side. I got my handy flashlight to see if there was more. Sure enough, she wedged a piece high on one side. As I encouraged her to blow her nose, I decided it wasn't budging. I began devising an extraction plan, deciding there was nothing small enough to safely get inside her tiny nose. One quick stop to pick up Eli who was more than happy to leave school 10 minutes early, and we were on our way to the doctors office.

Our PA grabbed a set of large tweezers, picking out small pieces but nothing the size of what lurked inside. Deciding there was nothing she could do, the PA sent us on to the ER about 20 miles away with instructions for no food or drink. A small child cannot hold still nor do they want to be awake for a procedure which goes high into the nose to extract a foreign object. Thinking of the twelve visits we made to the university hospital last year, I had a lump in my throat. I did not want the ENT to sedate her, but I knew we couldn't risk a large infection. At this point, I considered grabbing the tweezers from the counter behind the PA and giving it a go.

Thirty minutes later, we had retrieved dad from work and met Grandma Sheryl. Eli lucked out. While Sidney was laying nicely with a large light up her nose, Eli was eating McDonald's. An ENT assisted an ER doctor over the phone. The doctor encouraged her to blow her nose, as I had several times, and it still would not budge. As he went to get a different light, stepping out of the room, I told her to blow as hard as she could. A large chunk of Kleenex went flying across the room! Our doctor advised to continue encouraging her to blow her nose, and if there is any sign of infection to go to the ENT. Afterward, the ER doctor discussed how lucky we were that it appeared all of it had come out. "Otherwise, you would have to put her down with an IV," said the veterinarian, I mean ER doctor.

I am feeling VERY thankful today.