The very lovely, Antonia (she only has about 7 weeks left until she is done with med school and can become a real doctor in England!) has given me permission to post the story that she told on her (now private) blog. I am truly amazed! Even after 6 kids, I find the possibilities of future antics that lead to trouble are innumerable. Add one more to the list:
So today I had my first ever big moment of glory as a potential future doctor; I actually made a big difference to another human being!
So in the midst of all my craziness of revision, hospital work blah blah, I got assigned to spend this evening (a SATURDAY!!) (until MIDNIGHT) in a centre where GPs ('Family Physicians') work on the weekends (because the GP offices are closed on the weekends, so instead of going into hospital patients can come to this centre or telephone to request a home visit).
ANYWAY, so at about 10pm a little 4 year old boy in his pjs comes in with his father.
The poor little kid had pushed a bead up his nose.
Young children aren't very good at understanding the concept of blowing their nose; you tell them to blow, and all they do is sniiiifffffff (& so get the object in their nose wedged even higher up!)
The little boy was actually very very good, considering he was only 4.
The doctor & I had a look up his nose and, sure enough, really high up there was a glint of a green plastic bead.
So the doctor broke out a pair of long tweezers and we began the difficult process of trying to get the bead out of the little guy's nose.
Twenty minutes later the once-happy child was now crying and not happy, his nose was all snotty and running (so he kept sniffing the bead up!), his father was getting upset and worried, the doctor with the tweezers was all sweaty and giving up.
We weren't winning.
The implications of not-winning means that the child and his father would've had to go to the Emergency Department, wait for at least 3 hours to be seen, have another doctor try to get the bead out in pretty much the same way, probably fail, and then call the ENT dudes ('Ear Nose & Throat') docs, who might've had a few extra tricks up their sleeve.
But either way...it would just be much better if we could get it out now.
Then I had a brain-wave and remembered some advice I was once given by another doctor on how to get objects out of children's noses. It's a little-known technique but apparently always works.
So I suggested that the dad blow hard into his child's mouth, while we pushed closed the bead-free nostril.
No one had heard of this method before, but the dad was desperate, the kid was crying and upset, the doc just wanted it solved...so the dad clamped his mouth on his kid's, blew hard....and out shot a stream of snot and a little green bead!
Needless to say, I was the hero! Everyone (the dad, the doc and the kid!!) were soooooo grateful and thankful! Seriously, the sincerity with which the dad, his brow all sweaty, thanked me...well, no patient has ever been so grateful to me! Phew! No trip to the emergency room!
hehe!
So that's my one moment of glory. I'm basking in it.
and if your child gets something stuck up their nose....blowing in their mouth works every time!
