A Scare Yesterday
Posted in: Family
Yesterday, I had planned on writing another Japanese crafting post for Label-Free but life got in the way. My little monkey gave me quite a scare. That’s being mild. To be more accurate, she scared the shit out of me. No, even that’s too tame a description. Imagine me: crazy, wild, angry, worried, imagining the worst.
What did Isabelle do that caused this? She swallowed a little duck pendant.
It happened when I was trying to get Isabelle to sleep. Right before I was about to put her down, she saw her pendant. It was a gift from my mom. We had put it on a necklace on her on the weekend but removed it because her hair was getting caught in it.
Well when she found it, she happily chattered on about her duck and I let her hold onto it because sometimes she likes falling asleep with a toy in her hand. I put her in bed, turned off the lights, lay down next to her, and gave her milk. Then all of a sudden I heard it in her mouth! I picked her up and went for the light and she made little gagging noises. Once the lights were on, I looked in her mouth, and it wasn’t there. I looked on the floor, on the bed, it wasn’t ANYWHERE. I asked Isabelle, “where’s the duckie?” And she pointed to her open mouth!
I freaked out and called Alan at work. He immediately headed home. This has never happened to us before. So yeah. We were frantic.
I then immediately called Kaiser’s advice line, you know, where you’re supposed to get help from a nurse. They have a recording that says to help you decide if you need to be seen in the emergency room or give you advice until you can make an appointment or something to that effect.
Let me reiterate, this has never happened to us before. We didn’t know what to do. I was imagining the worst. I didn’t know what this pendant was doing to Isabelle’s little insides. And since it was a gift I don’t even know what it’s made of. And the nurse I spoke to, I didn’t catch her name I was so frantic, didn’t make the situation better. She actually made it worse. She was AWFUL. Making comments like, well she’s 2, 3 years old, you better get used to her swallowing stuff. How did that comment help?!?
And, did you want to go the the emergency room or call at 6:15 for an appointment to see your doctor? That’s why I was calling. I DON’T KNOW. Is she going to be ok until she can see a doctor? Me imagining Isabelle not waking up and just all sorts of scary stuff.
And, well you need to be calm, you’re not helping the situation. I knew that. But she wasn’t helping the situation either! Where was her nice helpful manner?!
The call finally ended with me frantically asking, “I just want to know if she’ll be ok for now. CAN YOU TELL ME THAT?!?!”
When Alan got home, I told him about the call. Repeating how it went just drove home how terrible the nurse was. I realized I didn’t feel any better. In fact, I didn’t trust the nurse’s advice, that’s how bad the call was. So, I called again. I got a different nurse and explained I had just called and asked if the computer showed the name of the nurse I spoke to. She was hesitant and said it didn’t say. I then asked if it showed I called. She replied yes. And then I asked what the computer says was the reason for my first call. The nurse said, “a sore throat?” WTF? A sore throat?! Yeah. Imagine then how pissed off I was at that first nurse.
Well the second call did turn out better. The first nurse didn’t give bad advice. She just had an awful bedside manner I guess you’d say. So after maybe a couple of hours of sleep for me we went to the hospital where Isabelle saw her doctor and got an x-ray. (Pictures thanks to Alan having his cell phone because you know, in my state I wouldn’t have my camera) See the pendant I outlined in red:
And I could say so much more at this point but I’ll stop now because my 3 hour nap obviously wasn’t long enough. I’m running on empty again. So I’ll end with this:
Isabelle will be fine. Basically we’ll just have to look for the pendant to pass. Mmmm yum. Digging through poo. And I think I’ll end the post here, on poo. Goodnight all!
Hang in there! My daughter is 6 now and I still worry! 2 years ago she shoved a fake stick on earring in her ear… Luckily DH has steady and calm hands he got it out. Then on the Monday after Easter she shoved orange Reese’s pieces up her nose. I panicked and was ready for the ER…. But I forgot Chocolate Melts….. We were fine.
I had a friend swallow a penny when she was younger and my brother swallowed some small toy form a gum ball machine when he was about your daughter’s age… it will pass…
Take care!! Hang in there!!
it’s a good thing you called and that you went to the ER. i used to be a nursing assistant on the children’s floor and i’ve seen a few cases where kids swallowed stuff and it tore their esophagus or whatever they swallowed was harmful (like currosive when combined with stomach acid). yes, kids put things in their mouths and they swallow them but that nurse was in the wrong for saying such things! i’d be furious! glad to hear that she’ll be ok!
Oh my word. A scare, indeed. I’m glad she’s going to be OK.
have been catching up today. Love the reaction to the homemade popsicle, and congrats on making it mostly through a movie. And huge congrats on your new Label Free-ness!
My girl is 1 1/2yrs old, so far she hasn’t swallowed any big foreign objects, but I doubt I will ever get used to her swallowing stuff. The nurse is really awful!
Glad that Isabelle is ok. Do keep us updated…. with her poo…
Don’t even get me started on Kaiser, 1-800 health hotlines, and bad bedside manners… I’ll never shut up! I’m glad you finally got the help you needed, and that all will be fine. Take care, get some more sleep, and cuddle that baby!
Thank goodness everything will be okay!
Whew, I’m glad Isabelle will be okay! I had the bad habit of sticking things in my mouth as a kid—coins, the pendants of necklaces I was wearing, pen lids—and my mom was always getting on my case about it. When I was about 5 I was running around the house with my brother, sucking on a dime, and I accidentally swallowed it. It FREAKED ME OUT but I was fine. And you better believe I stopped carrying stuff in my mouth.
Oh my goodness…I’m so glad that she is going to be ok. About six months ago, my husband and I thought that our daughter had swallowed a little metal hair clip. I freaked out wondering the same things you had. Luckly it had just fallen out and was wedged in the side of her car seat. We finally found it after retracing all of her tiny little steps. Needless to say she was not wearing barretts for a while after that.
ooooo that would be scary and that first nurse—-boooooooo! she sucks. you were right to call back to get beter care.
glad to hear Is is going to be ok.
Well, those nurses suck.
When I was a teenager and my little brothers were babies, I was always finding things in their poo. I guess it was good we never knew they swallowed the stuff in the first place, or we would have worried, too. The weirdest was a dangley earing with a post and chain with a seashell attached to it. The earring was about an inch long. Imagine my shock while changing his diaper! How did the post get through his tiny intestines without puncturing something?!
Wow! Your little one is lucky to have such responsive parents. I am glad it was something passible (good luck with the recovery of that duck). My kids pediatrician told me batteries (think watch, etc.) and magnets can be very harmful. Hope all goes well.
PS I have added your blog to my list of favorites. I really love the cartoons and sewing updates.
I am so glad Isabelle will be fine – how scary! And how funny it will be when she is older and you tell her how she put the fear in you because she swallowed a duck!
Ack! How scary! I can imagine how freaked out you must have been. That nurse was awful. Unfortunately there are people in all fields who are very bad at their jobs.
When G was a toddler, he was “helping” my husband put some chairs together and a screw went missing. I was SO scared. We went to the ER and luckily he had not swallowed it. But yeah, the worst possible scenario ran right through my mind.
Have fun looking through poop! Isn’t motherhood grand?
I would definitely complain! Send letters until you get acknowledgment. That’s just terrible! She’s supposed to tell you what to do not act like your mother who thinks she knows best. Sheez!
i don’t know what it is about the phone in nurses – but i don’t think i’ve ever had one that gave me the correct information i needed – i often find myself using the term “that is not acceptable” with them.
i’m sorry you had to deal with that scare – i’m sure it was very scary, and you had every right to be upset (the nurse can shove it). to give you some perspective (and hopefully a laugh) my brother’s med-small chihuahua swallowed a good portion of a barbie doll and he didn’t know until the leg was sticking out… he didn’t really have to search the poop for it, but you see where i’m going here with the whole size thing, right? hang in there girlie!
Deep breath of relief. Sorry that afterhours (?) nurse was such a jerk about things. That never helps those situations.
I am so sorry that you had such a horrible experience with the nurse.
I am so glad that Isabelle’s OK!