Button noses

Warning: this post contains some squeamish material that you may want to avoid. You've been warned.

This morning Piper gave us a new definition of having a button nose. I was in changing Simon and about to get in the shower. Piper was watching cartoons in the living room. I came in to check on her and get her dressed. She then calmly informed me that she had a button in her nose. Now I know what button it was because a few days earlier she'd been playing with one. It was a little smaller then a dime. I looked in her nose and there it was but a bit too far for me to just grab. She then promptly stuck her finger in her nose and pushed it all the way up and out of sight.

Simon was crying so I fed him while I quickly got my dad on the phone. My dad was a fireman so I was sure he'd have some sage advice. He told me have her blow her nose and if that didn't work to take her to their GP. The nose blowing was unsuccessful since she keeps blowing out her mouth. I called my mom and upon hearing my dilemma she told me that she was on her way home right away and that we would go to Urgent Care. Rick called during all of this so I couldn't talk except to tell him what had happened. Meanwhile Piper was a relaxed as could be and I really wouldn't have known anything was wrong had she not told me. So I get her dressed, finish feeding Simon, and when my mom arrives, I throw on some jeans and brush my teeth.

At Urgent Care the doctor was so nice. I was aware of what they were going to do procedure-wise before we consulted with him. Piper, of course, was as calm as could be until they inserted the nasal speculum (which holds the nostril open) and inserted these alligator forceps in her nose. (The ones they used weren't this long.)


It doesn't hurt, it's just uncomfortable and nerve-racking, especially for a three year-old. We ended up having five people hold her down while the doctor tried to get the button out. She was crying and thrashing by this time. They were unsuccessful at retrieving the button. Piper wanted to leave immediately but we moved onto plan B.

The doctor was ingenious and thought of a MacGyver maneuver. They had me hold her head down and plug her left nostril with my thumb. The doctor then put this air mask over her mouth. Two quick squeezes and the button was right there at the opening. We still held her down and the doctor grabbed the button with the alligator forceps. In the end there was a lot of snot, some blood, and a traumatized child. We had a good cuddle and within an hour everything was back to normal.

Let's just say that I think the extraction process taught Piper not to put anything else up her nose again. I'm grateful for the doctor's innovative thinking, for my mom coming with me to watch Simon and keep me calm, and for a wiser daughter. Good thing she didn't put it up Simon's nose.