I just remembered that the same child also stuck a "spitball" in his ear at school one day last year and didn't mention it to me until a few days had gone by and his ear was starting to hurt. The school nurse called me and said he had an "earache".
This kid has never had an earache in his life- not one ear infection. When I got to school he fessed up and told me about the paper in his ear and I asked the nurse if she by any chance, had an otoscope. She did, an old timey one too, with the little swing away window.
Well I took a look and sure enough there was a little wad of looseleaf paper all rolled into a ball wedged deep in his ear right near the eardrum. I used the nurse's phone to call the doc's office and inquired what the charge was for a "foreign body removal - ear". Under 10 minutes to get whatever it was out-$76 was the answer.
I left my son sitting in the nurse's office and I went to the drug store two blocks down on the corner and bought a bottle of plain saline in the contact lens section and ran back home to get my husband's aligator clamp (tiny pliers).
I rinsed that boy's ear out about a hundred times, rinse and tip, rinse and tip. Checked my progress with the nurses otoscope every few minutes. Eventurally, it worked itself away from the eardrum and started to move out with the tide, so to speak, until I could reach in with the clamp and get that thing out.
I was so mad at him that day, 12 years old he should know better than to put something in his ear!
The nurse wanted to sign me up on the spot to be a volunteer fill-in. She said too many people are too squeemish to volunteer to help her out. They all want to run off copies, or laminate stuff or collate papers instead. She thought the whole episode was great and said I was "incredibly resourceful". Again- not exactly an experience you could really work into a resume. I was just grateful she didn't think I was a bad mom for not rushing him off to the doctor's office. I figure they have much more important things to do that give some kids ear an enema!
These kids, they just never let a mom rest from the moment they are born do they?
This kid has never had an earache in his life- not one ear infection. When I got to school he fessed up and told me about the paper in his ear and I asked the nurse if she by any chance, had an otoscope. She did, an old timey one too, with the little swing away window.
Well I took a look and sure enough there was a little wad of looseleaf paper all rolled into a ball wedged deep in his ear right near the eardrum. I used the nurse's phone to call the doc's office and inquired what the charge was for a "foreign body removal - ear". Under 10 minutes to get whatever it was out-$76 was the answer.
I left my son sitting in the nurse's office and I went to the drug store two blocks down on the corner and bought a bottle of plain saline in the contact lens section and ran back home to get my husband's aligator clamp (tiny pliers).
I rinsed that boy's ear out about a hundred times, rinse and tip, rinse and tip. Checked my progress with the nurses otoscope every few minutes. Eventurally, it worked itself away from the eardrum and started to move out with the tide, so to speak, until I could reach in with the clamp and get that thing out.
I was so mad at him that day, 12 years old he should know better than to put something in his ear!
The nurse wanted to sign me up on the spot to be a volunteer fill-in. She said too many people are too squeemish to volunteer to help her out. They all want to run off copies, or laminate stuff or collate papers instead. She thought the whole episode was great and said I was "incredibly resourceful". Again- not exactly an experience you could really work into a resume. I was just grateful she didn't think I was a bad mom for not rushing him off to the doctor's office. I figure they have much more important things to do that give some kids ear an enema!
These kids, they just never let a mom rest from the moment they are born do they?
...but in all seriousness, it MAY not have been swallowed. It could be stuck to something (check the bottom of your shoes and socks) and could take a while to turn up.
. My 1st DD screams in her best curdling yell that Em is chocking. I get into their room and sure enough her lips are a little blue and she is not getting much air into her lungs. My brother in law was our family Dr so I call him at 9:30 at night and he says to take her to the ER. At the ER they take X-rays and sure enough theres a penny in her tummy. They were very happy it was not in her throat anymore and sent me home with a special potty and gloves 
!!! I checked the contents of the special potty for a week and I never did find the penny. I checked good because someone told me is could be very bad if it doesnt come out (false!!). The point of my story is you may never see the band-aid. 
. Anyway, we took her to the hospital and they ended up having to put her under anesthesia to remove the nickel!
