Foreign Object

Theres a little guilt that comes when you have a smelly kid. And then lets just say that smelly kid has been smelly for quite some time. When did it start? I don't actually know. Oh no... more guilt. How could I have not know that something was wrong? After all, I am his mother. I should know everything.

Well some time ago our boy became a very smelly boy. After a bath he would smell like our favorite Shea Moisture bath soap for a few hours... then he was back to being smelly.

We noticed that one nostril seemed to run when the other one did not. We also noticed that the skin underneath that nostril would get red, sore, and irritated fast. 

Some how a conversation came up between Kevin and another fellow dad. Kevin came home telling me it was actually common for kids (even more so for boys) to stick objects in their noses and then mold, inflammation, and excessive mucus would build up. This of course caught our attention, we made an appointment with pediatrician the next day. It wasn't "urgent" enough so we waited a week.

An appointment that luckily cost us only a $5 co-pay, left us without answers. He could have a foreign object but she (our pediatrician) could not see it or remove it. Smelly nose/mouth, she said, could also be caused my adenoid over-growth. Oh joy, I could see where this was going.

We were given a referral and waited another two weeks to see a specialist, an ENT. With a much higher co-payment this time, we certainly hoped that we would receive some sort of answer. Hopefully not one involving surgery.

With all the mucus it was once again hard to see. Conveniently, ENT offices actually have a board with velcro wraps to strap a person down like a burrito. I thought for sure he would freak out.

He was so brave! I was ready at any moment for him to cry.

With a little suctioning the doctor was able to see that there was indeed some thing up there.

With his special tools he was able to open up his nasal passage and tweeze a huge chunk. 

We had no idea was it was for several minutes as it was covered in mucus. 

What hidden object did we find?

A used bandage. Are you serious??? A used bandage that had been wrapped around his finger at one point. The whole bandage! I don't think I've given him a bandage for like... several months!

And that was it. The doctor told us his slight tonsillitis should go away, as it was probably related to all of the inflammation and blockage.

"He should feel better immediately," he told us.

Totally gross, I know! But here lies the proof! Just like our pediatrician had said, she would not be able to see something that was lodged so far up there. The ENT was not able to see it until after he had suctioned it down a little. 

Landen and Kaylee were given suckers and coins to use in the prize machine. Everything went really well. It was painless for everyone, especially Landen. Yes, we did pay a professional $40 to "pick" our son's nose and it was totally worth it!

Just like magic, our once smelly boy is no longer smelly. Like literally I sat next to him on the couch when we got home and I could not smell what we were accustomed to as "smelly boy smell."

Update: Landen slept wonderfully all night long. He never made it into our room so he was able to enjoy a full night of undisturbed sleep. His almost constant runny nose, which I thought was because of all the colds we are exposed to this time of year... is gone! 

I would like to thank Ogden Clinic for their expertise, equipment and friendly staff. Dr. Anderson and his staff are very good with kids and awesome at removing foreign objects!