Picture this…..you are having a nice time coloring with your toddler, watching your little Picasso blossom before your eyes. Suddenly you realize there is a piece of the red crayon missing. Where did it go? You search, you look in your child’s mouth, it is nowhere to be found. Then you see it….or at least a piece of it. It is inside their nose, close enough to see it but far enough that you cannot get it. What now?
Foreign bodies are pretty common with children of all ages. In fact, out of the entire population that seeks medical help for foreign bodies, children make up almost 95% of nose cases and 85% of ear cases. The most common age for this to happen is in kids ages 1 to 4. Foreign bodies need to be handled with a delicate touch and special instruments in order to not cause harm or further trauma to the nose or ear. It is important that you do not try to retrieve any foreign body that is deep within one of these places.
So what kinds of objects have the doctors at West River Ear, Nose & Throat seen? Candy, legos, food, beads, rocks, orbeez (!) and bugs…yes, you heard that right, bugs. If it fits, they stick! If you think your child may have stuck something up his or her ear or nose, don’t hesitate. Contact the experts at West River Ear, Nose & Throat (605)791-0602 for a same day appointment.
-JaNell Rubelt, CNP
