Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Emily Update

We visited the doctor yesterday since Emily contracted a runny nose, cough, and slight fever over the weekend. The doctor came in the room and immediately started sniffing the air.  I began to get a bit worried and thought back to my morning routine and remembered adding my deodorant as well as a splash of Bath and Body Works' scented body mist.  He walked to Emily and began to sniff her and said that he smelled something.  He then proceeds to look in her ears, nose, and mouth.  He then removes her diaper and looks there.  By this time, I'm a bit perplexed.  This is normal when he does a routine physical, but she was there for flu like symptoms.  I was just hoping it wasn't a repeat of the RSV she suffered from last winter.

He then asks me she has vomited as of late.  I thought back to last Thursday when she threw up on my blackberry (don't worry, the blackberry is okay).  Yes, I told him she had and in fact she was eating some snacks when she did so, I believe.  Yes, Friday was when she started to feel bad.

The doctor then proceeds to tell me that she has an unmistakable "foreign body" smell.  I am sure that the puzzled look on my face only added to the oddness of this situation because I hadn't the slightest clue as to what he was talking about.  She smelled normal to me.  But, he proceeded to explain that sometimes, especially children her age, learning to pick up small objects, as well as self feeding will "get something stuck in a hole". He might as well have told me she swallowed a barcode scanner

No, this is NOT a JOKE and I am not kidding.  The diagnosis that our pediatrician gave us was that she has a "foreign body" infection.  In fact, the nurse came and and confirmed that indeed she smelled "the smell" as she checked her temperature.  She's on a routine antibiotic.  What we hope is that the antibiotic will cause the inflammation to subside thus releasing the "foreign body".  What he suspects is that she threw up and possibly a piece of food is lodged in her sinus cavity.  My concern is that I do not smell this "smell" that she is omitting so how am I to know if she is well?!

Fast forward to yesterday afternoon as we're waiting to pick up her sister from school, Emily becomes very fussy and almost inconsolable.  She is NEVER this way, so I knew something must be wrong.  Suddenly she projectile vomits all in the (new) van!  I clean her up and as I am doing so I find a piece of grass/hay in the vomit. I got a bit excited because I hoped this might be the answer to our problem.  I get her all cleaned up, she plays for a bit and becomes inconsolable again.  Repeat...more vomit.  This vomit doesn't include any "foreign bodies" only the remnants of the mashed potatoes and chocolate pie she had for lunch.  *GAG*

So, now I am concerned that maybe this antibiotic might be upsetting her stomach.  She cries again for about 30 minutes and just as the kids are walking out of the building to meet us at the van, she falls asleep.  Whew!
So, we made it home with her and she was fine the rest of the night.  She still has a runny nose and cough.  But, I really believe that this is probably contributed to her big brother sharing a virus that he had last week.

As far as the "foreign body" is concerned,  if it's still there when we visit the doctor for her one year check up, then we'll take invasive measures to try to find it.  Fingers crossed that it was the grass that was in her vomit.  We'll see.

In the meantime, has anyone else ever heard of such a crazy diagnosis, or is is just my CrAzY family that this has happened to?!?! 

13 comments, add yours here:

Mom Knows Everything said...

I hope she feels better soon! When Aurora was about 1 she stuck a piece of foam up her nose and it got stuck there. Her breath smelled horrible! I took her to the doctor and found out about the foam stuck up her nose.

Akelamalu said...

I've never heard of diagnosis by smell! Hey but if the doc says so who are we to argue? I hope it was the hay and Emily will be fine now. x

Linda said...

That just seems really strange to me that a nurse and doctor can smell things but you can't! Mom's are usually so attuned to their children that the slightest little thing off will be noticeable so this just seems weird to me though I'm not doubting the diagnosis - just never heard of it!

Anonymous said...

makes sense to me.

Callie Ann said...

Indeed... we get use to smells ya know and then pretty soon we can't smell em... so maybe the smell has slowly worked it's way into the vial foreign body smell and you are now immune to the smell... cause you know when she shit's her pants you know it... cause it's fast and urgent to get rid of that smell... so I will go with my odd way of thinking about it.. What do you think? Emily get well and stop throwing up in the new van... HA!!!! it's been christened

Twisted Cinderella said...

I have to admit, I have never heard of diagnosis by smell, but it sort of makes sense.

Petula said...

Nope, I've never heard of it either, but I hope that was the problem (the hay/grass) and that she'll get better soon.

Amazing Gracie said...

Odd but I've heard/read that doctors can smell if someone has been poisoned by cyanide. There is a smell of almonds about them. I guess it's like wine smellers (tasters). They learn what to "smell" for!
Hope she's back up to par soon! She's such a cutie~
~~~Blessings~~~

Anonymous said...

My niece had a piece of wood shoved up her nose for years...before they discovered her foreign body infection.So at least he might catch it early!

Anonymous said...

Pretty amazing that both the doctor and nurse could smell the smell which wasn't picked up by ur nose. I hope she gets well soon :)

MAGGIE AT COFFEESHOPMAFIA said...

Never heard of such a thing. So interesting. I hope she is feeling better really quick.

LAC said...

We've had kids in the family that have stuck stuff in their ears, and up their noses, small kids toys, polly pocket kind of stuff. And it did indeed cause an infection.

ohmomablog said...

I have never heard of this diagnosis, although I hope the grass was the problem. Kids are well know for sticking inanimate objects in places things should not go.


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