Removing a pea from a toddler nose - at home ER

Now before I start this post I want to point out that while my husband is almost done with his third year of medical residency in Med/Peds and is a licensed physician, I am just a stay at home mom writing about an experience that we had at home.  This is not medical advice and if anyone should chose to use this information they do so at their own risk.

Yesterday evening we had peas with our dinner.  It was a safe choices because every child in my family loves peas.  It started a year or so ago when Dr. J instituted the "lets see who can eat the biggest bite of peas challenge".  I think Captain E holds the record with 55 peas, which actually is a huge spoonful of them.  Try it out if you don't believe me.  We had two competitions of this and ever since the kids just can't get enough of them.  So yesterday we were just all eating when I looked over at Cheetah and noticed that she kept touching her nose and that she had part of a pea hanging on her face right underneath it.  "Come here girl," I said as I pulled her toward me.  I sat her on the table and looked up her nose.  Sure enough I could just see the green of a pea stuck up inside her right nostril.  "J," I said, "she's got a pea up there."

"No problem," he tells me.  He comes around to her side of the table, puts a finger on the left side of her nose (the side the pea isn't on) to block off her left nostril, puts his mouth completely over her mouth creating a seal and gives a mighty blow.  The pea just flies out right into his hand completely intact.  The whole family cheers.  Cheetah makes a funny face and jumps into my arms for a second, not really in pain or fear but in confusion over what just happened.  Then she gives us all a big smile and starts to laugh.

"That was amazing," I say, "where the heck did you learn that?"

"An ER doc showed me that.  Had the mom do it right there in the exam room and we were able to send the kid home."

So there you go.  Crisis averted.  No shoving the pea up higher, breaking it apart, or scratching her nose attempting to get it out using tweezers.  No ER trip.  No 150 copay.  Sometimes it is nice to have a doctor in the house :)