....and that's why we don't eat money!

So we had quite the fiasco this weekend. It all began on my birthday last Wednesday, I was washing my face, getting ready for bed when I hear Sophia choking. I run to her and she throws up in my hands (happy birthday to me). I notice that she is playing with some coins from my jewelry box so when I dump the vomit in the toilet I sift through it to see if she dislodged a coin (funny how its not gross when you are a mom). I figure that is what she was choking on so I call my pediatric clinic. They tell me that it happens all the time and that the coin should pass within a week, if it doesn't, to call them and they will do some x-rays. So the next few days go by and I notice that she is a little bit cranky and drooling now and again. I call the clinic again and they tell me not to worry, that she might just be teething and that if she is breathing normally and eating that she is fine. She keeps telling people, "I ate money!" Seth flew home from Chicago on Saturday and on Sunday he made the kids pancakes. Sophia usually downs 6-7 pancakes but on Sunday she barely ate one and then throws up in Seth's hands (happy belated birthday to dad). I come home from a meeting and Seth tells me that he has a feeling the coin is in her throat. After calling my MIL (who is an RN) I give in and take her to the after hours clinic. The doctor doesn't think there is a problem but orders an x-ray just to be safe. Low and behold father does know best.

There is a HUGE coin in her esophagus. The doctor sends me to Primary Children's ER to get it removed. You would think the story ends there-not to spoil the ending but it doesn't end for 12 more hours! As I am sitting in the waiting room to add to the fun some wanna be Paris Hilton mom comes in with her two kids who she thinks have meningitis. She just lets them wander around the waiting room touching and playing with other kids. She tries to put the "cute little masks" on them but they won't keep them on. How silly mom Paris! So because of the reckless germ spreading I keep Sophia snug on my lap. An hour later they call us back to the Radiology lab where they tell me I have 3 options:
1. Keep the coin in her throat. (Who chooses that?)
2. Have a surgeon remove it with a scope.
3. Quickly have the radiologist remove it with some balloon mechanism.
The radiologist tells me that #3 is the best answer. It is quick and easy and it is how everyone does it. He tells me that he has never seen it not work. I choose #3.
They then have me leave the room and papoose Sophia to a mummy board. (Basically they ace bandage her to a board so she can't move). Sophia screams the whole time. I sob the whole time. The radiologist comes out and tells me they weren't successful and walks away.
Next I am taken to an ER room. I talk to the ER doctor who wants to know why I went with the radiologist. I tell him that I have no idea, they just came and got me. Major Drama in the ER. Apparently you never remove foreign objects with that method if they have been in the body for more than 2 days. So I cry because I put my daughter through that for no reason. Sophia in the meantime is in the fetal position in my lap. I then wait another 2 hours for the surgeon to come talk to me. Seth arrives as we are talking to the surgeon. He tells us that it is going to be another 2-3 hours before he can perform the extraction. We wait 2 more hours in the ER. They won't let Sophia eat or drink (because she is getting surgery) and she hasn't eaten since pancakes for breakfast. She is totally dehydrated and pale. I ask the nurse if they can get her hooked up to an IV because I am worried. The nurse says they can't yet. I start crying again and embarrassed I explain that I am crying because she hasn't eaten all day and it is really hard to ignore her cries for water. The nurse tells me, "There are kids in this hospital who have been waiting to eat a lot longer than your little girl." I walk back into our room a total mess. They then move us out of the ER to a regular room. They finally start her IV. She hates the IV experience and Seth tells her-and that's why we don't eat money! She falls asleep crying for water. About 4 hours later they take her into surgery and remove the coin-a nickel. It took about 5 minutes. They take us back the the room and she downs 2 cups of apple juice. We leave 2 hours later. It was such a crazy experience. I am usually a pretty calm person when it comes to things like this but I was a total train wreck. I felt like the care we received at Primary Children's was horrible. We kept the nickel that the surgeon, ironically named Dr. Nichol removed. The experience is still so fresh that I am not laughing about yet but I know later I will. And that's why we don't eat money!