This morning has been less than fun for poor old Eleanor. Over the past few days I noticed a strange smell coming from her nose, and realised that its been a while since she leaked anything from her right nostril. Upon closer inspection this morning I found a piece of toast lodged in the back of her right palate groove.
Usually when something gets stuck up there it washes out after one or two bottles. If it doesn't we can stick a finger or a cotton bud in and wiggle it out easily enough. But this was stuck in a different spot, and it was much closer to her throat. I was a bit worried about poking around in there on my own in case I hurt her or made it worse.
I decided that before I tried anything I should call our speech pathologist, Sarah. She was great as usual, and reassured me that I couldn't damage the palate, but to be careful that it didn't dislodge and "go down the wrong way". She suggested that if we couldn't get to it safely then to take Ellie to emergency and let the professionals tackle it.
So, much to Ellie's horror (and with very shaky hands!) I dosed her up with Panadol and got out the cotton buds. It's very hard to stick things in a palate. You need to angle past the pre-maxilla and point upwards but not too far.... It's tricky. Luckily I managed to push the pesky bit of bread forward enough to be able to pry it out without her swallowing it. But in the process I've rubbed the inside of her palate and it started bleeding. Bleeding and Ellie... Not my favourite sight.
After it was clear I flushed her nose with saline, which set off her sneezes. She sneezed 15 times during the minute long exercise! But at least there is now a free flow through the nostril! She's very upset and clearly in pain, so there'll be lots of cuddles for my little princess today.
We need to keep an eye on her for a few days and keep flushing it through, because there is a risk of infection from any left over residue. And with surgery less than two weeks away, the last thing we need is a palate infection stopping us in our tracks.
The joys of a clefty. I'll be more than happy to see the end of these troubles on the 25th.
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