My wife and I often watch our grand daughter Emily while her mom is at work. 

One day last week my wife brought Emily a ‘Happy Meal’ that included apple slices. Emily was in her high chair (she’s two years old) eating when she started saying; Help, Help, Help’. Grandma ask ‘what is the matter’ and Emily replied ‘I stuck’. ‘Stuck, what is stuck’ grandma asks. Emily pointed to her nose which prompted grandma to look up her nose. There was a slice of apple shoved up her left nostril to a point that it was unreachable.

We gently tried to remove the apple with suction and a forceps, but the risk of injury was too great, so off to the pediatrician they go. I called my daughter at work and explained what happened; she left to meet grandma and Emily at the doctor’s office.

Just before they left I made the mistake of saying ‘This sounds like that Cheech and Chong routine, ‘Up His Nose It Goes’. That got the laughter started (I know it’s NOT funny, but it IS funny at the same time).

At the doctor’s office the doctor tried to get the apple out of her nose, but only managed to make it worse. Grandma ask how often the doctor sees something like this, the reply is ‘never’. The doctor sent them to the emergency room at the local hospital. This causes me some concern that maybe Emily needs a more experienced doctor.

Now most of the time at the doctor’s office grandma was laughing her head off because she kept thinking about what I had said. So my daughter told her ‘Mom, if you can’t contain yourself go home’. Grandma came home…. Still laughing ….

At the emergency room they got out part of the apple then had to slide a small catheter up past the apple, then inflate the balloon and use that to drag the apple out.

Emily is fine now, there was no injury, but I did receive a call from my daughter over the week end…. ‘Dad, now she’s trying to put crayons up her nose’, I told her to gently discourage the behavior and whatever she does do not mention ears or nose for a while.