Sunday, August 1, 2010

Ipecac

For the first time as a parent, actually the first time in my life, I used Syrup of Epecac. See my daughter, the 9 year old, likes to pretend to be a Wild Girl. This means moccasins, skirts made out of strung-together magnolia leaves, eating mint leaves from the yard, making forts, etc. Apparently it also means slurping rain water off of leaves of trees and plants. I wasn't aware of this component of the lifestyle before today.

So we arrived at my parents house after church and I was trying to get in the garage as the girls ran around the rain soaked yard. After many attempts to get in the garage using the code, I turned from the blasted entry pad to see my daughter sucking water off of the oleander bushes my dad has planted EVERYWHERE! Suddenly the noise I had been hearing for a few minutes while I tried to enter the code made sense. Slurp. Sluurrrp. Slurrrrp.

OMG!

Oleander is one of the most poisonous plants in the world! Even brushing up against it will cause itching and burning. Ingesting any part from leaves to sap can lead to death in a child. And my daughter had just run her tongue all over these plants!

I call my mom to get the damn correct passcode, I get in the house, lecturing my Wild Girl about the dangers of plants, bla bla bla...I get to the computer, look up the Poison Control center number and call them. After a few questions, the guy tells me there shouldn't be any problems. But this seems very off hand to me. In fact the guy who answered the phone sounded like I had woken him up. So I go to the computer and read all about Oleander and what to look for.

It says you should induce vomiting so I decide to give her ipecac. I read the directions, measure it out and we head to the bathroom. Not having any experience with it I don't know how long it takes to work, so I want her as close as possible to a receptacle. I pull her hair back and she sits in front of the potty waiting to see what happens.

It takes about 10 minutes and up come all the donut holes and the hot chocolate from church. My girl is always ready to eat so I tell her in about an hour she will probably feel fine. It takes her more like 10 minutes and she is ready for fried chicken!

All seems well and fine at least until the next time.

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