Mars gets high on Ketamine

"You had three eyes, Daddy".  Ah, the mysteries of higher consciousness that Mars has discovered.

A continuation of the flower-up-the-nose incident, since we didn't have any success in getting it out.  Friday's trip to the doctors, he tried reaching up but didn't have the right tool.  Tried pushing it with one of those long skinny q-tip like things, but Mars flipped out - I think a memory of when he was tested for swine flu.  We we got a bottle to shoot saline up Mars' nose to see if it would loosen over the weekend.  No luck, so another appointment Monday.  Dr. G had picked up the hook thing he wanted, shot a freezing spray in the nostrils, and tried again.  Managed one good attempt, but once Mars realized what was going on, there was some serious resistance and head flailing.  Decided Mars would have to be put out in order to remove the flower safely.

With Ketamine.  Which is a horse-tranquilizer.  Also known as "Special K", a hallucinogenic sometimes used by ravers.  More commonly used as an anesthetic for children, it impairs the senses and produces a dissociative state.  Necessitated a trip to the hospital in the afternoon just to be safe.  He drank it in some pop - it tasted nasty by the facial reaction, but pop is a rare enough treat that he drank it down with no complaints.  Lots of fun trying to make the numbers from the oximeter change by deep breaths, 'sneezes', and whatnot.  He got pretty loopy in 15 or 20 minutes.  Bug-eyed, staring, bobbing and weaving, blinky eyes.  It was kind of amusing and probably foreshadowing of a dozen years from now - he acted just like a teenager getting drunk for the first time.  He'd sit right up, say something funny, then plunk face first down on the bed.  Mum and Dad suddenly had extra eyes. Wish we had the camera.

Doctor only needed the suction hose to get it out.  I guess had decomposed/softened enough that it couldn't be grabbed, but unfortunately that also meant it required four tries to get it all out.  Mars screamed like I've never heard before.  I think more of a freakout scream than a pain scream, but I felt terrible.  The good news is that in all later discussions about his trip to the "hozzible" no mention is made about anything unpleasant.  He recounts stories mum told, musical chairs in the waiting room, "Dr. Griffen picked my nose... with a stick",  how mum and dad had three eyes.

After it was over, some recovery time cuddling with mum.  Since it was nap-time, I kept expecting him to fall asleep, but no luck.  After 30 minutes, he started to perk up & was released.  Still a little zonked, so sat him in the chair at home with some knights to play with, hoping he'd nod off.  He started to doze, so I ran outside to hang some sheets, and had a little panic when he yelled for me.  Ran in to "Dad, I need to go potty and I can't walk"!

One possible side effect of Ketamine is nightmares, so especially attentive after he fell asleep that night.  Nothing particularly out of the ordinary.  He often cries out for mummy or daddy in the middle of the night - usually because he needs a potty trip.  A little pajama-wetting accident due to an ill-fitting diaper got him upset, so after cleanup I cuddled with him until he fell back asleep.  So did I.  Didn't wake up until his nightmare, when he piercingly screamed about two inches from my left ear.  At least he had no memory of bad dreams in the morning.

I hope he has learned his lesson about putting things up his nose - sorry, having things "fall" in his nose.  He still maintains it just fell in his nose!  Three (four if you count the followup coming on Friday) trips to the doctor's office, a trip to the hospital, lots of pain and suffering.  I hope all the "you never put things up your nose - or in your ears" talks we've had recently help out.  Anticipating a future episode with Odin though.  Every time I remind Mars about things not going up his nose, Odin only seems to understand "up nose", which is where he immediately puts his finger.