So... We had a busy weekend and just as our company is leaving and we are all sitting down to heave a collective sigh of relief, my daughter comes to me and says "Mom, something is wrong.", turns to me, and shows me one fully dilated pupil and one normal one.
Usually it is a good thing that I am a nurse. There are other times that it is NOT so good, as my mind flies through all of the things that could happen to cause one pupil to dilate (none of the scenarios are good, by the way) instead of luxuriating in the reassurance of ignorance and saying "don't worry, dear, I am sure it is fine, let's check it in the morning, mmmkay?"
Needless to say, it prompted an immediate call to our family dr. who advised us to go to the ER for her to be evaluated. Off we go, husband grumbling about missing the steelers/eagles game (GO STEELERS!). On the way, of course, I begin to grill my daughter for onset of symptoms, etc.
To make a long story short -- my daughter, who is allergic to so many plants and insects, had taken a walk with her friend. We actually met them while we were taking the dogs on a walk, as they were coming back. "Mom!" she says enthusiastically. "Look at this beautiful flower we picked!" She was right -- it WAS beautiful. It was similar to the bloom of a trumpet vine or morning glory, but I had never seen it before. I reminded her of her tendency to plant allergies (amidst the rolling of eyes and the moooooooom) and told her she needed to get rid of it. She did, of course. She is really an obedient child. Allergic, but obedient.
So they head home while we continue, and along the way, her contact starts giving her woes. She adjusts it with her finger without a second thought -- until the onset of the above mentioned dilation of her pupil an hour later.
The culprit? Jimson weed. My daughter is blessed with an excellent memory (or maybe it was because she'd taken a pic with her cellphone) and she was able to identify pictures of this weed at the ER. Problem solved! It was the atropine found in the flower that caused her symptoms.
My daughter is now roaming around bumping into things because she is wearing sunglasses til tomorrow eve, which is when they feel the atropine will wear off. In the meantime, she will enjoy a quiet morning tomorrow in which she can sleep til she isn't tired any more, while I have to get up and go to work.
Where's that damn plant, anyway. I think I might poke it in MY eye too.
Kidding!!! I mean it! Really!
2 comments:
That stuff is very potent. We had some kids come in half-dead once because they smoked it.
I have a friend (who is also a nurse) who has one dilated pupil related to an auto-immune problem. It's hard not to feel alarmed when you look at her. :-)
My sister has Lupus and was diagnosed near my daughter's age, so of course my mind has to imagine all the worst possible scenarios. Glaucoma!!! Brain tumors!! etc etc etc.
It ain't easy being a nurse and a parent. lol
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