I asked Elizabeth to open her mouth so I could check her throat.

So she did, about ¼ of an inch.

I then asked again.

And again it was the same but she was getting irritated now.

And truthfully so was I.  Not because she would not open her mouth.  Ok, maybe a little bit because of that.  But mostly, because she was obviously in some kind of pain as she would not even swallow water.

So I then told her why I needed her to open her mouth, I got my tongue depressor out. Got my flashlight out.  She opened her mouth, I went to insert the tongue depressor….still okay and then the light was not bright enough.  

I could not see anything at all.

So by the time I changed the batteries and got ready again.  Elizabeth was VERY nervous and not really ready to cooperate with me at all.

And the thing is, it turns out she had strep throat.  And according to the doctor, a pretty bad case of it too!  This was based on her inability to sleep and swallow water.

I had my one shot at seeing that throat and I was unsuccessful.  

What I needed was a sure fire way to see her throat and to make a “mom assessment”

So I have to tell you about a product that would have been perfect during this who strep odyssey.

It is the Throat Scope.

This scope is a tongue depressor that lights up the entire mouth and throat.

Just think how great this would be rather than trying to angle the flashlight “just right”, while holding it with you chin and using your hands to hold the tongue depressor and tongue blade.

I will say that sometimes you will get that ONE shot at seeing their throat.  I think this inexpensive medical tool will help you get the maximum benefit of that first try.

Another thing I like about it is the blade is very smooth and long.  It allows for you to really move your child’s tongue out of the way to see the back of their throat. And the blades are disposable, so you can buy replacement ones or clean the one you have.  It would be your choice, depending on who else would be using it.

When your child has sensory processing disorder, therapy tools like the throat scope allow you to assess them and make sure you are doing the best you can for them.  I know if we would have had this back when Elizabeth was suffering, I would have been very grateful.

The thing about this Throat Scope, is that it can be used in a therapy setting as well as for acute illnesses.

I know that if I was told once, I was told a million times, that Elizabeth needed to learn to point her tongue.  To get her tongue from the bottom of her mouth, up and over her bottom teeth was so hard.  Let alone, getting her to successfully “point her tongue”. I know I tried to use my finger, a Nuk brush or swab to help her “feel” her tongue move but it was hard to see what I was doing  and equally hard to help her move her tongue.

The Tongue Scope would have been great as it would have lit up the area I needed to see, and it would have allowed me to use the scope to manipulate her tongue in the way that I needed to.  So that is one thought for its use.

Another one is the Throat Scope to fully assess a child’s mouth and to see how they place their tongue when making sounds. Being that it illuminates the area so well.

So if you think this sound like something you would like in your first aid arsenal, please take a look at the Tongue Scope on our site.  And if it is for multiple users, please look into the replacement tips as well.

I know I am ready for the next time someone in my house says “ my throat hurts!”

I wish you all a peaceful week.

Michele

 

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