The Tonsillectomy

The Tonsillectomy:

As many of you know, I was incredibly nervous about my sons upcoming Tonsillectomy.

My nerves weren’t too bad until I started doing research to prepare myself for the upcoming weeks.  Then the horror stories got to me… you know what I’m talking about, the multiple trips to the ER due to dehydration from not drinking anything, the waking up from surgery screaming in pain and 10 days later, they are still screaming in pain, the lack of eating and drinking due to pain and the weight loss.  Mostly it was the weight loss that scared me, and the dehydration, but I was pretty sure of myself that I could play boss mommy and “make” him drink even if it did hurt.

To prepare myself for the surgery and the following weeks, I purchased every sort of medication that was suggested to help different people, every food that people said they enjoyed while recovering, I got.  Every type of material device recommended to help ease the pain, I acquired through friends and purchases.  I went into this surgery as fully prepared and expecting the worst as humanly possible.

We even read the book “Good-bye Tonsils” as many times as possible.  I was ready.  My boy was ready.  We were going to conquer this thing and we were going to come out victorious.

Reading "Good-bye Tonsils" with daddy one last time before leaving for Surgery.

The morning of the surgery, as I’m filling out the forms, I mistakenly read the “Anesthesia awareness paper” that says I am fully aware that I could die from having anesthesia.  I about LOST IT!  Every ounce of me that was prepared was ready to pack it up and go home.  I was thinking, is the loss of my son’s life worth the risk?  Am I willing to take that risk on someone else’s life?  As I am responsible for him, he can’t even make his own choices.  So yeah, I became pretty freaked and totally over worried.  Why do they even put that out there?!?  I’m going to sue them if something happens regardless so they might as well not scare you half to death beforehand.

^^Nervous Smile^^

In the waiting room before surgery

vvAnxious Smilevv

Well, despite my worries, we went through with it.  The doctors were overly aware of the NO BLOOD issue.  Haha, I think I stated it a bit too much, but better safe than sorry, right?  After the procedure the dr told me he didn’t even lose 2 tsp of blood.  And the anesthesiologist made it quite clear that there was not even a thought of needing a BT!  That’s what I want to hear!  I shared my bag of medicines with the DR and he got a good laugh out of it.  He also said that his Tonsils and Adenoids were HUGE and he was glad that we went through with it.

When they called us back there, everyone was super friendly, and we prepared ourselves for surgery.  E put on a special gown and I, well, I put on the human marshmallow outfit to got back with him while he was going under.  

They let him color on his “balloon” that he had to blow up for his anesthesia, and of course he drew sonic J  He also got to pick out his favorite scent of chapstick to color all over the breathing mask.  I’m glad that they took the extra time to make it more personal and as easy as possible for him.

It was so sad to see him go to sleep but I was glad to be in the room with him.

Not even 45 minutes later, they called us back and we joined him as he awoke from his surgery.  There he was, lying peacefully, snuggling his sonic.  Nurse mommy kicked in and it was all hugs and kisses and popsicles and juice from then on out.

His surgery bear

He did so well that they let us go home 30 minutes later.  The nurse who checked us out asked me how long I had been a nurse.  I thought she was joking.  So I said, well I’ve been a mommy for 6 years now!  And she looked at me funny.  Then she clarified that she had been watching me the whole time and really thought that I was a nurse, because I did “nurse things”, whatever that means! Haha

Shortly after arriving home, daddy left to pick up things from Costco and Papa arrived to tend to his grandson.  So while they snuggled and read on the couch, I was able to do something that I was unable to do the days before due to having the ever dreaded stomach bug…you know, things like clean and such.

Reading with Papa after the surgery
Having chills from the Anesthesia

When daddy arrived back at home, he brought with him a huge surprise.  A Nintendo 3DS!  As you can guess, that perked him up very quickly.  You see, as I was searching for good quiet toys to occupy him and keep him calm in the coming days, the Hubster said “just get him a video game system!”  Well duuuhh!  I hadn’t even thought about that!  So that’s what he did.  And I gave him my gifts: a new lego set, Phineas & Phurb action figures, and Toy Story action figures (that coincidentally have no action in them).

Playing with his new favorite toy.

His new Lego house that we built the first night.  \
The second day we put together his lighthouse that he bought last year.

That first day was pretty hilarious, his voice sounded like he was constantly sucking on helium!  We snuggled most of the day and it was pretty great.  Little did I know, that was the only day that he felt bad.  He slept with me that night so that I could keep him monitored and he slept through the night and woke up cheerful and in very little pain.  The coming days was filled with me constantly reminding him to take it easy and to not overdue himself.  I kept up with the pain meds for the first few days and he has eaten through lots of ice cream, popsicles, push pops and sorbet.   A friend also suggested cheesecake to keep the fat on him, so he enjoyed that, a lot. {So did we}

He has had lots of visitors to help cheer him up.  Much to their surprise he was not ailing on the couch but full of energy ready to play with his friends! {And I forgot to take pictures!}

Day 2, feeling pretty great!

Stumbled upon their cuddle session.
Glad I was able to capture it before they realized what they were doing!

Monday was his first day eating solid food and he was very anxious.  He devoured lots of mild foods.  Tuesday was his first day out of the house and we joined our friends at the library.  He enjoyed that immensely.  Last night he spent the night and the g-parents house.  He still says his throat is a bit sore but that’s quickly mended with ice cream and popsicles.

So all in all, the surgery was a success, and I can proudly say that even though I’ve sprouted a few new grey hairs from the worrying, I was so prepared for the worst that I wasn’t prepared for the best.  I am so thankful for how well it all turned out!  Already he is sleeping SO much better and he is more active and aware during the day.  Good-bye sleep apnea, hello happy healthy boy!!

--------------->Tips for those facing a Tonsillectomy<--------------

• Don't believe all the horror stories that you read on the internet.  But do be prepared.
• Recommendations that I found on the net for meds to have on hand: Chloraseptic Throat spray, Saline Solution nose rinse, Tylenol, Pedia-Lax  in case of constipation from not eating, prescriptions from Dr.
• Food Recommendations: Ice Cream, Milk Shakes, Smoothies, Popsicles, Push Pops, Sherbet, Applesauce, Creamy Yogurt, Cheesecake {plain, and don't eat the crust}, watered down Juice, Water, Milk.
• Drink atleast 4 ounces every hour.
• Spray bottle with a mist setting for moistening the throat {Especially if your throat is dry in the night}
• Humidifier
• Bubble gum
• Butter mints
• Be prepared for oober stinky breathe.
• Ice pack for the throat, Hot Hands for the ears if your ears are in pain.
• Mild activity for several days until the white pouches fall off.
• Incase of bleeding, swish with peroxide/water mix and then drink ice water immediately after.  If this doesn't help, call the dr.
• Don't be a baby if it's too painful to drink/eat, suck it up and do it anyways, and you heal a lot sooner.

That's all that I can remember right now, I'll add to the list if I remember anything else.