So, almost two months ago Kiddo had his adenoids removed. We explained the surgery to him in as positive a light as possible so he would not be scared. We also reminded him that this would help him get sick less often, which he was very excited about and might help him talk a little better, which he was excited about. But he would confess he was "a little bit scared" and so Hubster gave his Winnie-the-Pooh stuffed animal from his own childhood to Kiddo, telling him that Pooh would help him when he was scared to be brave. Kiddo was happy with this arrangement, and as you'll see, Pooh stayed by his side the entire time.
We made it to the outpatient surgery center where we were showed to a room to await the surgery. He was given a hospital gown, which he did not want to wear because "it's a dress. Dress for girls." True buddy. And so began the explanation that it was a hospital gown, that boys and girls wear them, and look, it's open in the back, isn't that silly?! Finally we convinced him to put on the gown, and we waited. And waited. And waited. Thankfully there was a TV to keep the kid occupied.
Every time a nurse would come in to get me to sign something or check his vitals he'd get nervous, but he'd calm down quickly, and overall, he was fairly calm. I was so proud of him. When the nurses came to get him to take him to surgery, he was surprising calm and asked only if he could bring Pooh with him and they said he could. He clung to that bear as they wheeled him off to surgery, but we never heard a complaint out of him.
Hubster and I waited in the waiting area about half an hour, before the ENT came to get us. He took us to a meeting room where he explained how the surgery went. That the new ear tube/grommet was in place. That the adenoids were removed successfully. That the adenoids were "generous". And that he also noticed Kiddo had enlarged turbinates probably caused by chronic infection, and so he reduced their size.
What are turbinates, you may be wondering? "The turbinates are structures on the side wall of the inside of the nose. They project into the nasal passages as ridges of tissue. The turbinates help warm and moisturize air as it flows through the nose. The inferior turbinates can block nasal airflow when they are enlarged." (http://care.american-rhinologic.org/septoplasty_turbinates)
We were then given instructions for his care:
-only soft foods for the first day, lots of fluids and cold drinks, popsicles, ice cream, etc
-pain medication every four hours (alternating between children's motrin and tylenol, even at night for the first week, and then when needed after)
And then we were told we could go see him. We went into the recovery room, to find our boy crying. He was crying so hard I was sure he was hurting his throat. He did not want us to hold him. He did not want to eat or drink. He just wanted to cry, and then once in the while would wail in despair "I'm crying!" Coming out of anesthesia sure can do funny things to ya.
Hubster and I felt pretty helpless. We didn't want to see our boy crying so hysterically. We wanted him to drink or eat a popsicle because he was not to be discharged until after he had either eaten a popsicle or drank a cup of apple juice. He wanted nothing to do with us as he clung to his bear and cried and screamed and then would wipe his tears and proclaim "I'm crying!"
Finally we got him to watch a TV show on his phone, which calmed Kiddo down immensely. And then after he was calm he was willing to lick a popsicle as he finished the show.
After the popsicle was gone, we received our discharge papers, more of the same instructions, and dressed the unhappy Kiddo in his pajamas and headed home.
Family came over to bring presents for Kiddo and Little Brother, which cheered Kiddo up immensely, and made Little Brother feel ultra special. That night was long, as Kiddo snored so loud after his surgery (he's never snored before, but he had a lot of congestion to drain and healing to have happen) that his snoring kept waking him up. And I'd have to wake him up every four hours to give him more pain medication and a few sips of water.
They say it normally takes 3-7 days to recover from an adenoidectemy but each day seemed to be getting worse, and we realized Kiddo had gotten an infection. So, we called the doctor who called in a prescription for antibiotics for him. That night was miserable, no one got much sleep, and we could not wait for the antibiotics to kick in.
We were also getting really worried about Kiddo getting dehydrated, because he refused to drink anything and would only take a few licks of a popsicle and say he was done. He also wasn't eating anything. I was convinced we would be taking him to back to the hospital for an IV, because his lips were so dry and he had no energy and was definitely dehydrated.
But then, Hubster had the brilliant idea to bribe Kiddo to drink. He told Kiddo that for every cup of water or apple juice he ate, he would get one dollar toward a Furby he has been wanting. Kiddo's eyes lit up at this opportunity, and he would take a few sips of his drink every few minutes. We kept a tally of his money and watched the energy and life return to our little boy.
Before long, his appetite returned as well, and we took him to Chick-fil-A to eat chicken, soft waffle fries, and have ice cream for dessert. The boy was on the mend and we were thrilled.
It was around this time we noticed the only change we've noticed in his speech. We were so hopeful that with less congestion, his speech would sound clearer. The only change we noticed is that he was now able to say "m" clearly. For the longest time he called me "Moppy" and now I clearly him say "Mommy." The first time I heard it, I think my heart skipped a beat and I was beaming. It took me six years to be Mommy.
After two weeks, Kiddo was well enough to go back to school. Hubster and I bought the Furby with his "drink money" and his birthday money so it would be there when Kiddo got home from school. He was so excited to see and play with the Furby. He named it Furball and would rock it like a baby, feed it carefully, and play games with it.
We are so grateful the surgery is behind us, and though a little disappointed his speech isn't clearer, grateful that his health has been so much better. This kid who always sounded congested and would get coughs and colds at the drop of a hat hasn't been sick since his infection after the surgery, and that in and of itself makes the surgery worth it. :)
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