On July 28, Connor had to get his tonsils and adenoids removed. Right before he turned four we noticed that he was snoring really loudly and we would sometimes catch him gasping for air in the middle of the night. We let his physician know at his four year checkup and he recommended we be seen by an ENT once we arrived in Texas. We did just that, and the ENT physician recommended having a tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy. I wanted for him to have the procedure done before he started pre-k and before his baby sister arrived, so I made the appointment at the earliest available date even though I knew Aaron would be away in San Antonio for school.
We were told to be at the hospital at 6:30 am. {It broke my heart because Connor thought we were going to see his daddy and I had to tell him that wasn't where we were going.} After we checked in, we waited in the waiting area for about two hours before they called us back. Connor didn't have any idea what was going on and didn't ask questions until we went into the pre-op area. I got him dressed in the gown and pants they had laid out for him and explained to him that he was going to go see the doctor without mommy, but I would be there as soon as he got out. He nodded and continued watching the cartoons they had for him on the tv.
The nurse, doctor, and anesthesiologist each came in and asked me questions and had me sign papers. The anesthesiologist gave him some "happy juice" {Versed} to calm him down, and then they were off on his "magic carpet" {the hospital bed}. Connor with his stuffed animal {Tigey/Kenny the Camouflage Cat} tight in his arms and the anesthesiologist pushing the bed into the OR doors set me off and I was in tears. Thank goodness my mom was there.
While we were waiting for his procedure, I ran downstairs to grab a coffee and breakfast sandwich at Starbucks and grab his post-op meds from the pharmacy. I received a text from the OR nurse telling me Connor was doing great and the surgery was almost complete. While I was still downstairs, the doctor came out and told my mom the surgery was complete, he did fine, and we would be called back shortly.
A few minutes after I got back to the waiting room, the PACU nurse came to get me. He walked us to the room they would be bringing Connor into. A few minutes later, they rolled him in. I will never forget the look on his face when I saw him. He had been crying and had a popsicle in his hand that he wasn't eating much of. He started to panic, cry, and try to pull out his IV {they quickly took it out and put a bandage on it that would eventually have to come off because he didn't like that either}. I was allowed to lay in the bed with him once they transferred him, but he took what seemed like forever to calm down. It was maybe 10 minutes? He was crying so hard, which made him cough, which in turn hurt his throat even more. He yelled "I hate doctors!" and "Why did they do this to me?" over and over. It was heartbreaking to see my baby so upset. The nurse brought in tylenol for him and I was able to get him to drink it along with some Gatorade. He fell asleep after a little while and slept until we got him home.
When we got home he woke up in a much better mood then I expected. He wanted to eat and drink! I was shocked. My mom made him homemade chicken noodle soup {which he loved}. He also ate multiple popsicles, jello, and Gatorade. Aaron came later that day to spend the weekend with us. It really helped having him home.
My mom surprised him with that drawing board when he got out of surgery. He played with it the entire weekend.
Daddy cuddles make it all better.
And so do naps.
His recovery took the entire 2 weeks they told me it would. He did really great the few days after surgery, then on day five, six, and seven he was in a lot of pain just like the doctor warned me. Now that we are a month post-op I can say he is doing so much better. He has completely healed, and he doesn't snore anymore. He sleeps so much better and wakes up a lot more rested!
XOXO,
Jenn
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