Preston’s Not So Enjoyable T&A

Gosh that never gets old.  From the moment I was handed a pamphlet entitled, ‘Your T&A Journey” I just could not stop laughing.  And yes, my humor apparently is on the same level as a 13 year old boy.  In any event here is a rundown of Preston’s surgery.  Here is the dude on Wednesday morning before we departed for Baltimore. He is so obsessed with his little animals.  Here are a few that made the “cut” to the animal parade.

Wednesday night we headed up to Baltimore with my mom.  I decided to go all out and stay at the Intercontinental.  We ordered up room service and enjoyed our harbor view.  Here is Pres'’ last “tonsil” picture while he enjoyed his last supper of fruit snacks at about 10:30 pm.

On Thursday morning we were up early since his surgery was moved to 8:45.  My father was heading down to Baltimore from NY on the train.  We brought him to pre-op and the child life supervisor let each child make their own patient doll.  This was super cute.  He picked out a doll, made it’s face and dressed it in a hospital gown.  Then he got to play doctor, or as Aunt Melski calls him, Dr. McCutie.

You have to love the seriousness while listening to his patient’s heart and lungs.  And I totally laughed when he put the stethoscope around his neck. Next Preston became both a surgeon and an anesthesiologist (pretty awesome) and administer the gas.

 

Next we checked vitals and put in the IV line:

I met with the anesthesiologist who looked like Dr. Arizona Robbins from Grey’s. And I know they have to give the risks but it’s unsettling to hear about heart attacks or pulmonary issues, etc. Then it was back to the operating room.  There was nothing cool about watching your child go under anesthesia.  When he had his hernia operation at 2 1/2 months he was too young to realize he was going into the operating room.  But this time he saw all the contraptions and all the nurses, doctors and residents.  He told me that the room looked weird and that we all looked “ugly” in our outfits (scrubs and shower cap hats and surgical masks)-coming from the kid in the gown with dogs on it.  He was awesome.  mask over his face, couple of deep breaths, eyes rolled back and he was out.  I gave him a kiss and they all applauded me for being so strong-until I saw my mom and dad and cried a bit.  They told me the surgery would be about 2 hours, but as I was finishing up my coffee 40 minutes later they told me to come on up.  As I walk into recovery I hear my son SCREAMING “MOMMY! MOMMY!”  I rushed over and he settled a bit. 

Preston immediately started drinking and we were moved to his room.  Dr. Tunkel does not believe in pain medication, only in the recovery room, so it was Tylenol.  Tylenol to me is syrupy purple liquid with no potency.  It barely helps him break a fever, but that was that.  Dr. Tunkel told me he could go home, but by 1:30 he stopped drinking and eating.  He had gobbled down pudding but then built up some saliva, started crying and choking and spitting out the saliva. So I figured I’d suck it up and stay the night since he’d get fluids through the IV.  That was fun. The heart monitor falling off and me having to reposition it.  Then the IV was starting to come loose so that beeped every 15 minutes until 5:30 when I begged them to shut it off until we woke up at 6:30.  I slept on a plastic fold out chair.  Comfy.  The accommodations sucked and when the second in charge for Dr. Tunkel came in the next morning to release him instead of putting in another IV I almost wept with relief.  He was tired, I was tired.  Tunkel was right-the kids do better at home. Once home we had a few crying fits, but he is eating and drinking and getting sleep.

The full effects won’t be seen for about a month, but already the difference is amazing.  His new tubes are in so I don’t have to worry about that for awhile.  His nose has stopped running so profusely and he is not snoring as much.  He told me he is not snoring anymore because of Dr. Tunkel.  I would feel guilty about getting a good night’s sleep knowing my child was struggling to breathe, choking and having apnea episodes. I’d be up at least four times a night turning him.  This hopefully will be the saving grace. 

 

Thank you all for your prayers, beautiful messages and kind thoughts.  Love you all!  And Preston, Mommy truly hopes your next T&A adventure is just shares amongst guys in a locker room and I don’t have to be part of it! ;-)