Well, tomorrow is "the day".
Aiden's having a tonsillectomy, adenoidectomy and tubes placed in his ears.
Robert took Aiden to the ENT on Monday and he still had swollen tonsils and thick fluid in his ears. Robert told her that we really didn't want to do the tubes in his ears, because we didn't want him to be constrained for the next year on swimming and playing in water and she had previously said that most likely taking out the adenoids would help resolve the fluid in his ears.
Dr. N (the ENT) said that even so the fluid is so thick that she would like to go into the ear, cut a whole in the ear drum and take out most of the fluid so that it will be easier for his ears to drain, etc. She's concerned that he is at a critical learning age and may still have speech and hearing problems if this isn't done and we wait for it to clear itself. Well, if you're going to already cut into the ear drum, you might as well put a tube in, b/c that is 1/2 of the surgery.
So, he's getting tubes. She also said that we shouldn't have to monitor the water that will get into his ears b/c it should drain out. I've been reading up on all this stuff, like the research coordinator/concerned mommy/crazy OCD need to know everything about everything kinda person, that I am. Most ENT doctors believe that just as long as the child isn't swimming in contaminated water IE: lakes, ponds, rivers, then they should not have problems with getting water in their ears. Additionally, it sounds like we will get some drops to put in his ears just in those situations where he does go swimming. She also said that he shouldn't be doing any deep sea driving while he has the tubes, so I guess that deep sea driving trip we had planned next year will have to wait a couple more years. Yeah right.
He should be all healed by the time we go skiing later in the month. I really want him to have some fun with me on the slopes.
The anesthesia nurse called me yesterday to go over the 10,000,000 questions that they have. I had to hold myself together while she talked about what will happen tomorrow. We are going to have a scheduled time to come in. They'll have us change him into a gown and they'll asked us another 10,000,000 questions. They'll have us hold him in our laps and they'll give him a little Versed which will either make him loopy or tired. Then they'll take him back put a oxygen mask on him and give him a little anesthesia gas that smells like bubble gum and he'll fall asleep. Then, they'll put his IV in, start the surgery, and about an hour later he'll be done. The doctor will come and get us and we'll be there to help wake him up.
Sounds like fun for him and sounds like I'm going to need a Valium for that hour in between.
I haven't really talked to Aiden about the procedure. I will tonight, but I just think he won't understand what's going to happen. I mean they don't have a Yo Gabba Gabba episode that talks about surgery, do they? This is something that I don't think he'll be able to comprehend. He has the experience of shots and needles. He had 2 flu shots in November and I just told him, "You're going to get a shot, and it's going to hurt for a little bit, but it will be over quickly." I think I went into a 30 minute dissertation about how it's better to have a little shot than to be sick for 3-5 days and potentially get his baby sister sick, but I think he glazed over. He also had a CBC done a couple of weeks ago when he was limping really badly and went to the children's urgent care doctors and had a ton of bruises on his legs, so they wanted to make sure his blood counts were ok, so he has that experience, too. (BTW, that came out ok, he was a little anemic, but he probably gets that from me and we've started him on an iron supplement)
I am guessing the explanation will go like this... you're going to go to sleep and when you wake up mommy and daddy will be there, and your throat will hurt and you'll be missing a couple of things and have a couple extra things in your ears. You'll be like Spiderman and have super human hearing because of the tubes that will be in your ears. You'll be like Transformers and have less sore throats, because I doubt that Transformers have tonsils or adenoids to get in their way. You'll be able to sleep better like Lightening McQueen because you shouldn't snore as much after the swelling goes down. You're voice might sound like Mickey Mouse for a couple of weeks, because that's a side effect from the surgeries. The best thing of all is that you get to eat Ice Cream, Pudding, Jello and Popsicles for the next two weeks, because you'll be extra special.
Another question I just thought of is how do you get him off that diet in 2 weeks, I mean, I want to be on that diet! I guess we'll just have to see how it goes. He'll probably want to be eat tortilla chips next week.
So, anyway, tomorrow morning, please light a candle, say a prayer, practice a mantra, think good thoughts, or do whatever you might do, because I believe in the power of positive thinking in whatever form it might be.
