Poor Simon had to have yet another surgery. For the past four months his ears have been blocked with mucus which has impaired his hearing. During that time he has had a constant stuffy nose, so much so that mucus would come out the kids eyes. We took him in for pink eye twice and both times were told that it was just boogers coming out of his eyes because he was so stuffy. We took him to an ENT and he recommended a tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy and tubes in his ears.
This is his 4th or 5th time going under anesthesia and the poor kid isn't even 4 yet. (1) Toe at 3.5 years old, (2) tear ducts at 11 months, (3) spine at 7 months and maybe (4) if you count what they gave him to stay still through his MRI at 4 months, but it was not a surgery. He only remembers the toe surgery, so he kept referencing his toe.
Surgery wasn't until 2:30, so he had the whole day to get nervous and hungry (no food after midnight!). There was a lovely woman named Becca that came to visit us as soon as we walked into the prep room and her job was essentially to explain to kids what was going to happen (I think it was called Child Life Specialist). She had an ipad to show pictures of the operating room, and Simon loved talking to her. She brought a couple toys and really helped him calm down. He headed off to surgery happy.
Sadly this was the hardest surgery he has had so far. He was pretty dazed and kept asking for me even when I was holding him. He scratched up his own face pretty badly and in the pictures from the recovery it looks a little like he has a bloody nose, but it's just where he caught himself with his robot arm (they wrap his IV). We ended up staying in the hospital a little longer than expected. Luckily Auntie Amy and Auntie Colleen came to watch Lillian so we didn't feel rushed.
When we turned off the tv in the recovery room Simon became more himself. He kept saying he heard little sounds and when we went to the bathroom he just about jumped out of his skin because the flush was so loud.
This is his 4th or 5th time going under anesthesia and the poor kid isn't even 4 yet. (1) Toe at 3.5 years old, (2) tear ducts at 11 months, (3) spine at 7 months and maybe (4) if you count what they gave him to stay still through his MRI at 4 months, but it was not a surgery. He only remembers the toe surgery, so he kept referencing his toe.
Surgery wasn't until 2:30, so he had the whole day to get nervous and hungry (no food after midnight!). There was a lovely woman named Becca that came to visit us as soon as we walked into the prep room and her job was essentially to explain to kids what was going to happen (I think it was called Child Life Specialist). She had an ipad to show pictures of the operating room, and Simon loved talking to her. She brought a couple toys and really helped him calm down. He headed off to surgery happy.
Sadly this was the hardest surgery he has had so far. He was pretty dazed and kept asking for me even when I was holding him. He scratched up his own face pretty badly and in the pictures from the recovery it looks a little like he has a bloody nose, but it's just where he caught himself with his robot arm (they wrap his IV). We ended up staying in the hospital a little longer than expected. Luckily Auntie Amy and Auntie Colleen came to watch Lillian so we didn't feel rushed.
When we turned off the tv in the recovery room Simon became more himself. He kept saying he heard little sounds and when we went to the bathroom he just about jumped out of his skin because the flush was so loud.
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| Nervous start. |
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| Becca explaining to Simon what is going to happen before the surgery. |
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| Ready to go, but sort of hoping the tv would magically turn on before he left. |
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| Jenn came to visit him in the hospital right after surgery. |
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| Super dazed Simon. |
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| Guess where the TV was? |
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| Looking more himself after tv is off and before we head out. |
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| Letting Auntie Colleen smell his chicken broth. |
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| Auntie Amy can smell it too! |
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| Simon loved his "chicken coffee" |
