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I'm a wreak


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My 7 yr old is having surgery in the morning having his tonsils and adenoids removed. It's a simple surgery, I know, but I'm still trying to calm my racing pulse.

 

For those of you who have been there done that with dc having surgery, please tell me how to make it through.

 

We have to get up at 5am to be at the hospital by 7. My mil may not be here on time for my dh and I both to go to the hospital. One of us may have to stay here until she arrives and then go to the hospital later. I so wish we could both go together.

 

I don't think I'm going to sleep tonight.

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Poor you, it must be so hard! Don't worry if you sleep or not. Turn on a movie and maybe it will distract you enough to sleep. Saying a prayer here that mil will be on time and all goes well. We have dear friends whose children recently did very well with the same surgery!

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Oooo, I have been dreading those words myself. Hubby has sleep apnea and the DDS has already said I need to have both my daughter and son evaluated because they already snore and their tonsills and adenoids are huge :(

 

So my thoughts, and prayers go out to you. I hope you have someone to keep you company and hold your hand. Hang in there.... ((((HUGS))))

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Both of my dd's had tonsils and adenoids removed on the same day about three years ago. One of them was about 12 years old, and the other one was about 10 years old. It was done at a freestanding surgery center, so we didn't have to deal with regular hospital admit. It was fine. Not nearly as bad as we were expecting. One of my dd's has a history of difficulty with i.v. insertion, so that was a bit harder, and that same dd was unable to tolerate the meds to be given at home afterwards. Overall though, it wasn't bad *at all*. They were ready to eat a popsicle on the way home, and were fine with eating a wide range of foods by the next day. We didn't have any trouble with scabs bleeding, or any other complication.

 

I'm gonna go with, "This won't be nearly as bad as you think!". :grouphug:

I could certainly have done the check-in & wait with both of the girls all by myself, though it was useful to have dh along to help them during recovery & during the the trip to the car afterwards.

 

ETA: My dd's found this little tidbit especially interesting...When the doc talked to us after the surgery he told us that they send the "tissue" out to the lab for testing as a routine. He said he was surprised that my dd's could even get food down their throats before the surgery, since he had to send a nurse out to find larger sample jars for him--the standard size couldn't contain the amount of tissue he had taken out. :001_huh: He said they were the largest he'd ever seen, on any size person.

They were still *just fine*. ;) :grouphug:

Edited by Julie in CA
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First, :grouphug: Now, breathe. :)

 

My oldest had this done at 6years old and it was no biggie. She woke from surgery and was smiling within a few minutes and eating popsicles right after that. The hospital staff was great- so kind to her and great about answering all my concerns. Dd came home and only required one dose of the Tylenol they suggested post surgery and was eating a regular diet almost right away. All in all it was a very positive experience for us. I hope it will be for you as well. :)

 

As far as managing, I focussed on the reasons that we were having the surgery done in the first place and the benefits that my child would reap from having her tonsils and adenoids taken out. Again, for us the effects were almost immediate and I've never regretted having the surgery done.

 

It's okay to be worried, that's what us mamas do, right ;) but know that more than likely your child will do great. :grouphug: Try to get some sleep- tomorrow will be a long day and sitting in a hospital recovery room gets pretty boring. :tongue_smilie:

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:grouphug: My dd2 had this surgery at 6 years. Dh was out of town and I had to sit alone in the waiting room. I didn't think I was going to be able to get through the waiting! But I did. And so will you. :grouphug: Prayers for a quick & simple procedure for ds.

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Just went through this this past summer with our oldest dd16 here in Guatemala.

 

Just before she was wheeled in to surgery, the electricity went out in the hospital!:001_huh: It was pitch black and she said, "Well, I hope no one was on life support!" :D

 

She did great. It was nerve-wracking to be sure, but, she came through fine and got sick of ice cream, jello, and yogurt!

 

:grouphug: It's hard when our dc have to go through procedures.

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My daughter who is 8 now has had four surgeries. Three due to her having club feet (8 weeks, 16 months, and 8 years) and she had her tonsils out when she was 5. It doesn't get any easier, even when you have been through it before. The most important advice I can give you is to stay calm. If you remain calm, the child will handle it better. The hardest for me has always been watching them wheel her away from me and to the OR. I have to hold it together until she is out of ear shot and then I fall apart for a few minutes. Also be honest with her if she has questions. If she asks if it will hurt, tell her the surgery itself will not hurt because she will be asleep, but she will hurt some after the surgery and that they will give her pain meds to help it not hurt. The scariest part for her will probably be the unknown.

 

Let her take things that will give her comfort, like a favorite blanket, stuffed animal or whatever. They have let my daughter take a stuffed animal with her to the OR. You might also take along books or coloring books or both to keep her occupied before surgery and help keep her mind off of it. Make sure you let the nurses know if you have questions, concerns, or if there is anything you guys need.

 

Oh, and don't be surprised if she is crying and confused after she wakes up. The anesthesia causes them to do that. Let us know how it goes. I will be thinking of ya! :grouphug:

 

Kristi

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We got home about 45 minutes ago. He's doing fine. He's stopped crying and is watching a movie. He did cry quite a bit when he woke up and he threw up twice in the car on the way home.

 

I'm having major mommy guilt. The Dr. came out after the surgery to talk to us. He said, "His adenoids were a mess." Never good when a Dr. says that. He told me the adenoids were so big that they were pressing into the hard palate and were interfering with growth and development of his palate. He had to leave a small piece of his adenoids in or his palate would have collapsed. The Dr. told me back in September to have the surgery, and it took me until February to finally consent. Then it took another month for a slot. All I can think about is how much damage to his palate occurred during the last 6 months. :sad:

 

Oh, he still has his tonsils. Dr. said they had actually decreased in size and looked good. There's a 10% chance they will cause issues later on so here's hoping ds falls in the 90%.

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We got home about 45 minutes ago. He's doing fine. He's stopped crying and is watching a movie. He did cry quite a bit when he woke up and he threw up twice in the car on the way home.

 

I'm having major mommy guilt. The Dr. came out after the surgery to talk to us. He said, "His adenoids were a mess." Never good when a Dr. says that. He told me the adenoids were so big that they were pressing into the hard palate and were interfering with growth and development of his palate. He had to leave a small piece of his adenoids in or his palate would have collapsed. The Dr. told me back in September to have the surgery, and it took me until February to finally consent. Then it took another month for a slot. All I can think about is how much damage to his palate occurred during the last 6 months. :sad:

 

Oh, he still has his tonsils. Dr. said they had actually decreased in size and looked good. There's a 10% chance they will cause issues later on so here's hoping ds falls in the 90%.

 

Great news that he's doing so well! Don't beat yourself up though. Surgery on your precious child is a very difficult decision to make. In the long run, those 6 months probably won't make much difference at all :grouphug:

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Been there, done that...twice. I wish I could say, "Don't worry." but that's silly...you're a mom, this is your child...of course you're going to worry. I pray for peace for you and for the doctors to have skills, wisdom & a caring nature with you and your child.,.and most of all, I pray for your child to have a quick recovery!

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Glad to hear he's doing well!

 

Both of my kids had to have their tonsils and adenoids out when they turned 3. They both suffered tremendously with ear infections and strep throat before the surgery.

 

Ds's tonsils and adenoids were so big that he wound up with very bad sleep apnea. The last two weeks before the surgery, I was sleeping on the floor next to his crib, so that I could poke him between to bars to get him to start breathing again. We could hear him snoring all over the house - a 3 year old. It was terrifying.

 

Since the surgeries, they have had maybe one or two ear infections each and have been MUCH, MUCH healthier. It is well worth it!!

 

Don't beat yourself up over the time issue, you had no way of knowing what was going on in there. The whole anesthesia thing is enough to make every one of us nervous and to question if we are doing the right thing. :grouphug:

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Thank you everyone. His vomiting increased. I stopped giving him his pain meds as it can cause vomiting. That has not seemed to help though. He is not keeping even little sips of Pedialyte down.

 

Time to call the Dr.

 

Yes, call the doctor and ask for suppositories. Make a huge difference and they can try different pain meds as well. ANything with codeine is bad news for my son.

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