Fresh cut Rose

When we named Rose, I had no idea how much fun it would be to have a child with a noun and a color for a name. Oh the possibilities! Rose went under the knife this week. She had her tonsils and adenoids removed on Tuesday, June 9th. Being a parent is so illuminating. Example: It's one thing to be the sick pregnant mama lying in the hospital bed in agony, perforated with needles. It's an entirely different thing to be a mother standing next to the hospital bed while my little 4 year old daughter gets decked out and prepped for surgery! I can't decide which one is worse: being in the hospital bed or next to it. 

Tonsillectomies aren't nearly as common these days as they once were. We've always known Rose's tonsils were large and that she snores. When our family shared a hotel room back in March when my brother got married, however Jeff and I were surprised at HOW BAD Rose sounded breathing while she was asleep. It sounded like she had sleep apnea and the snoring kept us awake for most of the night. So at Rose's 4 year doctor checkup, we discussed options and got a referral to the ENT doctor in Prosser. Both doctors said that the two main reasons kids get their tonsils out these days are: 

1. recurring infections, and/or:
2. obstruction of airway with the resulting breathing and sleeping problems. 

Apparently there are numerous studies that show how kids who don't enter the deep REM sleep cycle for long enough each night due to breathing problems (like Rose) have trouble with long term memory, especially when they start school. Interesting! We were also hoping that Rose might maybe be a tad less stubborn if she got better sleep at night too. 

Before: see those giant tonsils?

Fast forward through various appointments and consultations to this week. 

Rose was such a brave trooper! Jeff took the day off work and she chose him to be her person during recovery. That meant I could stay home and take care of Amber, but my motherly instincts simply would not allow for that. So I called our friends and we dropped Jay off at their house on our way to the hospital at 7am on Tuesday morning so he could get a ride to school when it was time. Then Amber, Jeff, and I all accompanied Rose to the hospital. 

All ready to go! They even put Rose's bunny in a hair net.

It was all very straightforward and efficient at the hospital. Rose put on a flannel gown, a hair net, and some tall socks. We went through lots of questions and explanations and an hour later, they took Rose into the OR and escorted Jeff, Amber, and I to the waiting room.

 

I paced the hallway pushing a fussy Amber in the stroller till she finally fell asleep. 

Mr. Cool and Collected

An anxious (for me) hour later, the nurse came and got Jeff. The doctor told us that everything went well. Only one parent was allowed to be with Rose at first, so I had to wait and try my best not to feel rejected. Every now and then I heard crying when the door opened, and I didn't know if it was Rose. It was awful! It was all I could do to resist going IN and checking on her. About half an hour after Jeff went in, the nurse came and said that Rose wanted me now. She was crying, and the only thing she had said the whole time was "Mommy." Instantly I stopped feeling like an superfluous overprotective mother and felt so glad that I tagged along! 

 

Rose was crying and crying. Jeff handed her off to me and took Amber out. They said that coming out of anesthesia can make kids weepy. So I just held Rose while she cried and tried distracting her by telling her things. I told her about how we were in the same hospital that she was born in and how happy we were when she was born. We talked about the Disney show that was playing on the TV in the corner. 

Slowly, her crying subsided and she relaxed enough to eat some ice. Then she really perked up and seemed quite happy. The doctor told us that he gave her a local anesthetic at the operation site so she wouldn't be feeling the pain till much later in the day. The nurse gave us our instructions and we left. We were in and out of the hospital in 2 hours and 45 minutes! 

When we got home, Rose was excited to eat some pudding. The day before, I took her to the store and let her pick out flavors of Jell-o and pudding and popsicles, and she was rarin' to get started on them. The excitement wore off quickly, but so far so good. I've heard plenty of post-tonsillectomy horror stories (mostly involving lots of blood) so I'm holding my breath and hoping Rose heals up smoothly.

After: adios, tonsils! They clamped her epiglottis during the surgery so it's very swollen.

Today is the third day post-operation. Rose is slightly puffy and her tongue is sore (all normal). She is happiest to sit and watch movies. Easy enough! Kind well-wishers have brought her ice cream and otter pops and a balloon. Our freezer is bulging! 

Rose's voice already sounds different to me. I can hear the lack of blockage when she talks. She still has the same voice, but it's not hindered by giant tonsils and adenoids. I can't wait to see how much better she sleeps and feels in a few weeks when the swelling and healing are done.

Before and after, side by side.

Now we get to wait in tremulous suspense for our portion of the hospital bills to come rolling in! 

Jay is 100% ok with having lots of pudding in the house.