Wednesday, April 30, 2008

Home from surgery.

Let's see, we left yesterday (Tuesday) at 5:15 am and headed to the hospital. We arrived and were all checked in by 6:32 and Sam and I got our visitor badges and the boys got their bracelets. (They put Conor's on Aiden at first, the first & only time any incident of confusion occured). They sent us over to pre-op where they started talking to us about everything (anesthesia, surgery issues, etc) and took the boys stats and we put them in their matching pajamas. The staff at Children's is amazing, so they brought the boys some toys to play with and kept them entertained.

Conor and I went in first, I carried him into the OR, held him in my lap while they put the mask on and he went to sleep. Then I went back to pre-op to hang out with Daddy and Aiden. Within five minutes one of the anesthesiologists was back to say - he's done! Tubes are so easy. After a few more minutes their doctor came back and let us know how he did (fine) and went over the paperwork we had left for Aiden. A nurse came out a few minutes later and said one of you can go to recovery to be with Conor. So Sam went to be with Conor and Aiden and I waited a few more minutes and were lead back to the OR. After he was put to sleep (a struggle let me tell you!) they took me right to recovery where I hung out with Conor. Conor was already awake and had already drank half a bottle they had provided. He finished it for me (doesn't eat well for daddy) and they said we could put him in his pajamas and give him a formula bottle. He drank that no problem, they came over, gave us his ear drops, had his sign his discharge paperwork and he was done. We stayed back in recovery while we waited for Aiden. Conor was a little fussy due to gas (from the gas) but was himself by the time Aiden was brought back, which was at around 8:45.

Aiden came out of anesthesia like he went in, screaming. And they probably wouldn't have had us witness how he was feeling had we not already been back there. They at least let closed the curtain between us and we only had to hear him for a bit, he was not happy. After a few doses of morphine he was in a better place...though still pissed as all hell. I went over to his side to be with him and try and calm him, there was only one point where I almost had to leave because I was going to cry. Conor heard his brother cry and was crying and when Sam brought him over, the look on his face broke my heart as he was staring at his brother...so Sam took him back over to the other side of the curtain.

By 9:15 we were ready to go up to his room. Once he was all situated in his bed, hooked to his machines and got his IV hooked back up to his port he was out in no time. Sam ran down to the cafeteria for me and got me a salad since their options are minimal being a smaller version of Children's Hospital and they didn't have much to choose from that was GF. He came back up and he and Conor went home, they were home by eleven. Conor was great, blabbering a lot more than usual as the boy can finally hear clearly. I got a little bit of a nap and Aiden woke up at a little after eleven, he woke up much better this time! He's been great ever since, except when we got home. He actually had salad for lunch yesterday, which his nurse was absolutely shocked about...he would have preferred chips though and kept asking for them. He thankfully was never sick and he was up and about pretty quickly...he wanted to go, wanted all his attachments off and wanted to get out of there pretty quick yesterday. But we found him a wagon and he and I went for walks around our floor. They are not really an inpatient hospital, so it was nice, there were only four kids there over night, all of us patients of my doc and all tonsillectomies. They didn't have as much to do as the regular Children's Hospital in Boston, and the caf closed at two and they had no GF options for Aiden's menu really so we had scrambled eggs at each meal (not that he ate anyway), but this way we had or own room.

The kid is so sweet. He did great with the nurses, was very good and did everything they asked. He slept great last night. His O2 levels kept dropping and going back up but his alarm kept going off because of it so they had to adjust the levels his O2 goes alarm goes off at or we'd be up all night. Of course he chose this time to no longer to use his diaper, even overnight while attached to the IV so we had to have the nurses come down and un attach us to the monitors and IV's all night so he could use the bathroom! So funny to wake up dry when you are attached to an IV! At one point I was coughing (I have a sympathy sore throat I guess) and he said "Are you okay mommy" in the middle of the night, so sweet. His voice sounds a little different, I guess his uvula is extremely swollen according to the NP and she said he'd probably still snore for a few weeks while that goes down. Anyhow since we've been home he hasn't really wanted to swollow, so we are making him drink more often so it doesn't get all nasty back there and keeping on top of all his meds. His meds, Conor's drops...I think I need to write myself a schedule. Conor is all over the place and into even more trouble than usual...this balance/hearing thing has him excited. LOL

Thanks to everyone for thinking about us and all your prayers and well wishes.

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