Monday, February 23, 2015

Surgery Round 2

Last Wednesday we embarked on yet another trip to the hospital for round 2 of ear tubes and this time removing her adenoids, with many hopes and prayers to end these ear infections and failing hearing tests.  Her ear drums have not passed a tymphanogram since we started this ENT journey.  We decided to go to Lucile Packard Children's Hospital, the hospital we work at for a second opinion back in January after H had 5 ear infections since August and AFTER her first set of ear tubes.  It was a no brainer that she needed another set of tubes and to take her adenoids out thinking it would help with her chronic infections and sinus problems.

Hadley was beyond prepared for this surgery.  We read "Franklin Goes to the Hospital" and practiced putting the anesthesia mask in Penny and Perro more times than I can count.  We told her she was going to the hospital where Mommy and Daddy work to get her ear fixed.  Yet, she was more looking forward to seeing the "choo choo" and getting stickers.


H did very well with all the prep, meeting the doctors and of course getting endless amounts of toys from staff.  We got an amazing light up ball, turtle bubbles, talking Halloween toy (which she's obsessed with) and stickers galore!  She got to decorate her anesthesia mask with Frozen stickers, glittery butterflies and animals.  And practice putting cardiac leads, pulse oximeter and mask on a baby doll.   Did I mention that the "pink" medicine was magical!


Both Mason and I were able to be present for induction, which is totally different when it's your own child.  I can watch many patients go under anesthesia, but boy was I not prepared for how hard it would be to walk away.  Hadley was sure feeling sleepy as she tried to lick the apple flavor out the inside of the mask and sang "Let it Go" while under the influence of versed and anesthesia.  Have you ever seen a versed-medicated child sing "Let it Go," it was too sweet, funny and sad all at the same time?!  

Surgery was longer than last time, which of course I was sitting there starring at the clock thinking "Is something going wrong?  And where is Carrie?  She was supposed to visit me!"  Everything went great, but Dr. Chang found another ear infection behind the troubled left ear, leading us to 10 days of oral antibiotics and ear drops.  Her adenoids were also "very large" which has left us with a (as expected) very runny nose as everything heals.  

Recovery was so much better, since the Anesthesiologist gave her a little cocktail to help her wake up calmer and slower.  She was much more consolable, yet still crying and hating the oxygen mask.  After some time, sleeping on daddy and wanting nothing to do with me, it was time to go home.  H was back to her wild self quickly Thursday and having fun in a jump castle on the weekend, with very little recovery needed post surgery.

She is doing very well with her oral antibiotics and ear drops, surprisingly, maybe because she gets a sheet of stickers each time she takes them well.  This runny nose continues and we've gone through so many, and I mean, so many tissues.  She loves playing with her anesthesia masks at home and her poor Penny (penguin) and Perro (dog) have had lots of "surgeries" since getting home.


Please help us pray that she passes this hearing test and her ear drums are reactive to the test the beginning of March and we don't need to do this again!  We will continue with Speech Therapy until we get the clear from the MD and the hearing test comes back in a normal range.  Thanks for all the continuous support!!

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