tonsillectomy - day of surgery (day one)

The night before her surgery we took Taylor to Bdubs, her favorite restaurant; that's Buffalo Wild Wings or BW3's for those of you not down with the lingo. She wanted to have one last spicy meal before her big day. At about 10:30 pm I made her a bagel with cream cheese since she couldn't have anything to eat or drink past midnight. Her surgery was scheduled for 11:30 am and we would have to be there at 10:30 am. When we woke up, she actually didn't complain about not being able to eat. Hooray! I took some pictures of her and some videos (in case her voice was different afterwards). At around 9:45 am we headed out. Shon had to work a couple of hours beforehand, so he met us there. When we arrived, we immediately got checked-in and they took us back to our room. The nurse talked to us and she was so calm and happy. She even asked questions. After the nurse left, the doctor came in, followed by the anesthesiologist. They were all so great and nice to her. She was not once, scared or nervous during all of this. The nurse came back in and told her she needed to change into her hospital gown.

The doctor was actually running ahead of schedule so they took her back about fifteen minutes early. They gave her the option to drive a little Mini Cooper Power Wheels car back to the OR. How adorable is that? She wanted to walk though. I was able to walk her to the doors and off my baby went. Watching her walk away is what really got me. <cue the waterworks here.> Shon actually just missed her getting taken back and if they did at the scheduled time, he would have made it. That's ok though. When he got there, I brought him up to speed. I ran to the bathroom, then went and grabbed a coffee from the lobby. As I'm waiting at the Keurig for my coffee to finish, I hear the lady at the front desk on the phone say "Hi, is this Taylor's dad?" I about gave myself whiplash turning to look at her because obviously my kid is the only one with that name. She continues to say "She is all finished, the doctor will be in shortly to talk to you." I stood there staring at her. She hangs up and says "Are you mom?" I told her I was and that was so quick. I hurried back to our room, anxious as hell. The doctor came in and told us how amazing she did, how much everyone loved her personality and how brave she was. They probably tell everyone that, but I know how awesome my kid is! They said they would bring her into our room in about thirty to forty minutes. She was still groggy and waking up. The team who performed her surgery couldn't believe how such a little girl had such huge tonsils. The doctor said he's done so many tonsillectomies and they were definitely on the larger end of the ones he has seen. Adenoids came out as well, he said those were pretty large too.

After what felt like six hours, they finally brought her into our room. <cue the waterworks again here.> We were so happy to see her. She was drinking water well. They gave her a popsicle, she ate it all. A cup of apple juice, drank it all. Another popsicle? Sure! She ate that one all up too. The nurse said that's great and she needed to keep doing what she was doing. Sometimes kids will just deny everything. All her vitals were great. No temp. No vomiting. Hello poster child.

They did said that days 3-7 can be the worst, so I know we aren't in the clear. I am going to do my absolute best and try to keep everything smooth sailing. We got to leave at around 3 pm. They sent her home with stickers, chocolate ice cream and a Disney Princess balloon. We really could not have asked for a better staff. Everyone was so great. That is tough to come by when you are in these type of situations because you have your standards set SO high for how you want your child or loved one treated.

She fell asleep in the car on the way home. I carried her inside and she woke up, happy. I bought the wrong type of humidifier, so I had to run up to Walmart and exchange it. I know some people swear by these, but we have never had one. I bought a warm mist one and they recommend a cool mist one. I was gone maybe 20 minutes and when I got back she was coloring, had gone to the bathroom and was watching TV with daddy. He set up the humidifier for her. She opened her little bag of goodies from us. Just some coloring books, reading books, new crayons and markers and a Go-Go Pillow. .

At about 5 pm, she said her throat was starting to hurt, along with her tummy. She was scheduled for pain meds at 5:30, so we went ahead and gave it to her, just to keep on top of it. She had another popsicle, drank some water and asked for mashed potatoes. As I was making them, she fell asleep. She took a nice nap. When she woke up, she had her mashed potatoes, more water, another popsicle, some ice cream and mac n cheese. I started to get really sleep around 2 am, so I asked her if she needed anything and that I was going to close my eyes until it was time for her next meds. That came at 4 am, she took them and drank some water. Closed my eyes again, woke back up at 6 am. She was still awake and wanted ice cream. I was just about to get it for her and she fell asleep and is currently still sleeping.

Her voice does sound a bit different right now. Her uvula is swollen, which is normal, but probably has some play in that. We will see what it's like in the days to come.

I've got my coffee in hand and I'm ready to take on day two.

But what would Friday be without a good #backthatazzup sesh?

The answer is: Nothing. Friday would be nothing.
Tay and I are lovin this song right now.