Isaac's tonsilectomy and adenoidectomy

Since having Isaac's operation done, I have been really surprised by how many people are in the stage of "should I? or shouldn't I" of a tonsilectomy procedure. As Isaac's ent doctor put it, "it's a quality of life that you are debating."

He didn't need to preach much to us at all. I had my tonsils and adenoids taken out when I was 4, and Sean should have years and years ago. He has enormous tonsils that really needed attention when the timing was a little better. The combination of snoring, and the breathing treatments that we'd have to do when he'd get sick were enough to say "yes" in a heartbeat to having the procedure. I literally can remember the day I got my tonsils out. I never knew what "breathing" actually was suppose to feel like up to that point. Immediately following my own procedure, when I was extremely swollen from the operation just minutes before, I literally felt like I was breathing through a space 100 times bigger than what I knew before. My head felt lighter, I was more relaxed and I felt like I had to work so much less for each breath!

We thought Isaac was a good sleeper...he would take a 2 hour nap everyday up until the day before his surgery. He slept from 8pm-7:30am every day. But for whatever reasons, the days right before his procedure opened our eyes even more about how bad his situation really was. I went in one night around midnight just to see how he was sleeping, and the poor kid made me SOOOO nervous! I knew he snored, but I didn't know how much the snoring and lack of air really effected all of that "good" sleep I thought he was getting. He.was.restless. Flipping and turning, taking big gasps of airs...I knew in that moment that I was ready that very second to get things done.

The day of the surgery went well. They go in order of age, so he was one of the very first into the OR. They gave him a liquid sedative just like they did when he got his tubes in. After about 15 minutes, you could see him start to get reaaaaally sleepy and quiet. When it came time to wheel him away, he was completely willing. That, and he was happy they let him take his portable dvd player with him on his bed.

They explained what would happen upon getting into the OR. First, they would give him the gas which would put him under within seconds. Next, they would intubate him. finally, they would place an iv in his arm. It was within 30 minutes that his doctor came out to give us the update. His exact words?

"Isaac is doing great. His surgery went really well. He had extremely big tonsils and adenoids."

Yikes. We knew how big they were, but for a doctor who does this all the time to say something like that made it seem even more profound!

He was obviously in quite a bit of discomfort when he came out. We weren't allowed to leave the hospital until he drank a certain amount of juice or water. And to make this a classic Isaac moment, do you want to know what he wanted to eat??????

Not any of the stuff we packed! No popsicles, no applesauce or jello or sherbet...none of that good stuff any kid would love to get their hands on...

A BAGEL!

We really resisted as long as we could because the nurses advised us on the types of SMOOTH foods he should eat. But when he wouldn't quit crying for a bagel (which I'm sure only hurt his throat even more) I finally caved and thought, "Well, if it really hurts his throat, then I know he won't eat the rest of it."

And that's when he decided to eat 2-1/2 bagels. :) (They weren't toasted of course!)

I guess what I didn't quite give enough thought to was the time for recovery. When he got his tubes put in, he was back to being himself within 24 hours. Not so with this! He probably lost a good 3 pounds from not wanting to eat much at all except for bagels and juice, and he absolutly hated the medicine (tylenol plus codeine). I tasted it myself to see if it was all that bad...AND IT WAS!! When a nurse from the hospital called to check up on Isaac a day after the surgery, I asked her if there was any other sort of painkiller that he could take that was a little less disgusting. She said that they make ALL of the strong children pain meds extremely bad tasting so that if a child was to ever get into the medicine cabinet and take a drink of the medicine, he would never overdose because of how bad the taste was. Huh, that makes sense! I had never thought of that!

We stayed on top of his meds and made him as comfortable as possible, and by day 7, it was as if he woke up an entirely different person!! He wasn't in pain anymore, he was eating EVERYTHING he could get his hands on, and he had a ton more energy. The biggest difference is his lack of snoring!!! He doesn't make a PEEP when he sleeps now! He looks so rested when he wakes up every morning, it's amazing!

So, I apologize for not being able to get the best pictures of the procedure. (Try getting a toddler to give you the exact angle you are looking for with a picture.) Take a look at the amazing difference from before and after the procedure! If you are one of the people sitting on the fence about getting the procedure done, DO IT! It's SOOOOOOOOOOOO completely worth it!