the night before surgery
getting ready for surgery...knocking out some angry birds on the iPad
very annoyed by the hospital bracelet...and continued to be after he woke up
snoozing before waking up from surgery
Harrison got "the works" as the anesthesiologist called it yesterday morning. We took note of the other kids that were waiting in pre-op and they were just having one of the four things that Harrison had done. Albeit, that was Harrison last August when he got his nose cauterized. But here's the deal...getting your nose cauterized (even though you have to go under for it) is like spitting the water in the sink vs getting a root canal. Because Harrison had been under before, I imagined that when he came to, he would be my sweet little boy and take it like a champ...like last time. Took it like a boy? Sure. Sweet? Maybe...it was hard to tell between what seemed like a really bad dream for him. And I'm sure it was scary. He had no idea where he was or what happened. He remembered having to blow up a balloon (that is what they got him to do when they put a mask over him) and that monkey did it first. He said monkey didn't do a good job and would have to have his tonsils taken out the next day. The worst part was getting him to drink or eat a popsicle. He just flat out didn't want to...and I don't blame him. I'm sure it felt like a bomb went off in his throat. Once he threw up, ate two popsicles, we were allowed to go home. And he has done well. Here is what I've learned, just after 24 hours of having the procedure:
1. I'm going to have to break him of popsicles for every meal of the day as soon as possible. This is going to be an issue.
2. Pain medicine is a great idea...and don't try to push it.
3. Fill your medicine the night before and come up with a schedule for the next day of dosage that doesn't involve a middle of the night feeding.
4. At some point, we are going to have to go back to TV limits...this won't be fun to break him of later. At this point, I will embrace it as he has to be inactive for almost two weeks.
5. Cuddling your 3 year-old/patient is more rewarding for me than it is for him. I love that he wants me to hold him or rub his back or anything (other than full contact sports).
6. There is a tactful way to take pictures of your kids without seeming insensitive...you know who you are and you should put the camera down. I caught a couple of pictures of H around the procedure, but you are seeing my only pictures.
7. There is nothing more wonderful than a very groggy 3 year-old that only wants to see his baby brother and give him a kiss...melt your heart times ten.
8. It is hard to be prepared to see your child come to from anesthesia and no that he is totally undone about where he is or what has happened...you feel so helpless as a mom.
9. This is no big shocker, but Adam is super-dad. He went with us for surgery. He ran to get breakfast as soon as Harrison left our site. And when Harrison threw up lots of blood, Adam knew exactly what to do (whereas I felt a little queasy). And Harrison wants his dad to give him the medicine because he "likes the way daddy does it."
10. A big thanks to grandma Linda for watching Fisher while we were gone...that was a HUGE help. Now, if I had just planned to have a repairman to fix the garbage disposal, dishwasher handle, and ice maker that coincidentally broke on the same day, I would have been uber-prepared.
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