Break on Through

To the other side. I have experienced the other side the last two days. Drew had his tonsils and adenoids removed yesterday morning due to sleep apnea symptoms and large tonsils. We had a visit to the ENT clinic a couple of months ago where they had decided to do due the surgery based on his symptoms of snoring, poor sleep, and stopping breathing during sleep. He also had the frenulum under his tongue clipped again. He had it done as a tiny baby at only a few days old because he wasn't able to suck well. Now he is unable to fully stick his tongue out and can't make certain sounds because he can't put his tongue on the roof of his mouth. Thus, we ended up at LeBonheur yesterday morning for a tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy, or a T and A, and a frenectomy.

We arrived to the pre-op desk bright and early at 6:30 yesterday morning. Actually it wasn't all that bright. In fact, Drew asked why we were going while it was still night time. He got to wear his pajamas and house shoes to the hospital, as our friend and fellow resident Stephanie reminded us that it is customary for the pre-op children to do so. The grandparents, Uncle Kyle, and Aunt Sarah all joined us for the activities. Drew was called back to the pre-op area around 7:30 or 8. The first thing he got to do was pick out a toy in the Buddy Tunnel, and he chose a monster truck. Then he was measured and weighed and changed into a gown. We were visited by one of the ENT residents, who I actually ended up knowing from medical school. I was unaware that he was going to be in on the surgery, but it put my mind to ease instantly knowing that he would be there. You could tell Drew was a little apprehensive, but he did great. He did some coloring and got to choose the flavor of the gas that would put him to sleep. He chose bubble gum. Our pre-op nurse was really great and put Drew at ease, as did the child life lady. As it got closer to surgery time Dr. Stocks, the ENT attending, came by and answered our last minute questions. The anesthesiologist came by and it was about time to go. One of us was allowed to go back with Drew and stay until they put him to sleep, so naturally we thought Dad, the doctor, would go. Drew had other ideas, so Mom put on the bunny suit and put on her mask and accompanied Drew to the OR. I gave him a hug and a kiss and said goodbye. A few minutes later Katie joined me in the waiting room with the fam.

It was nerve-wracking. Luckily I was able to spend almost half of the time waiting by going with my dad to get us coffee and breakfast. I had brought a bag full of things to do, but wasn't able to even think about doing any of them. After about 45 minutes the lady who runs the waiting room told us that the doctor would meet us in consultation room 3. My mind immediately was racing. Consultation room? She hadn't said anything about talking to us right afterward. Of course I knew it was common and that it was probably just to tell us that things had gone great, but what if it wasn't. There was about a 2-3 minute period of torture until she showed up with a smile on her face to tell us that things did indeed go great. He did very well and there were no complications. About the same time I was getting a text from another pediatrics resident who happened to be doing an elective in anesthesia this month. She was letting me know that she had seen Drew come back to the OR and that he had done great. We waited a few more minutes and then we were called back to the post-op area to see him.

As bad as the wait had been, the first minute with him in the post-op area was so much worse. He had already started to wake up by the time we made it back there and from the moment we walked in the door we could hear him crying and calling out for his mommy. It took him a minute to finally calm down once Katie and I were by his side. He had some coughing and some pain due to the surgery and the fact that he had been intubated for the procedure. Our post-op nurse was absolutely wonderful. LeBonheur now had an Icee machine in the post-op area. A real Icee machine, complete with real Icee cups and flavors! Only a few minutes after the surgery Drew was awake and letting me feed him little bits of a White Cherry Icee. He took almost half of in it a short time and was awake and watching cartoons. He was an absolute All-Star. Our nurse told us repeatedly how well he was doing and how proud of him she was. The hospital was full, so we were put in a private post-op room for a couple more hours until we got a room. Drew had a popsicle and a Powerade while we waited. Mom and Dad even got Icees! Finally we got a room and we were moved up to the tenth floor.

There we were greeted by another wonderful nurse who really made our stay great. The family also hung out for a little while and spent some time with Drew. He had a late lunch consisting of mashed potatoes, applesauce, and a banana. Our first mission, our most important mission, and really our ongoing mission was to pick movies for our visit. We watched Cars 2, Tangled, Megamind, Despicable Me, Gnomeo and Juliet just to name a few. And yes, we did stay the night, as that's what his ENT prefers when they do the T and A for sleep apnea. I actually preferred it as well, as I had seen too many times where kids had come back to the hospital or even the ICU after a T and A. Drew continued to do well the rest of the night. We were visited by Stephanie who was nice enough to bring Drew some Matchbox cars and a balloon and Mom and Dad some coffee! Drew ate dinner and drank plenty of fluids while also getting IV fluids and pain medicine. We were all amazed that he didn't pass out the rest of the day, only dozing off for a few minutes before finally falling asleep around 10!

He did ok last night, but not as well as the day had gone. He woke up a couple of times complaining of pain and didn't take him medicine as well as he had during the day either. He wanted Katie to sleep with him so she did and I slept on the couch. It was a little bit of a restless night at times, but ultimately it rendered the sweetest part of the entire story. Around 4 AM Drew rolled over and patted Katie and told her "You're the best mommy I could ask for." It was so precious. The resident came to visit us around 6 and told us that as long as Drew could eat and drink at breakfast that we could go home.

Initially the morning went just as planned. Drew ate some grits and drank plenty of water. The doctor put in the discharge orders, wrote the prescriptions, and the nurse came to discharge us. I went to take the things to the car and pull it around to the front entrance. Then I get a call from Katie that Drew threw up three times as they crossed the threshold leaving his room. Great. Between me, the nurse, and the ENT resident we decided to stay until lunch and see how things went. I blame myself. He had his pain medicine before he had anything on his stomach this morning and I believe that is why he threw up. Since I was already in the car I got Katie and me some lunch at Trolley Stop Market. Drew ultimately ate some more mashed potatoes, drank lots of water, and ate a popsicle for lunch so that we could go home. We we got home a present from Drew's Sunday School teacher was there on our front porch to greet us.

Our entire experience at LeBonheur was first class. I was so proud to be a small part of one of the greatest little children's hospitals in the country. It was so different being on the other side of things. You want people to know you're a doctor, not for special treatment, but so that they'll speak to you in your language. But you don't want to be that person who wears their white coat and introduces themselves as Dr. So-and-So to everyone who walks in the room. And although I know it's a relatively minor procedure, it is definitely true that nothing is minor when it comes to your child. It was definitely weird seeing fellow residents, attendings, nurses, and staff around the hospital. I didn't mind explaining to everyone that Drew was having a T and A, but what if what something more serious or something that we didn't want everyone to know about? It would definitely be a lot more difficult. And it was still excruciating waiting on him during surgery. I know my first experience at LeBonheur almost three years ago when Drew had his head injury had influenced the way I do my job and deal with parents. Hopefully this experience will once again reinforce how important it is to also take care of the parents and family and how important something that may seem so simple to me actually means to them when it's their child. I know LeBonheur has great nurses and they really made the difference in making our visit great. Last, our wonderful little boy was an absolute superhero the entire time. We are so proud of what a big, strong boy he was before, during, and after the surgery. I hope the entire recovery process goes this well. We appreciate everyone's concerns and prayers for him.