July 22, 2014

Eli's surgery

Poor Eli. Today was his surgery, and it was a very long day! Yesterday, we were told to go to children's hospital at 10:45 this morning, which was nice because we didn't have to rush out the door or anything today. I got up and went for a run at 6:30. I ran five miles at my MAF heart rate, and I was so frustrated with how slowly I have to run to keep my heart rate down.

Several times, I felt like if I slowed down at all, I'd be walking. My pace was slower than last week, but it was also nearly 100% humidity and very hot today (unlike last week's cool spell). I was tempted to just say screw it, and pick up the pace, but I really want to give this MAF training a fair shot. Anyway, I ran five miles in 57:27 (an 11:27/mi pace), with an average heart rate of 145.

When I got home, I put together a bag for the hospital, and we got ready to head out. We took Noah to my parents' house, and then Jerry and I took Eli to the hospital. We went up to the fourth floor, and we had to wait in a waiting room for what seemed like forever. Eli was hungry, and he wasn't allowed to eat anything. There were signs all over the waiting room that said, "I'm fasting. Please enjoy your food and drinks on the second floor" or something like that. The receptionist even told us that they don't allow food or drinks in the waiting area out of respect for the kids who are fasting for surgery.

There were two women who came in and were sitting right next to us, and then they pulled out drinks and chocolate-covered something or other, and were eating it right in front of Eli (and the other kids). I was so irritated that they were so inconsiderate, especially when it was made very clear there was no eating or drinking in there. We had been waiting for what felt like forever--we had arrived at 10:00, and we were finally called to pre-op at 12:00 or so.


My mom had bought him new pajamas for his surgery, so he wore those and brought a little stuffed animal from Noah--an enderman (?) from Minecraft. He wasn't really worried about the surgery at all. His biggest concern was whether they were going to give him a shot to put him to sleep or use a mask to put him to sleep.

The anesthesiologist came in to talk to us, and explained exactly what they were going to do. Eli was relieved that they were going to use a mask to put him to sleep, and then they would do the IV while he was sleeping. She asked if Eli had any loose teeth, and he pointed out several. I told her if they could pull any of them while he was sleeping, that'd be awesome ;)  She said they didn't really feel ready to come out, but sometimes the instrument they use for intubating is really hard on the two front teeth, so if they're loose enough, they may just get pulled.

We got Eli dressed in his gown, and he looked so sweet. The anesthesiologist had given him a mask to play with while we waited.


At around 1:00, they finally came to take him to the OR. Jerry and I walked down the hall with him, and then we had to say goodbye. It was WAY harder for me than it was for Eli, I know, but I managed not to cry or get too emotional when giving him a kiss goodbye.

Jerry and I went downstairs to grab some lunch, and after about 40 minutes, our pager started flashing, meaning the doctor was ready to talk to us. The doctor said everything went really well, and they ended up having to pull his two front teeth--yay! (Those teeth were looking bad--they needed to come out). You can already see his adult teeth there. He told us what to expect during recovery, and said we could go see Eli in about an hour, after he was awake and stable.

It was such a long hour! We waited in the waiting room, and when the pager went off again, we got to go see Eli. Apparently, after they woke him up, he gave them a huge cough and blood just went everywhere. Someone was still cleaning it up off the floor when we got there. Eli looked really spacey, and couldn't really talk. I felt so bad for him! I just wanted to hold him and make the pain go away, but obviously there was nothing I could do.

The nurses said he was in a lot of pain when he first came out, but they gave him pain meds, and by the time we got there, they were starting to kick in.


He was able to eat a slushie, but he was still really drowsy and not very alert. The nurse said he should probably stay until he's a little more awake, so we stayed for about an hour and and a half. He perked up a bit when Jerry let him play a game on his phone. We got him dressed in his pajamas again, and the nurse took out his IV. Finally, at around 4:15, we left the hospital.


He did pretty well during the car ride home, thanks to the pain meds we gave him right before we left, but now that we're home, it's not going so well. He wants to eat really badly, but whenever he tries, he ends up crying because his throat hurts. I've tried broth, ice cream, popsicles, water, and soda, and all of it hurts going down. He even said, "I don't like my life" and when I asked what he meant, he said that he doesn't like his life because he had to have surgery. I just wish I could make him feel better! I've been watching the clock to be able to give him his next dose of pain medicine.

Tomorrow, we're going to have a very low-key day of watching movies. I didn't have surgery, but I am definitely looking forward to a relaxing day with the kids! Hopefully Eli feels better tomorrow.

27 comments:

  1. Poor Eli!! He will begin to feel better and better each day, but that first day or two is tough! Hang in there!!

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  2. Poor Eli!!! I had my tonsils and adenoids out when I was 18 (8 years ago) which is pretty late for my generation but I am SO glad I did because I had constant infections. I remember the first 2 days after surgery were very rough because I had nausea from the anesthesia and a lot of throwing up, which was really painful!! But after a day or two of my consistent pain meds and really just popsicles, jello and juice I felt a lot better. I also pretty much stayed in bed the first few days and just watched DVDs and slept A LOT. By that time I felt a little better I was so hungry that I started eating soup and whatever I could like soft macaroni and rice. Tell him to hang in there and sleep as much as he can!

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  3. Poor kiddo! I hope he feels much better tomorrow :(

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  4. AnonymousJuly 22, 2014

    Praying for a speedy recovery.

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  5. Poor guy! Our little guy had that surgery in March. The first few days are the roughest. Hydration and pain meds are the key during that time. A dry throat hurts much worse than a moist one. Prayers for a speedy recovery!

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  6. Try applesauce or pudding at room temp. The cold temperature of the food might make it harder to swallow!

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  7. So sorry for Eli! I have had my tonsils and adenoids out, an appendectomy, wisdom teeth removal (twice), and some other no fun procedures like having a port placed in my chest and a bone marrow biopsy and I always say getting my tonsils out was the worst. I loved bland, warm food like mashed potatoes. Hang in there! It does get better and the good news is I have not had ANY problems since getting them out like 9 years ago!

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  8. I wish Eli a speedy recovery. When I was a kid and had my tonsils out we had jelly (jello) and ice cream but here in the UK now when kids have them out they make them eat toast and other rough foods. Apparently the scratchiness of the food helps the healing process (I have no idea how that works). We are also told to avoid dairy as it can cause issues.

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  9. AnonymousJuly 23, 2014

    Im 51 and STILL remember getting mine out her like hell, hope he feels better soon. Spoil him alittle.

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  10. AnonymousJuly 23, 2014

    Poor kid! I had a horrible cough/sore throat over the winter that about killed me--I can't imagine what he's going through. I will say that the only thing that didn't feel like swallowing glass was Vernor's. You'd think that'd be the same as Coke, but it went down smooth and the Coke hurt like hell.

    I hope he feels better soon!

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  11. V had his tonsils and adenoids out this past Feb. You have to stay ahead of the pain, be sure to give him the pain meds they prescribed. Once the healing really starts, in the middle of the night will be the worst. V would be up every two hours wailing in pain. What worked best for him was those flavor ice (plastic tubes) ice pops. I cut the tops and left them standing in the freezer so when we needed one in the middle of the night, I could just grab one. The first thing he really ate on day 2 was fried rice. I don't know why but he ate a ton of it.

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  12. Poor little guy! Hoping he is feeling better super quick.

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  13. Poor Eli! Wishing him a very speedy recovery and that today will be better for him.

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  14. I hope Eli feels better soon. I was sick on and off for months before having my tonsils removed when I was twelve. It was in the summer, too, and everyone bought me gourmet ice cream. I couldn't eat any of it because it hurt too much. The only thing I could eat was refried beans (I did live in California). I think it was the cold that was the problem. Once I healed I was so much healthier. I hope Eli has good results, too. Happy thoughts to your whole family.

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  15. When you said Eli was going to be having his tonsils out, I had bad memories from when my own two oldest sons had theirs out. Mark was only about 8, but for weeks after his surgery, whenever he ate, he had terrible pain in his ears. Brady, my middle son, was 14, and could not take a pill, so he never took any pain meds. He was miserable. I'm hoping Eli gets to feeling better soon, sore throats are so painful!!

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  16. AnonymousJuly 23, 2014

    Best wishes to Eli! When I had my tonsils out (as an adult unfortunately) I couldn't deal with anything hot or very cold (so no all the ice cream I could eat as the dr had said). Try applesauce after you leave it out for a bit or luke warm broth. I ate a lot of mashed potatoes for awhile too.

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  17. Couple really important things (that I am sure your discharge paperwork says)....hydration is important, and keeping down activity for a week at least. Also, post-op days 5-8 could be the worst. It is important that the scabs on the throat do not dislodge too soon because bleeding can occur.

    Hope he feels better soon

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  18. Maybe Pediasure at room temp?

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  19. Aww, this breaks my heart. Hopefully things will be better tomorrow!

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  20. Wishing Eli a quick recovery! I know exactly how you feel when 1 of your kids is going through something and you feel like it's you too. You are a great Mommy!!!

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  21. Poor guy! Charlie had surgery when he was just over a year old, and handing him over to the nurses was just agony. I hope the discomfort is minimal today and a good movie takes his mind off everything.

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  22. Awwwww my heart hurts for him right now, but he's a tough guy! Hoping he starts getting some relief soon! <3

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  23. I'm a day late reading this. I hope that he is feeling better today. I remember that my daughter was much better the next day but that first day was not fun.

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  24. I I had a similar procedure as an adult. I remember writing on a piece of paper.." I wish I was dead." Ice cream produced flem. .I clearly recall that. The only thing I kept down were slurpees. Hope your son feels better.

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  25. Oh, poor guy! It's awful to see a child in pain.

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  26. AnonymousJuly 23, 2014

    When my fist son had his removed, he kept a moist wash cloth over his mouth from the time he returned from recovery until 2 days after we were home. Only move it long enough for me to replace it with another. In between he did try to drink liquids at room temp. The 3rd day he asked for fried chicken - go figure. Hope Eli feels better soon (also, Mom & Dad).

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  27. Random comment: but Wow, Eli looks just like Jerry!! It's weird because I always thought he didn't look at all like you. My airhead-ness never even thought to think he's got TWO parents, until the pic with the two of them together just now.

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