Take a Deep Breath

Gunner had his tonsils taken out today.  Hobbes understands this to mean that Gunner's tongue is broken.  Enough said.

Well, maybe not.  It's such a routine thing that I almost feel bad writing about it.  Every kid gets their tonsils out.  Big deal.

But it is a big deal.  To me.  And to him.  Boy, I feel so bad for him right now.  We have now had the pleasure of taking him into the hospital for two surgeries.  Remember this (here, here and here)?  He is a healthy little boy, so it's hard for me as a mom to take my healthy, spunky, energetic little guy into the hospital, knowing that he's going to come home broken, sore and miserable.

He was actually pretty excited about this surgery.  We must have done a good job talking it up.  Either that, or he knew that he would get extra special attention, so it must be cool.  We took him in to meet with the ENT Doc last week, who is a really nice guy who loves kids and has four of his own, three of which have undergone ENT surgeries.  He was super nice to Gunner, and he made him feel special.

Then he got extra special mommy/Gunner time this morning, and all of the staff this morning was really great.  They treated him well, they asked him questions, gave him a special stuffed fish to hold, and let him wear special hospital jammies and slippers.  Daddy even got out of some duties in the ICU to be with him in the OR as they anesthetized him.  Surgery was going to be great.

And then it is what it is, and he wakes up hurting and disoriented, and he realizes the unpleasant realities that are surgery.  He said, "I'm not ever coming back here again.  I would have said No No No to surgery!  Don't call the doctor anymore, Mom.  I'll take your phone and never give back to you."

It's going to be a long couple of weeks.  But when all is said and done, it will be good for him.  The surgeon said that Gunner's tonsils were huge!  It definitely needed to be done.  Hopefully he will sleep better and be a happier little guy eventually.

Also, I didn't know about Adenoid Facies, which is when the cheeks elongate because the person is mouth breathing and struggling to breathe with every inhalation.  That's scary to me.  The ENT also said that Gunner was already showing some signs of facial development issues, so it's really good that we pulled those suckers out!  This is something that will sort itself out after a while since he won't have to breathe out of his mouth so much anymore.  Not permanent, thankfully.

A few more things:
Having him in the hospital for even a few hours makes me very very very very grateful for my healthy children.  I feel for every sick child and their families who spend so much time in the hospital that it becomes the norm for them.  That should never be a norm for a child.

Also, thank you, Maggie, for watching Hobbes for us today.  It gave me peace of mind knowing he was in good hands, and probably happier than if he had been at home with me.  He loves you. :)

My fridge and freezer are stocked with ice cream, popsicles, applesauce, pudding, jello, juice, and the makin's for smoothies galore.  It's going to be a nutrition free-for-all for the next couple of weeks until my poor little guy gets better.