Tessa's surgery yesterday to place tubes in her ears went well, and she's recovering quickly. The tubes will help equalize the pressure in her ears and help prevent more ear infections. Her doctor said she suffered some hearing loss from all the infections, but her hearing will be fully restored once all the fluid is out. I wish I could say the whole ordeal went smoothly, but...here's a rundown of the events:
Tuesday night (night before surgery) — We noticed there was drainage from Tessa's left ear, a sign her eardrum had ruptured again. After several phone calls, the on-call doctor from the ENT clinic called and sent in a prescription for antibiotics. Eric had JO practice, so Tessa and I went to Sioux Falls to pick up her meds. Eric and I were concerned they wouldn't be able to perform the surgery, but we had to wait until that morning to know for sure.
Tessa makes sure Sam is fed before she leaves for surgery.
(day of surgery) — We wake Tessa up at 6 a.m. so that she can have some water before going in. We were instructed not to give her any food after midnight and only water or apple juice up until 6:30 that morning. Well, the doctor said it was OK to give her the antibiotics in the morning even though she had an empty stomach and was going in for surgery. Bad idea. As we were leaving Canton, Tessa spewed all over the back seat. Poor babe. We turned around, changed her clothes and were on our way again. Almost to Sioux Falls, she puked again. Thankfully, I brought extra clothes. Since we were running behind, I missed the valet parking, so I parked on the street in a spot designated for McGreevy Clinic patients (of which Tessa is, technically) and planned to move the car after we checked in. We went out to move the car after she was registered, and some guy was putting a ticket on Blanche. (She's been through so much lately, too.) He informed me our car could have been towed and I got there just in time. Gee, thanks buddy.
Pre-surgery — I told the anesthesiologist about her meds and the vomiting, and he said those factors wouldn't be a problem; they'd still go ahead with surgery. The surgical hospital recently changed its policy to allow parents to accompany their child while they're being put under. I opted to do that. I put the scrubs on and carried Tessa to the operating room (so weird), held her hand and through my tears told her she was going to be OK. I hope she believed me. She was out in 15 seconds. Walking out, the nurse said she thinks it helps when parents go in with their child. She also told me I did well. Liar. :) I was holding back sobs at that point.
Post-surgery — The procedure only took about 20 minutes. When I went to the initial recovery room, Tessa was still half out of it. Her eyes were closed, and she was thrashing and crying. The nurse said this was all normal, and Tessa was probably having some weird sensations, even cracking sounds in her ears. We went to a private recovery room so I could better console her. She opened her eyes but didn't want anything to eat or drink, so I rocked her to sleep. After her 25 minute nap, she had juice and crackers and was content watching "Winnie the Pooh." I signed the discharge papers, and we were home by 11 a.m.
In the recovery room
According to the T-shirt Tessa received, going to the Sioux Falls Surgical Hospital is a "Pediatric Safari."
They dined — Main course: gorditas! Dessert: angel food cake with strawberries and Cool Whip
They discussed — the merits of "Goodnight Moon" (Why don't we say good morning to the sun?)
They disturbed the cat.
"No photos...please."
Before breakfast a few Saturdays ago, Tessa said, "Baby hungry." So, we accommodated her at the table.
It looks like they're all singing, but they're not.
Tessa would only go on this dinosaur, which she called Tony, if Uncle Aaron accompanied her.
Tessa post slide (she had her doubts at first)
Playground equipment is much more fun when you have someone to enjoy it with.
It's bongo time!
Tessa makes sure Sam is fed before she leaves for surgery.
In the recovery room
According to the T-shirt Tessa received, going to the Sioux Falls Surgical Hospital is a "Pediatric Safari."
