I've known for the past few months that Avery needed her tonsils removed. She's always snored but recently it had gotten so bad that she struggled to breathe at night. Any time she was relaxed her breathing became so labored that Matt and I decided she needed to see an ENT doctor to have her tonsils looked at. Before her appointment, I already knew what he would say... something had to be done to help my baby breathe better.
Sure enough, he took one look in her mouth and the doctor told me she had some of the largest tonsils he'd seen in a long time. That they rate tonsil size on a 1-4 rating and hers were a 4+. There was no discussion or recommendation... it was "how soon can we schedule this".
I had numerous people ask me if I was nervous or worried about the procedure but her breathing had become so labored I was actually more nervous about putting her to bed each night before the surgery. We could hear her struggling to breath from across the house and at night when I'd check on her before bed she was wet with sweat from working so hard to breath. It broke my heart and honestly I woke up each morning thankful that she was okay. I couldn't have been more ready for her surgery.
Her appointment was scheduled for 7:00 am on a Monday so we woke up very early to be there by 6:00. Poor baby was so confused about why we were waking her up when it was still dark.
She did great in the waiting room and was good about letting the nurses take her vitals.
The procedure took less than 15 minutes and as soon as she woke up from the anesthesia we went back to see her. The nurses had warned us that most children wake up very angry from anesthesia but she was just sleepy and confused. She perked up when we offered her a 'hopsicle'!
The first two days after her surgery she was fine. She only took one dose of pain medication and it was all I could do to explain to her that she couldn't eat crackers and goldfish. She had a great appetite and was in a good mood.
Then the third day hit and it was all down hill. She was in a lot of pain and was clearly not herself. We spent a lot of time watching cartoons, eating popsicles, and reading books. She even got to take a bath in my tub with her new color tablets (no she's not bathing in bloody water!).
Nothing seemed to help so I started giving her more pain medication (hydrocodone). She still wasn't herself and was very lethargic but at least the pain let up.
Saturday evening she was a royal mess. She was so tired and grouchy and still in pain. She was falling asleep at the dinner table so Matt told her to go rest on the couch. 10 minutes later we found her sound asleep. She has NEVER fallen asleep anywhere but her bed or car seat since she was a baby so this was a big deal. I knew she was exhausted but still didn't expect for her to pass out at 6:00 on the couch.
Poor baby, I have hated seeing her like this. She's been so brave but it's been a tough week and I can't wait to put it behind us. She is doing much better now and I'm amazed at the changes we are already seeing. Her voice sounds much different now, but the biggest change is how quiet she is while sleeping. A week later it still amazes me. I walk in to her room and she is peacefully asleep. No snoring, no gasping for air. I even took a nap with her last week and was able to fall asleep beside her!
So thankful for this procedure and the peace of mind that she is sleeping and breathing better but I'm ready to have my baby girl back! She's doing better today but still a little run down. She hasn't slept through the night since the surgery and that is certainly taking its effect on her (and us).
