What a Week

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So it's been a CRAZY few weeks. The flu, Alex's surgery, general chaos at work and possibly worst of all, dealing with Dell Customer Service :(.

So about a month ago we found out that Alex had incredibly blocked sinuses that 2 months of antibiotics had done nothing for. A Sinus CT Scan later we were meeting with a pediatric ENT. He spent the first 10 minutes telling me how we would probably need a stronger course of antibiotics and possibly some nose spray and in most cases that clears everything up. I gave him a quick rundown on everything we had tried and he left the room to review the CT scans. A few minutes later he was back asking me to come check them out. Turns out every sinus cavity he has is blocked up and we're now looking at sinus surgery. A few more scan views shows he also has adeniods 3 times the normal size and they need to come out too. I went into denial mode and didn't even think about having to put my little baby in surgery until the week before.

I didn't have much time to dwell on it anyways since our entire family had come down with the flu. Eric canceled his travel and we all camped on the couch and bonded to WAY to many Diego and Dora episodes. Fast forward a miserable week and we were only left witha week to prepare Alex. We visited the surgery center, talked about how much better he would feel, did everything we could to make it less scary. And then all my hard work was worthless when they gave him versed. It helps keep them calm when they take the kiddos back to surgery but no one warned us that he would be hysterical coming out of surgery. It was a horrible experience but we kept telling ourselves that in the end it was for the best since it would make Alex healthier.

So two weeks later he's been sick the whole time, and now after a marathon week at the dr's office (we've been to six different doctors offices in 5 days between the two of us) we're due in tomorrow for another flu test. BAH

My experience with Dell is worthy of a whole other post, and a pictures and video post is coming soon staring lots of Alex, so stay tuned. You can stay updated by "subscribing" to the site, or click the link when we send out update notifications by email!

Versed...The Devil's Brew for Kiddos!

We're home but it definitely was not the smooth sailing experience everyone kept saying it would be. It's looking like Alex handles anesthesia like I do and he was brought to us from recover SCREAMING bloody murder in some nurses' arms. He had emergence delirium and that combined with his OCD about stuff on him that won't come off did not bode well for the IV they wanted him to keep in. I had to restrain him, and Eric and I worked very hard for 20-40 minutes (hard to keep track of time with a hysterical toddler in your arms) to get him calm enough to sip juice. We had been told that that was the magic action that would let us take out the IV, but he sipped his juice and still the nurse wanted us to keep the IV in. I finally told her he was going to continue freaking out (and not just crying, he was hysterical, inconsolable and the additional medicines they gave him to calm him down did nothing) until they took it out. I had to listen to a lecture on how they wouldn't be able to do anything for him if they took it out, how we should put a band aid on him whether he liked it or not, yada yada yada... and finally I was vindicated when they took the IV out and he calmed down because I could walk him around. When will medical personal begin to realize that for all their training, parents frequently have more insider information on their children?

For the next 45 minutes he would drift off and then startle awake screaming again and we would have to work to calm him down all over again. He had one last round of hysteria when I put him in the car and is now finally sleeping at home. I'm really hoping he wakes up more secure in his surroundings. His poor little nose is all bloody and I'm sure he'll wake up with a heck of a headache. Eric is off putting in a brief appearance at work, getting Alex's medicines and some applesauce and should be back soon and my mom is here now ready to help if needed.  

That was an absolutely miserable experience and although they said he is probably predisposed to the delirium since he fights the anesthesia and wakes up too soon like me, the Versed also causes a significant amount of kiddos to react like that so beware if you have a little one going in and they need that medication to stay calm.  

Other than the screaming, the day went okay, he did good when we got there (I think the tour was a great idea since he was very familiar and was showing Eric things he remembered), and apparently he did well during the surgery itself. The Dr. said his adenoids were just enormous and even bigger than he had suspected and it's a good thing they came out now. This could be a good portion of his sleep problem so we'll see if that improves in about a month. The part of the surgery to open up his sinus drainage went well too and they were able to flush out all the infection that was in there so he will hopefully be feeling better within a few weeks. I'm off to eat something since I feel sick as anything due to nerves.

Moral of the story: Prep, prep, prep! Prep the kiddo, prepare yourself, and prepare for the worst. That way nothing comes as a shock and if it does all go smoothly you'll be sitting pretty!

I hate when people tell me it's going to be okay...

Alex, my two year old, is having sinus surgery tomorrow. It's an outpatient procedure and is quite routine but I hate the idea of having my two year old put under anesthetic. I've been in denial for a week or so and quite unlike my usual self, have prepared nothing. My parents have been calling tonight to check on him and get the details and I'm no longer able to ignore the fact that before the sun even thinks about coming up tomorrow we'll be on our way to the surgery center.

I took Alex last week on a tour of the surgery center to get him familiar with it on a normal day. I have to say I HIGHLY recommend doing this if you have a young child going through any kind of procedure. The staff was great, and the tour was largely directed at my son and it gave him a sense of the place that I'm sure will be quite disorienting tomorrow.  Most facilities, especially those with experience or that cater to pediatrics, offer some sort of tour or orientation. These are usually held after hours and answer far more of your questions than the brief call you receive to set the procedure up. 

I know tomorrow will be stressful, and will probably turn out okay, (although fair warning that the next person to say that might get glared at!). But I'm still glad to know that when the going gets tough and my two year old decides that he doesn't want to have his blood pressure taken, doesn't want to let go of mom and dad, or have anything to do with the staff, the orange popsicles in the fridge around the corner are a sure fire motivator! :) And if the popsicle doesn't do it the magic button that opens the doors to the procedure rooms just might.  

Days That Make Me Want to Homeschool

What a week. So much has happened I don't know where to start. 

Alex's teacher at school, Ms. Paine and I, have been working very hard with Alex on potty training and lo and behold orange gummy bears were the secret. :) That and a special new potty with a cushie seat. Yep no kidding, my kiddo won't do those hard plastic potty chairs. We had to go find special ones that have a ring of foam cushion for his pottying comfort!  About a week ago he went potty on it and it was a once a day thing until yesterday when we ran out of diapers and pull ups at the house. Like a crazy person I decided to go with regular undies instead of running to the store and I couldn't believe it when he went all afternoon and evening with no accidents and going potty. Then this morning he was right back into them and with only a small accident at school I think it's been a bang up start to a future without diapers! :)

That's the good side, the bad part of today started as I walked into school with Alex and the director pulled me aside to ask if I had gotten her email. For a moment I felt like a 9th grader in the Asst Principals office again and thought, oh no what did I do. It wasn't about me though, it was Alex's wonderful, loving teacher who we adore! She and her fiancee are expecting and since Alex attends a Christian private school that's a rule breaker that apparently her talent, devotion and plans to marry (put on hold right now for financial reasons) can't surmount. I'm pretty furious right now at the church and whoever it was in the church that cared more about their rules than they did about our kids. Neither the kids or the parents were given any warning regardless of the fact that the church knew of this for several months. No warning was given to his teacher and therefore no warning or transition was given to the kids. For most kids this might be a minor bleep on their radar but Alex has had 5 teachers since he started there in May, a grandmother that travels and is sometimes here and sometimes not, a father that travels regularly, and lots of far off relatives. I worry that he is not going to understand why some people disappear and never come back, some come and go, and some disappear for a while but show back up randomly.  Add that to the fact that he is having surgery on Monday, which I'm sure with my drama king will be a walk in the park and you begin to get an idea of how grateful I am that tomorrow is Friday!

Ahh yes now you are saying, "Surgery?" As most of you know Alex has been sick for months. Nothing contagious or debilitating but a constant runny nose, congestion, and cough. It's gone on so long that he comes to us and asks for medicine to make him feel better. I'm not sure what age Betty Ford starts treatment at but I refuse to let Alex be the first toddler on their roster! :) After several rounds of antibiotics, home remedies and many torturous sessions with saline solution and  a bulb syringe we finally are moving forward with a permanent solution. :)