Friday, November 11, 2011

Watch out for those pesky apples!

OK, so we are now on day 4 of what I refer to as, "Tonsil Hell".  Every day brings a new kind of hell.
Overall, Alex's surgery went as expected.  She had a Tonsillectomy and Adenoidectomy that was with out complication.  We spent 1 night in the Hospital, (with a student nurse, see below).  We were discharged the next day after Alex drank the absolute MINIMUM amount of water necessary to sustain life.  So far, she has earned a stuffed kitten and a $30 "Mama Lion" for her fluid intake.  (I think the score is tied, Alex 2, Mama and Mommy 2).
There are a few childhood urban legends out there.  One of them is of course the "razor blade in the apple story" that always comes up on Halloween to scare the bajeezus out of little trick or treaters.  The other urban legend is, "You can have as much ice cream as you want after you get your tonsils out!!!!!"
The truth is, kids don't want ANYTHING in their mouth after such an invasive surgery.  Some kids even refuse to swallow for weeks.
Alex is swallowing, and mostly sleeping OK.  Her pain meds are to be given every 4 hours, and that is a full-on toddler brawl.  We wake her up for this...so you can imagine her delight at 11 pm, then again at 3 am, and so on.
Today began a new chapter.  She has been vomiting non-stop since she woke up.  That means, NO PAIN MEDS ARE IN HER SYSTEM, which means she doesn't want to drink...  She also hasn't pooped in 5 days.  We are taking measures to improve her quality of life, and also figuring out how to manage her pain.  She is sleeping comfortably now.
I think one of the hardest parts of this whole thing for Alex is her inability to talk as much as she'd like.
As you all know, talking is her gift to the universe, and without it, she could self destruct.
Anyway, this can't go on forever, RIGHT??????
Mostly I wanted to make sure that you all double-checked your kids' trick or treat bags for any apples that may have been distributed on Halloween.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Dee-Dee says- I am sooo sorry to hear about Alex's miseries and very concerned for Mama and Mommy who have shared a tough time with Alex. I only hope that this will do the trick and that strep infection will only be a memory. I love you guys and so wish we were closer to help you out. Mary Jane keeps us up to date and it's not been a "walk in the park"! It can only get better!! Love, Dee-Dee

Anonymous said...

P.S. Thanks for the wonderful blog journals- I love reading them!! DeeDee