ALL WENT WELL!!!
Thanks everyone for your good wishes for Jack, they mean an awful lot, especially from Kell for managing to get on the PC at all with 4 kids including a 2 week old!
Well the day started badly, Stephen hadn't set the alarm properly so we both woke up with a start at 7 am. Due in the hospital at 7.45 and we live a 20 minute drive away and would get caught in rush hour so I immediately got into a bad mood about all that.
We literally just lifted Jack out of bed just after 7.30 and put him straight in the car, he was such an angel, no whingeing, no whining for a drink (which he couldnt' have anyway) and we got to the hospital at around 7.50, despite there being roadworks and a lot of traffic, so the gods were already smiling on us.
We were booked in very quickly, we were first on the list and Jack was given some magic cream to put on his hands to numb them and then he just toodled of to the games room while I signed all the forms etc. There were 5 children in total today for grommets, two girls and 3 boys, Jack was the youngest then there were 2 4 year olds, a 5 year old and then an 11 year old whose mother was one of the worst clingy and obsessive mothers I have ever come across. Asked if her son's asthma made him wheezy all the time she replied "oh yes and he gets tight chested" but her son was adamant he didn't have such problems. She asked too many questions, mainly questioning the doctor's ability to do the procedure in the first place (he was having his adenoids out at the same time) and this held everything up for us. She insisted he have his inhaler before he went down, was not happy about her son having nurofen before the op because of his asthma despite assurances that it's only severe asthmatics who react to ibuprofen and her son was very mildy asthmatic, which started her of on one again, asking the doctor if he was just the registrar or a proper surgeon!! At last she shut up and we were ready to take Jack down. I took him down to theatre, carried him whilst Alfie his bear rode on the bed and I had to sit and hold him whilst they administered the anaesthetic. I tell you that boy didn't flinch once when they put the needle into the vein on his hand, he just asked them what it was and had a good look. Then the consultant anaethetist came in and told me to hold him tight whilst the anaesthetic was being administered because he would jerk then go all floppy. Well he jerked all right! So badly did his body try to fight being sent to sleep that the syringe came out and sent chalky white smelly anaesthetic all over everyone, all over my glasses (good job I was wearing them because otherwise I would have had trouble seeing for a while) and on my lips, good job my gob was shut for once!! Then he went very floppy, we put him on the bed and I kissed him goodbye.
I wandered back to the ward and waited with Stephen and was told he would be about half an hour but he was about 50 minutes in total, two other kids had gone down by the time he came back from recovery. He was just having a long snooze! Everything was fine, they had drained all the glue of from his ear and put the grommets in so he should hopefully already be hearing a bit better. The doctor came round and commented on Jack's snoring and slightly laboured breathing in his sleep and suggested that he have his adenoids and tonsils out sooner rather than later but there certainly wasn't any urgency. Jack literally was up on his feet as soon as the nurse who had carried him back from theatre handed him to me, he was very wobbly, and put a weeble to shame but he wasn't sitting down and resting for anyone. He was straight into the games room and switched the nintendo machine on. He had a drink of water and biscuits. The nurse brought him squash but I don't allow Jack to drink it so he had to drink plain old water whilst all the other kids were being brought in lucozade and sprite by their mums and dads and Jack just looked at them and then at us as if to say "why are you so bloody mean, I've just had an operation for heaven's sake?"" Jack ran us ragged for two hours and the nurses were absolutely bowled over by his good nature and powers of recovery. I explained that Jack could get run over by a bulldozer and would probably get back up and carry on with what he was doing. One of the nurses suggested that kids of parents who aren't well do grow up very independent (Jack!!) very even tempered (Jack 80% of the time) and very easy going (Jack to a tee!!) as if they know they have to give their parents an easy ride. I have heard that before but I wasn't aware that my health has had any impact on my ability to bring Jack up just yet, certainly I get tired easily but not much more than anyone else with a small child and two pre- pubescent boys!! But apparantly Jack just "knows".
When it was time to go we were gone in a flash, i don't like hospitals and don't hang around in them unless I have to. We treated Jack to a Macdonalds which we fetched on the way home. He hadn't eaten anything since last night except two rich tea bickies and he'd been such a good boy. Also broke my number one rule and let him have a diet coke!! He's now bouncing of the walls, whilst Stephen and I are exhausted and trying to keep up with him.
Got home, we had bought him a couple of new dvds beforehand for him to have when he got home and he's been happy as larry since.
No swimming for the next 12 weeks, have to put vaseline and cotton wool in his ears when he has a bath. He has a post op appointment in 12 weeks, however, he has an appointment at ENT anyway in 3 weeks about his tonsils so he'll get checked then to see if the grommets have settled. All being well they should stay in for at least 9 months. Daniel's stayed in for 3 years!
There is nothing worse than taking a small child into hospital for a procedure, now matter how small and whether it's under a local or general anaesthetic. But, despite my fears (you know will he be allergic to the anaesthetic etc) I didn't feel as bad as I thought I would and the nurses there, both called Karen, were absolutely fantastic. The two girls there both came back and screamed for at least an hour and they had the patience of saints with them. Apparantly boys tend to bounce back quicker anyway, but then all three boys who went down today had a longer time in recovery than the girls, so maybe a bit of extra sleep goes a long way!!
I'm wrung out, I'm dying to have a bath and go to bed but Jack looks like he's in for the long haul. Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaawnn
Thank you once again for all the messages and emails. Really means a lot to think there were people thinking of him. Sorry for the rambling post but I didn't sleep last night through worrying and I'm just letting my fingers do their own thing!
Well the day started badly, Stephen hadn't set the alarm properly so we both woke up with a start at 7 am. Due in the hospital at 7.45 and we live a 20 minute drive away and would get caught in rush hour so I immediately got into a bad mood about all that.
We literally just lifted Jack out of bed just after 7.30 and put him straight in the car, he was such an angel, no whingeing, no whining for a drink (which he couldnt' have anyway) and we got to the hospital at around 7.50, despite there being roadworks and a lot of traffic, so the gods were already smiling on us.
We were booked in very quickly, we were first on the list and Jack was given some magic cream to put on his hands to numb them and then he just toodled of to the games room while I signed all the forms etc. There were 5 children in total today for grommets, two girls and 3 boys, Jack was the youngest then there were 2 4 year olds, a 5 year old and then an 11 year old whose mother was one of the worst clingy and obsessive mothers I have ever come across. Asked if her son's asthma made him wheezy all the time she replied "oh yes and he gets tight chested" but her son was adamant he didn't have such problems. She asked too many questions, mainly questioning the doctor's ability to do the procedure in the first place (he was having his adenoids out at the same time) and this held everything up for us. She insisted he have his inhaler before he went down, was not happy about her son having nurofen before the op because of his asthma despite assurances that it's only severe asthmatics who react to ibuprofen and her son was very mildy asthmatic, which started her of on one again, asking the doctor if he was just the registrar or a proper surgeon!! At last she shut up and we were ready to take Jack down. I took him down to theatre, carried him whilst Alfie his bear rode on the bed and I had to sit and hold him whilst they administered the anaesthetic. I tell you that boy didn't flinch once when they put the needle into the vein on his hand, he just asked them what it was and had a good look. Then the consultant anaethetist came in and told me to hold him tight whilst the anaesthetic was being administered because he would jerk then go all floppy. Well he jerked all right! So badly did his body try to fight being sent to sleep that the syringe came out and sent chalky white smelly anaesthetic all over everyone, all over my glasses (good job I was wearing them because otherwise I would have had trouble seeing for a while) and on my lips, good job my gob was shut for once!! Then he went very floppy, we put him on the bed and I kissed him goodbye.
I wandered back to the ward and waited with Stephen and was told he would be about half an hour but he was about 50 minutes in total, two other kids had gone down by the time he came back from recovery. He was just having a long snooze! Everything was fine, they had drained all the glue of from his ear and put the grommets in so he should hopefully already be hearing a bit better. The doctor came round and commented on Jack's snoring and slightly laboured breathing in his sleep and suggested that he have his adenoids and tonsils out sooner rather than later but there certainly wasn't any urgency. Jack literally was up on his feet as soon as the nurse who had carried him back from theatre handed him to me, he was very wobbly, and put a weeble to shame but he wasn't sitting down and resting for anyone. He was straight into the games room and switched the nintendo machine on. He had a drink of water and biscuits. The nurse brought him squash but I don't allow Jack to drink it so he had to drink plain old water whilst all the other kids were being brought in lucozade and sprite by their mums and dads and Jack just looked at them and then at us as if to say "why are you so bloody mean, I've just had an operation for heaven's sake?"" Jack ran us ragged for two hours and the nurses were absolutely bowled over by his good nature and powers of recovery. I explained that Jack could get run over by a bulldozer and would probably get back up and carry on with what he was doing. One of the nurses suggested that kids of parents who aren't well do grow up very independent (Jack!!) very even tempered (Jack 80% of the time) and very easy going (Jack to a tee!!) as if they know they have to give their parents an easy ride. I have heard that before but I wasn't aware that my health has had any impact on my ability to bring Jack up just yet, certainly I get tired easily but not much more than anyone else with a small child and two pre- pubescent boys!! But apparantly Jack just "knows".
When it was time to go we were gone in a flash, i don't like hospitals and don't hang around in them unless I have to. We treated Jack to a Macdonalds which we fetched on the way home. He hadn't eaten anything since last night except two rich tea bickies and he'd been such a good boy. Also broke my number one rule and let him have a diet coke!! He's now bouncing of the walls, whilst Stephen and I are exhausted and trying to keep up with him.
Got home, we had bought him a couple of new dvds beforehand for him to have when he got home and he's been happy as larry since.
No swimming for the next 12 weeks, have to put vaseline and cotton wool in his ears when he has a bath. He has a post op appointment in 12 weeks, however, he has an appointment at ENT anyway in 3 weeks about his tonsils so he'll get checked then to see if the grommets have settled. All being well they should stay in for at least 9 months. Daniel's stayed in for 3 years!
There is nothing worse than taking a small child into hospital for a procedure, now matter how small and whether it's under a local or general anaesthetic. But, despite my fears (you know will he be allergic to the anaesthetic etc) I didn't feel as bad as I thought I would and the nurses there, both called Karen, were absolutely fantastic. The two girls there both came back and screamed for at least an hour and they had the patience of saints with them. Apparantly boys tend to bounce back quicker anyway, but then all three boys who went down today had a longer time in recovery than the girls, so maybe a bit of extra sleep goes a long way!!
I'm wrung out, I'm dying to have a bath and go to bed but Jack looks like he's in for the long haul. Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaawnn
Thank you once again for all the messages and emails. Really means a lot to think there were people thinking of him. Sorry for the rambling post but I didn't sleep last night through worrying and I'm just letting my fingers do their own thing!
posted by Al at 8:23 AM
5 Comments:
Well done you for being so brave!! I was a wreck when Jade had her ears done, especially in the anaesthetic room! Well done Jack for being such a good boy, he is a little love, and a lucky little boy for having Coke. God can you imagine if I gave it to Joe!?!? Hugs to you both!
Ess. x
Glad all went well for Jack today Al. Must of been a tough day on you, I can only imagine what it was like.
Anyway pleased that it all went to plan and I hope the grommets help Jack.
Bec
Good boy Jack.
Glad all went well Al. You seemed to have remained amazingly calm! It is incredible how they can bounce back so quickly and not be affected by the situation at all.
Lucky boy having coke and a Maccas. Would love it if Finn would eat one! We live in hope!!!
Love Sx
Al
Very pleased it went so well. What a star Jack is, well done little guy.
xxxx
Al, sooo pleased all went well, you are braver than me, jess had an eye op when she was one and i couldnt take her down to be anaesthatised (such bad spelling lol!) graham carried her through. i can imagine how relieved you must feel now its all over!
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