Impending Day of Doom

When Owen was 2 years old, his pediatrician suggested that I have him evaluated for his speech. I do so and was glad I did. He was delayed in his speech. A short 9 months later he was done with speech therapy having caught up and, in some cases, passed, peers of his age group. Owen has come such a long way with his speech. It still isn't perfect, but it has improved leaps and bounds.

This past New Year's we spent at my parents' house in California. It was on that trip that my Dad said to me that he thought Owen's adenoids were enlarged. He had a very nasally quality to his voice, much like someone with a cold sounds, he breathed only through his mouth - regardless of him sucking his thumb - snored, and no matter how much we brushed his teeth, had bad breathed (because he breathed with his mouth open). I told my Dad that I thought he was getting a cold and that's why he sounded so nasally or stuffy in his nose. My Dad told me to watch it and see what happened over the next 10 days to 2 weeks.

At his 4 year appointment, I mentioned something to the pediatrician and she suggested that I give him 1 teaspoon of Zyrtec once a day at night for a month and see if that helped. It did. Only slightly though. Not to mention that when I ran out of the Zyrtec, the same stuffy sounding voice came back.

Needless to say, I took Owen to the ENT that did my tonsillectomy in December to get his opinion. He asked me several question and looked at Owen. At the end of the exam and having answered all of the questions, it was his opinion that Owen have his tonsils and adenoids removed. I knew that answer was coming, but I didn't want to hear it, really. I could have set the surgery right then and there, but decided to push it out a few weeks and think it over. Long and hard. The surgery day was set and then the waiting began. The impending day of doom was looming closer and closer.

Not knowing whether or not I should say anything to Owen, or better yet, how to explain it to him I, once again, made a phone call to my Dad. He suggested that I tell Owen that he would go see the doctor to fix his nose. He would be given a little bit of medicine to help him sleep and, then, when he woke up, I would be there.

That's exactly what I did and we didn't have any trouble with him at all. He walked back to the OR holding his "little blankie" in one hand and the OR nurse's hand with the other. He was such a brave little boy. The surgery was just 20 minutes long. When Owen was done, the ENT came and talked to me. He said that Owen's tonsils were normal or average sized, which I expected. Then he told me that his adenoids were "huge", "enormous". I was kind of shocked to hear that, but also relieved. I was relieved to know that I just did subject my baby to a surgery that could have been for not. I knew it wasn't, but to hear the confirmation was even better. I just had to wait for Owen to go to recovery and then I could go see him.

He didn't cry going into the surgery - it was coming out of the anesthesia that was the hardest part for him. Owen, the usually mellow non-combative boy, became very combative, alligator rolling, IV tangling, screaming, crying little boy. It wasn't until he saw me that he began to relax, if only a little, so the nurses could unwrap the IV line (that was still attached to his hand mind you) from around his body due to his constant alligator rolling. Once he figured out that I was there and wasn't going anywhere, he started to cry and just kept asking to "go home". He dozed off to sleep and when he would wake he instantly looked to see if I was still there. I felt so bad for him. Almost guilty for doing this.

But, knowing that the enlarged adenoids were affecting his speech, after working so hard to get him caught up to his peers, I knew it was inevitable and that it was a necessary procedure. My impending day of doom has now turned into impending DAYS of doom as Owen cannot run, jump, play, ride his bike or scooter, go to t-ball or anything else that may be deemed strenuous for fear of bleeding. THAT is going to test my parental competency to its maximum. Regardless, I'm glad I made the decision and that it wasn't so bad afterall.