Andrew lovingly came up with a nickname for Nathan a while back... Snorebert! Poor Tater has snored at night for as long as I can remember and I always thought it was his allergies blocking his upper airway. When we went on vacation this summer and shared a room with Snorebert, we really noticed how significant his snoring was. We even teased him that he needed a kid sized CPAP!
Well, when visiting the dentist in July, the hygienist mentioned that Nate's tonsils were quite large and we should probably have them evaluated by a doctor. When the doctor took a peek she noted that they were large, but not probably an issue unless he was snoring. When I explained the extent of his snoring she made the referral to the ENT. One quick look by the ENT and surgery to remove Nathan's tonsils and adenoids was scheduled!
We prepared for Nate's surgery with a trip to the store. We stocked up on a mega box of 24 popsicles!
Nathan's surgery was on Tuesday, September 13th. We had to check in at 6:30AM - so we were up bright and early. I was asked to place lidocaine gel on the tops of Nathan's hand before checking in so that he would feel less pain when the IV was inserted. After putting on the gel, we had a tegaderm and coban wrap to put on. We decided Nate was going to be a boxer for the day!
Time to gown up!! What a little stud in his Mickey Mouse gown! :)
Nate then got a little cocktail of drugs to make him sleepy before putting in the IV. He was still awake but starting to get drowsy. This is the last smile I snuck out of him before he...
...zonked out!! Check out his new T. Rex from Gramma J!
It was off to surgery at 7:30. The doctor was walking down the hall at 7:50 and Andrew thought he must be on his way to operate on Nate. Nope! He was already done and came by to tell us that everything went great in surgery. Nate spent about a half hour in the recovery room and was back to us by 8:30AM!
Upon arrival to the room, it appeared that maybe the surgery site hadn't been marked and Nate had gotten a foot transplant instead! Nate would probably really dig dinosaur feet! :)
All cozied up with his Darth Vader blankie and T. Rex:
The most amazing moment of the day was when Nate started to wake up. He told Andrew and I "I'm more than a yellow!" I had no clue what he was talking about, but Andrew remembered that when the nurse had asked Nathan before surgery which pain level was too much, and when to give him medicine, he had pointed at the "4" face. That face corresponded with the yellow zone!! She pulled the chart out and he said "I'm a red!" So we got the little guy some pain meds ASAP!
Nathan asked to call his Grandmas and Grandpa to let them know he was doing alright. (Still looks bit "orange" here)
First recovery popsicle! Back to the yellow zone!
He's on the mend!
Nate requested a picture of his IV in his left hand:
Nate had to stay in his room for two hours to make sure his pain was being managed and that he was recovering well. We were home by 11:30!! We made Nate a comfy spot on the couch to eat popsicles and watch movies. He gave us a thumbs up then, but by 5:00 he was telling us he was tired of movies... uh oh - we still had the rest of the week off school!
That's definitely a 'green' face! :)
I was working a night shift the night of surgery, so I took a nap once Nate was settled in on the couch and Andrew was watching movies with him. Later that afternoon Nate hopped into bed with me and snuggled in for a nap. <3 p="">
Tuesday night before bed the pain got to be a little much and we were back to a "red" face. :(
We kept him on his pain meds every four hours through the night. The next day he was feeling pretty good and played on the iPad while I napped again.
Thursday night was the last time he took his pain meds, and only took ibuprofen as needed. Nate recovered so quickly - such a champ!! He was even able to eat cheese curds on Friday and then run the Kid's Chase on Saturday morning!
Since the surgery we have not heard from Snorebert! He's sleeping well and feeling great!
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