Branik has lived most of his 3 year old life with his mouth open -- to the point that Boone and I would try to get each other's attention when we saw him with his mouth closed because he looked so different.
About 6 weeks ago Branik's speech therapist told me that he had some issues with the muscle tone in his lower jaw that may be affecting his ability to make certain speech sounds correctly. When she noticed how much his mouth stayed open, she peeked in at his tonsils and was floored by their size. She brought him out to me and had me take a look, at which point I felt like a horrible negligent mother for having never noticed before. Usually I am able to connect the dots a little better than that, but I missed this one. (Let's be fair though and note that his doctor never noticed it either, so maybe I suck as a mother 5% less than you just thought I did.)
Anyway, once we saw how big they were, we went to see a pediatric ENT who took one look and said, "Yep. Those need to come out. They are obstructing his airway which is why he leaves his mouth open all the time."
So yesterday we took little Branik to MCG to have his tonsils and adenoids removed. I know it is such a minor thing to have done, but it was still unnerving to see my baby in a hospital gown being wheeled away into an OR. They let him pick out a toy before going to pre-op, and he scored a Hot Wheels produce truck.
It made me really grateful for the healthy children mine have been so far, and also made me appreciate the strength some parents have to possess when they have kids who are really sick. It also made me really grateful (again) for the health care we have had while in the army. I don't want to have some political discussion here, but it has been so wonderful to not have to even think about the cost of procedures, appointments with specialists, or prescriptions while Boone has been on active duty. We've had a few minor bumps in the road, but overall, our experience has been a good one. The people at the Children's Medical Center at MCG were all wonderful and treated our family very well, and I am thankful that Bran could receive such specialized care for even a minor surgery.
Branik did just fine and was discharged less than 3 hours after checking in. They gave him another dose of morphine before we left so he was stoned out of his mind all the way home. I couldn't help but laugh (since I knew he was fine) when we'd have total silence for 10 minutes and then out of nowhere we'd hear Branik slur out the words, "there's two stop signs!", and then silence again.
Branik, this better be the only "drunk/stoned" picture of you ever posted on the internet:
He is doing just great so far, eating and drinking pretty normally, and still fighting with siblings. Hopefully this will resolve some of his speech problems and put an end to the mouth breathing.
Alright, back to the beach we shall go...sometime soon...(ish)...
10 comments:
What a little trooper! I cringe at the thought of any surgery, even if I got a Hot Wheels beforehand. So Bran's way more tough than his wussy Aunt Caiti.
Also, Branik being "stoned" totally reminds me of the YouTube video "David After Dentist". If you haven't seen it, please take 3 minutes out of your busy day to watch it--you'll die, I promise.
Give Bran-Flakes a hug for me!
Awww! What a trooper. Indeed yay! for military benefits. When Taylor was born 10 weeks premature having that coverage was a huge blessing in our young, poor lives.
Here's to Branik and being able to breathe through your nose! Cheers, buddy.
Babies + medical procedure = AAAAACCCKKKK!! I'm glad he's feeling better, though! He sure is cute in that gown:)
Boy, you weren't kidding about how stoned he was! That picture is so funny/sad! Hope his recovery continues to be like Hudson's, however maddening that may be.
The pictures of him in the gown and on the way home are 2 of the most priceless pictures you have ever posted. So so cute and sad at the same time. I love drunk kids.
He DOES look pretty stinkin' cute in the gown, doesn't he?
Also too, after I posted this it occurred to me that I posted a picture of Branik and used the words "looks stoned" in my last post too. Glad I have his discharge papers on hand:) Don't send CPS after me.
Oh, Branik---
Those are pretty cute pictures.
I hope his recovery is smooth and hanging-on-scab-free.
I'm certain this will help his speech issues drastically. And, he'll be grateful to have them out for the comfort factor too.
Give him a hug for us.
Awwwww. For the record, there is absolutely no medical procedure too small to be way big when it's your very own kid. So if you would have been looking exactly like Branik in your very own photo on the way home, I wouldn't have thought any less of you.
Deb, who said I DIDN'T look just like Branik on the way home?
And you're right -- any time your baby goes under general anesthesia it's a big deal.
As luck would have it, one of Boone's patients was in the room next to us in pre-op waiting for his son to have yet another surgery. His son was born with his bladder outside of his body and in addition to the many reconstructive surgeries he has had, he also has a permanent catheter that has to be manually flushed out every day by his parents. He's spent serious time in the hospital throughout his 6 years of life, and yesterday was his birthday. He was not happy to be there again. When anesthesia came to give him his "sleepy juice" he freaked out, knowing full well what was coming next and how long he would be in pain. I could hear the doctors coaxing him to drink his meds and the poor kid fighting it for all he was worth, and it just broke my heart.
I have a child who has what will probably be life long difficulties, but I'll take that over watching my kid in physical pain and hooked up to tubes with uncertain outcomes any day. Other parents might feel differently, but I think that's why we are all given different children.
Amen.
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