About the operation...

We woke up this morning 6:30 and without food and water got Theo to the hospital at 7:30. After about an hour and a half of waiting around, filling out paperwork, and paying a portion of the bill, we were finally taken to a room where Theo was given the much talked about "happy juice" that we've known for about a week would make him loopy and droopy and funny... As Dr. ***** said at our pre-op consultation last week, there indeed is nothing funnier than a child on drugs... Theo has been looking forward for the "happy juice" and mask that follows, to experience the feeling of being put to sleep without being able to control it. It's been a topic of several serious (and funny) discussions over the past days. He's shown a very keen interest in the whole process and questions everything along the way. Last night we watched an animated medical video online, showing the experience from pre-op preparation, through the actual procedures of both tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy, and through the expectations of recovery. We have all gone into this with as much knowledge as we could absorb and were ready. But even knowing, you're still never really ready. And when he took that "happy juice," boy was that funny! I videotaped him in that state. Possibly a shorter, edited version will make an appearance soon. Wait to see. But I assure you, we were having so much fun with him in those few moments, I just can't really put it into words. We've never seen him anywhere near like this. It was so foreign and so real in the package you think you know inside out and every which way - it just floored us. We saw him get loopier and droopier while maintaining such a big smile on his face that it made the send off, to some stranger arms that took him into the operating room, somewhat bearable. I guess it kind of took the edge off our nerves as well and we didn't drink any juice. Anyway, a short trip to the cafeteria and a little wait and it was done. Not quite sure how long the actual operation was, but it could not have been more than 45mins. We went in and there he was asleep and connected to a monitor and fluids. He looked so calm and sweet and vulnerable connected like that. It was a few minutes that we stood over, watching him and talking to him, as he drifted between worlds of consciousness. Then he woke up. And reality hit and hit hard. Pain and consciousness met and the shit hit the fan. He was screaming and trying to violently pull out anything connected to him. And this kid is strong! The nurse had to tape his free hand, while we grabbed him, so he couldn't pull out the iv in the other. Then, still while both Orit and I held him down with all our force, he was given morphine to cope with the pain. And in a few minutes, it was done. And we could breath again. And we knew the worst was that moment, and that moment was now behind us. And as I write a few hours later, I can confirm that indeed that was the worst of it. He slept for a bit until they moved us to the recovery room and there he started to come in out and becoming himself again. We stayed there for about two hours or so. Theo started speaking like a little groggy froggy and we talked and laughed as we watched his loopy video and answered all his inquisitive questions. When he was ready to try walking we gave it a shot and came back to bed cause of a little nausea. He laid down a little more and gave it a second shot going to the car in daddy's arms. Made it into the elevator when, he got really nauseous and vomited all over the floor, and daddy's shoulder. So we headed back to the bed for another period of laying down. And a short period after that we made it down to the car and smooth sailing ever since. Theo is home, in our bed, feeling good, watching tv, eating jello and drinking water. Orit is asleep next to him. Safta is asleep in Theo's room and I'm going to make some cream of wheat for the little man who apparently has an appetite, so he must be feeling good. No doses of pain medication thus far either, so that's another sign. They say on day two the pain is more severe and then lessens over the next three days. Knowing this guy, it will be faster and he'll be bouncing off the walls in no time! (That was a few hours ago...)
And then the hunger was lost to the returning pain and the emotions rose and currently we're riding the calm side of the second wave...