Gage's Surgery....Not for the Squeamish!

Okay, so Gage had his tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy yesterday in Dallas.
My son is a ROCKSTAR!

We had his surgery at Texas Institute for Surgery, and we had an overall GREAT experience!
We had to sign in for surgery at 6:30am, and so that meant that we had get up SUPER early at our house. Gage was in pretty good spirits that morning, so we were impressed.
Before the surgery: 

They put cartoons on in the kiddie waiting area for Gage, and we read Olive My Love, on loan to Gage from his 1st grade teacher.

Before we knew it, we got the text that it was time for us to come back to our room and get ready. Mommy helped Gagie change into his surgical jammies.

Gage was all warm and snuggled into the bed, waiting for surgery....

I swear, the pre-assessment nurse, the surgical nurse, and the anesthesiologist all asked pretty much the same questions: does he take any medicine, has he been sick in the last 10 days, does he have any piercings or tattoos, does he drink or smoke or do drugs, does he have any loose teeth. Yeah----only a few of those are appropriate for our little 7 year old!

We all had a good laugh at the "mandatory" questions....and everyone was SOOOO nice to us. Dr.G came in and asked us if we had any questions....nope. He asked Gage if he had any questions. Yes, he did.
1. Can my tonsils ever grow back?
2. Can you give me my tonsils back after you take them out, or show them to me?
Well---yes, technically, you can have "tags" or what appears to be the regrowth of tonsils over many, many years after the initial tonsillectomy (or so we were told yesterday), but in Dr.G's many years of doing the surgery, he's only seen that happen once, and it wasn't someone upon which he'd performed the original surgery. So, there's that.
Gage's tonsils: going to pathology after removal, so no, you won't get them back. David, our surgical nurse, did Gage a favor and took pictures of the tonsils for Gage to see. During the actual surgery, the anesthesiologist (Dr.Fine) decorated Gage's black Angry Bird and drew out a fun little setting for the tonsil photography.

Warning: the following is not for the squeamish!!!!

Ewwwwww!
Apparently his adenoids were worse than his tonsils, and that whole cluster of tissue came out too. Gage didn't ask for a picture of that, so as inquisitive as I am, I sadly have no idea what that looks like....

The nice thing about how they handled Gage during all of this: they took him to the OR and used some kind of gas to put him to sleep temporarily, and then they started his IV. So, he had no experience of IV placement, and that was WONDERFUL!

After the surgery, Gage went to recovery. Dr.G came and talked to us.... And then before he was even done talking to us, Gage was being wheeled back to the room and saying, "I want my mommy!" {Oh, be still my beating heart!}

Gage described his recovery room experience: "I woke up and I couldn't see. Then there were grown ups holding me down. I could feel them, but I couldn't see them. They wouldn't let me get up. When I could see, there were other people in there, and they were all grown ups, and I didn't feel safe." {Oh.My.Poor.Buddy!!!! I am sooooo sorry, buddy!}

{Is that Dr.Bird, or Angry Doctor!? This was one of the little things that made our little buddy smile.}

Gage wanted apple juice and an orange slushie. Done & done! They were on top of giving us whatever he wanted to keep him satisfied....

He was given some Lortab, and would nod off periodically....

...and then his respiration rate and oxygen saturations would drop. "We just don't want it to go below 92%." Um....so here's the machine that let us know....

...and when we watched that number go down to the 80s, we rubbed him and told him to take some deep breaths....and then when it kept going lower Hubby went out to get our nurse, and boy did they all come running! When it got to 69 & 68%, I was starting to get panicked too, but I could see that he WAS awake and alert...and it eventually came back up with some calming down. Whew!

A bit later Gage wanted up to go to the restroom and he was not exactly stable on his little legs....

We were there for some additional monitoring because of the O2 saturation tanking at one point, and for additional fluids....and when that time period was up, we went through the details of our discharge papers and the next step was to get his IV out.
That's when the vomiting started.
{OMG. Vomiting across a freshly cut throat? I saw my son go through this, but I cannot imagine the pain myself. I mean, I can....but, you know---I just know it must have felt horrendous!} They warned us that this might happen....but what I wasn't prepared for: vomit to come out of his mouth AND nose. Poor buddy....

So, we got cool cloths and stayed even longer for more monitoring....discharge delayed yet again....

....but then, a bit later, he let us know that he wanted his IV out, and he wanted to go home, and he was ready. It's like there was this upbeat change to him, and he was ready to get out of there! I'm sure it was the effect of the anesthesia wearing off and him becoming more and more alert....

So, our discharge nurse, Barbara, came in and let Gage help her take out the IV. Involving him in that process was not anything I ever would have thought he'd be ready for---but he was. He was fascinated by it. He didn't want to see his own blood, but he wanted to know how the IV worked, how it got in there, and where was the needle part? He wanted to know it all. She did a great job with him and his plethora of questions! {....she was quite the talker herself, so I'm sure she enjoyed it!}

Per Gage's request, she went back to the OR area and got Gage some surgical masks to take home. I'm telling you---this place catered to our child's every whim, and they were all just so patient and wonderful to us. I can't sing enough praises!

Mommy and Daddy helped get Gage changed back into his own jammies, and packed up his stuff. He was ready to roll! When they said that they were going to wheel him out in a wheelchair, he started crying. He did NOT want to have to be wheeled out. A quick reframing of the situation by Mommy helped with that, "Dude, this is not your first wheelchair ride. When you were born, I rode in a wheelchair and held you in my arms. So, this is your SECOND wheelchair ride. Besides that, it's not that you HAVE to----you GET to. A chair with wheels that someone else pushes? That's awesome, and it may be fun." He was sold.

Gage wanted me to ride in the backseat with him on the way home. It wasn't long before the sleepiness kicked in....

Once we got home, he was wide awake!
Memaw picked up the meds at the pharmacy for us, which was so nice not to have to stop there too.

Gage had a few friends drop by with cards, and coloring books, and a puzzle, and a Lego Sticker Book... Lucky Duck!

Gage and Memaw put the puzzle together last night....

Gage is on antibiotics twice a day. He takes Lortab every 4 hours. He takes Phenergan every 8 hours. Between the Lortab and the Phenergan, you'd expect him to sleep, right? Nope. Not my opposite-effect-child. He gets all jazzed up, and then when he comes down from the high, he gets tearful and easily irritated, and fights his sleepiness.

FINALLY around 9pm last night, he snuggled down, and let me sing him to sleep. {He's the only one who likes my singing voice anyway....}

He slept all the way through the night, but was up early this morning asking for his pain medicine. We didn't wake him and medicated him during the night....

So, all in all, I think he did VERY well during his surgery and is doing VERY well during his recovery!
And this whole Eat-IceCream-All-Day thing: he's got this routine down.

Backyard Update....

So, I have some updates on the backyard, which is starting to come together. Don't get me wrong, we still have a LOT to do, but it seems to be coming together!

Pics from this past Thursday:

There are going to be two sheds that are "lean to" style sheds. They are very narrow and will be attached to the house. The one that is framed out in the above photo will will have shelves for outdoor storage stuff, flower pots, etc. The one on the right is a little smaller and in the above photo, only the slab is poured. It will be a shelf-less storage option for pool floats. Yaaaay, I'm so excited!

The inspiration for the sheds:

So, I'm thinking we'll paint the sheds a darker color with the lighter contrast doors. I want the sheds to be a different color than the house so they'll stand out a bit more. I'm very excited about the sheds. I'm a nerd, I know.

Other things about Thursday: the outside temp was in the 70s I think, and the pool heater had been on, so Gage got to SWIM! {Crazy, I know...}

...and then of course, he had some hot tub time...

...and then back to the pool!

Friday's shed progress:

So, there's a lot of mess in our backyard. There's hardly any grass in our backyard. The patio area closest to the house is where the outdoor kitchen will be, but so far, it's just a work area for saws and materials for other projects. Our garage is 1/2 filled with outdoor kitchen components and materials from the closet renovations and all the other projects going on around here!

For the outdoor kitchen stuff, we've picked out the stone and awning materials. {Yes, we're like 70 year olds who are coveting the Sunsetter Awnings. Why? Because if we don't get an awning to cover the outdoor kitchen area, then poor Hubby's bald head will get fried as he's out there preparing my meals! And then I think about the stainless grill handle being in the hot sun all day and burning your hands when you just try to open it! We're getting an awning also because it's easier and more cost effective than extending the roof to cover a larger area of the patio. Awning it is!}

So, my first choice for the awning is the lighter color to match the decking by the pool....and it most closely matches the house paint color, being so light....So there's that.

The opening of the grill was like Christmas in the garage!

So the outdoor kitchen stuff we selected is a modular system that can be configured a bunch of different ways, and it just seems so much easier to buy the sectional units and....it's just exciting. Though, I must admit: I've told Hubby, I barely want the kitchen I have, and I damn sure don't want two! That's because cooking is just not 100% my thing. I cook because it was part of the deal I made with Hubby so that I could be a stay-at-home-mom.


...and on that note:

 Okay, really....I am getting excited as the backyard comes more and more together. I'm ready for it all to be done and plants to be in. This Spring, oh, I am going to be so excited to get some plants out there!!!!

Searching for patio furniture is giving me fits.
Sometimes I think I'm over thinking it, or being too picky. And then I think: WTF am I doing! Baby Girl needs a crib before I need a chair to sit outside! {Which, really....in the anticipated timeline of things to come is not true, but it's how I feel inside. I want to have her stuff settled before I go finding outdoor furniture... It must be a nesting thing...}

TTFN: TaTaForNow! 

I'm HOME!

Yaaaaay!

I had fun hanging with my mom for a few days, and I definitely got a nap in every day....but I just needed to get back home.

So, I was able to come back to the germ-den on Wednesday. Let the cleaning begin!
It's Thursday now. I just did my 6th load of dishes in 2 days. My 6th and FINAL LOAD of dishes so that now I can see the empty sink. Hallelujah!

Poor Hubby. To be down with the flu and the primary caregiver to a kid with the flu at the same time? He's a better man than I!  I complain about the massive amounts of dishes and laundry, but really---they were both alive and on the mend when I returned home, so I really can't complain at all. I'd rather do the cleaning that trade places with him and endure the flu while single parenting!

...at some point on their adventures in flu-hell, the dog ran out of food. Don't worry, he apparently ate his weight in cereal when Gage left a box within his little doggie-reach. Awesome....

So, backing up.... Here's Gage on Saturday morning at urgent care. Poor buddy didn't feel well...

 Waiting for his x-ray...

No pneumonia!

...back at home:

Then Sunday rolled around.... Daddy was sick, and Gage wasn't much better!
{Tissue, anyone?? Check out the tissue pile on the table. YUCK!}

I hit the pharmacy yet again to get Tamiflu, but this time it was for Daddy... Check out the cold & flu section for meds. HOLY COW! Bare shelves!!!

My plan of defense:

....and then I was told by my husband, mother, and my OB to get the hell outta there. So, I cried, and then I packed, and then I left. That was Sunday.

Now, it's Thursday, and I'm playing catch-up on housework. This evening Gage and I will play catch-up on school work because he missed two days of school this week and in preparation for his surgery which will now take place next Wednesday. (1/30/13)

So far, 2013 has been rough.
....but, that's okay. We'll get through it, and we'll persevere, and we'll put it behind us. We'll move onto happier times when they roll our way! For now, we are grateful that Hubby and Gage are on the mend, and all things considered, we are abundantly blessed.

....now, if I could just stop craving fried green tomatoes like the ones I had at The Diner in Tyler. OMG, they are delicious! I want more!!!!

Funny Pic from 22 weeks....

Well, I wasn't home for my typical weekly picture, so I'm just going to share this quick picture from 22 weeks:

...Why, yes that IS a Moon Pie!
...and No, it probably wasn't my first or the last of the day!

{....what's that song about RC Cola & a Moon Pie???}

I've been banned...

So here is the flu update from the Casa de Lainey Paney:
I've been banned from the home!

Why?
Because Gage came down with the flu on Saturday and we got him started on Tamiflu.
Then, Hubby came down with the flu on Sunday, and got started on Tamiflu.

We all got our flu shots, but clearly this strain is not covered by the flu shot, which left me unprotected on a sinking ship...

So, after my 2nd trip to Walgreens for the weekend, I got the boys fed, packed a bag, and hit the road to my Mom's.

Gage's surgery for tomorrow: rescheduled for next week.

Hopefully I will be returning home tomorrow.
...and I will be cleaning EVERYTHING!

You've GOT to be kidding me.

Gage has the flu.

Morning temp: 103.8 (Super way to start the day.)
Urgent Care took care of us this morning. They didn't open until 9am. By then, he'd already had Tylenol, but his temp only went down to 100.2 (hey, I'll take it b/c that's less than it was!)...

What else? Oh, I was scheduled to work a 12 hour shift, but naturally, I was late because I had to get everything else situated this morning.
Why couldn't Hubby get everything situated? Because we were supposed to be (or...rather, HE was supposed to be) hosting a birthday party for my father in law at our house. There was a venue change, and he had to reroute the catering. He had to go pick up the birthday cake at 10 this morning. Had to get that over to the party ahead of time, along with the gift we ordered: two slabs of ribs from Rendezvous Ribs in Memphis (they ship them and I hear they are delicious!).... He had his hands full too!

It was JUST A MORNING.

Other small detail: Gage told me this morning as we were waiting for Urgent Care to open, "my legs feel wibbly wabbly when I walk." WTF does that mean? I was afraid he was feeling dizzy or light-headed. I made him lay down. I'm pregnant and can't carry him, so I made him hold my hand to the car and into Urgent Care. Turns out: oxygen saturations were hanging out between 86% and 90%. "We need you to take several deeeeeeeeeep breaths for us." They came up to 96%-100% when we reminded him to breathe.

Flu test: positive.
Chest x-ray: negative for pneumonia (which I thought it would be, since that's a rather opportunistic condition, and these symptoms came on so suddenly. But, I was thankful that they were cautious enough to go ahead & check).

Tamiflu? Oh, it's like liquid gold these days. Hardly anyone has the liquid and we were lucky enough to find one local pharmacy with some in stock. I was also instructed to get a pulse-ox machine to measure Gage's oxygen saturations. Awesome.

So---we got Tylenol, Ibuprofen, & Tamiflu to treat the little guy. We've now got plenty of popsicles and drinks to keep him hydrated. He's good about letting us take his temp & frequently check his pulse-ox. Well, I say that....I did morning duty with Gage and Daddy's home with him now. Daddy has reported to me that Gage has been very cooperative, so that's good.

Gage has been sooooo upset that he's going to miss out on birthday cake, so his aunt is bringing him PLENTY of cake to the house. {I have to admit that I'm looking forward to cake too!}

So---my poor sicko kiddo CANNOT catch a break. Seriously! Since Christmas break he's had strep, laryngitis, we've scheduled tonsillectomy/adenoidectomy surgery, and now the flu! Will this delay his surgery for Wednesday? I dunno yet. I'll have to call the ENT if they are open on Monday.

Poor buddy just needs orange cones set up all around him!