Surgery Day...March 5, 2010

SOME OF YOU MAY NOT WANT TO READ THIS....I'M JUST GIVING YOU FAIR WARNING.


I woke up this morning at 4:30. I guess I was just anxious about how everything would go. I had a hard time going to sleep last night too, but the Lord was gracious, and I didn't feel overly tired. I laid in bed until 5:00. The entire time I was getting ready I just prayed. I prayed that God would be glorified in today's circumstances, and I prayed for Hadley. I prayed that she wouldn't wake up until I had to get her out of her crib.

6:10 I woke Hadley up to put her straight in her car seat. She fussed just a tiny bit, but then she was smiley & happy! We listed to Praise Baby in the car on the way to the surgical center.

6:30 We arrived at the surgical center & signed in. They're very efficient there, and I cannot say enough good things about all of their staff! Every single person was warm & friendly...and this was at 6:30 in the morning people!!

6:35 They call us back to do insurance & paperwork. The lady was very nice & helpful. They had called me yesterday, and I had done most of this stuff over the phone, so they really just needed my signature on lots of things.

6:45 We went back into the main waiting room to wait for Hadley to be called to be prepped for surgery.

6:50 They call us back & ask us a million health questions about Hadley. They put her into a little hospital gown. It kinda broke my heart to see her in it. The entire time I just thought...some parents really have to deal with these horrible things ALL the time. All I could think was that, I was so grateful to our Almighty Father that we were only here for tubes. Count it ALL joy!!

7:30 Dr. Knox arrives. Yay! That means it was almost GO time! By the way...Hadley was happy and smiley the ENTIRE time!! I was so scared that she was going to be fussy & really upset because she wanted to nurse. Lord, thank you for answering my prayer!!

7:35 We go back into the main waiting room to wait for the surgery to finish. Jeremy & I drank some coffee. Again, as I looked around at all the people I was just so grateful that this was not a "normal" thing for us.

At this point...I kinda lose track of the times of things. They called us back into a small room with 3 chairs. We were supposed to have a briefing with Dr. Knox here. We waited. Finally, a nurse came to get us, and asked us to come back to the back. They had told me that Hadley might be a little fussy when she woke up. When I got back to where she was, she was screaming like I have never heard her scream before. She was jolting her body back & forth, and it was at this point that I started crying like a crazy person. I guess everything has just been so emotional...mixed with lack of sleep....equals one very crazy mommy! They told me that I needed to go ahead & nurse her, so they took us into this little room with a rocking chair & a bed. Hadley was still going nuts...screaming & jolting her body. I could barely contain her. I'm still crying. Hadley wouldn't nurse at this point.

Dr. Knox finally comes in. He says that her ears were so bad & there was so much puss. He said that her ears wouldn't stop bleeding & they had to do something special to them. They put some extra kind of drops in her ears to make the bleeding quit. He said this was painful & that she would probably be miserable for at least 2 hours. Dr. Knox also put her on more antibiotics because her current ear infections were so terrible. He asked me, "Has she been sleeping? Because the way that her ears were, it seems like it would be impossible." I just felt so bad. I felt bad that my precious child had to endure pain like that for so long, and I had no idea. Sure, Hadley is fussy every now & then, but overall, she is a very easy going baby. Most of you who really know her would agree with me...I think. :)

Finally, Hadley nurses, but she stops every few seconds with loud shrieking screams. I honestly wasn't prepared for any of this. We decide to go ahead & pack up everything & take Hadley home. She screamed the whole way. Once we were home, she settled down a little bit. She ate some breakfast, and then she fell asleep in my arms. I guess she slept for about 30 minutes. She played for a little bit, but she has mostly wanted to be held. Her ears have started draining puss & blood now. They told me that this would happen. They said I would need to come in on Monday morning if it was really bad, so I guess we'll see.

I'm so grateful to have had an overall good experience. Most of all, the nurses, doctors, and staff were amazing. When you're sick or you have a sick child, the last thing you want is someone who is rude. You know what I mean?

I'm so grateful to my heavenly Father for giving me a healthy child. I'm thankful that he's given us the ability to discover procedures like this to make our children better. Thank you Lord for all your blessings!! COUNT IT ALL JOY!!!


Hadley playing with Daddy in the waiting room.


Hadley waiting. Doesn't she look exhausted here?!

Humm...this isn't like my crib!

My two loves!