Me, upon hearing that we are finally going to DO SOMETHING to rid Monkey of this insidious plague of yuck: Oh, THANK GOD.
Monkey, upon hearing that he will be relieved of a few extra parts: Great, why don’t you just remove ALL of my organs! Apparently you think I’m not USING THEM or anything!
(Yes, Monkey is furious with me. I can live with that.)
(Friday. Life begins again on Friday, I hope.)
He’ll forgive you as soon as he sees how much fun he can have with anesthesia. :)
Just tell him how much yummy ice cream and popsicles he’ll be able to eat once all those annoying things are gone! Well, maybe leave out the ice cream part because I wasn’t able to eat ice cream after my tonsillectomy, a fact that was MUCH bemoaned by me, having been promised copious scoops. Better not to get his hopes up.
BUT, yay! So glad plans are in place. And he won’t be mad anymore after he realizes how much better he feels.
Aw, poor Monkey. I’d object to the removal of my body parts too (also, my blood – hey! that’s mine! I need that!), but being healthy is worth the sacrifice of a few less used parts.
(Were you tempted to respond “Well great! I hear black market prices on kidneys are at an all-time high this year!” ?) (Also, you writer-ly people, how ought I to have punctuated that?)
My middle girl “gave up” her tonsils when she was 10. Made the doc promise he’d show her. Which, he did. Unfortunately, she doesn’t remember. What’s my point? I don’t remember, either. Something about lots and lots of ice cream milk shakes making it all better and all was forgiven. Yah. That’s it!!!
“(Were you tempted to respond “Well great! I hear black market prices on kidneys are at an all-time high this year!†?) (Also, you writer-ly people, how ought I to have punctuated that?)”
Very funny, and I bet our blog host wishes she’d thought of that. But, of course, it’s better not, ’cause then she might have said it, and then articles might have appeared in newspapers about how incredibly an evil mother she must have been to have threatened her (sick, even) child with selling his kidneys.
Thinking happy surgery thoughts for Monkey and happy CURE thoughts for you!
Ian had his out when he was three. It changed his life for the better.
Well I hope he gets much relief. I just recovered from a sinus infection unlike any I’ve ever had. I am a full grown, mature adult & just wanted to act like a tantrum throwing toddler- I was THAT miserable. Keep us posted and hope all goes well. (((((Monkey))))) (((((Mir)))))
Will think good thoughts. I have over-all positive memories of having my tonsils removed. Lots of ice cream and flowers. Fingers crossed this will help Monkey get some relief!
To Monkey: I’m kind of a specialist when it comes to kids, and I’ve got some advice for you. First, tell your mom that this is a private e-mail, and she doesn’t need to read it. Moms don’t need to know EVERYTHING.
Next, get on the phone (Skype would be even better) to relatives who love you (I hear you have lots) telling them how you’re going to have surgery that you’re a little scared, but you’re going to be really brave. Then say, ‘I love you, and I’ll call you again as soon as I’m able to talk.’ I know, I know…it may sound a little dramatic, but you’ll thank me later.
PS….if you need help, ask Chickadee and tell her you’ll share.
Mir, I know this is scary for you! I’m sure it’s even worse for Monkey! This too shall pass…
My boy had his tonsils and adenoids removed at age 7, just four weeks after having some major dental surgery. He did very well! He had little pain, quick healing, etc. He’s an aspie too, so the hardest part was getting him to express his pain levels. The 1-10 thing worked so so but I had better luck by having him draw a person and make up his own pain scale. It may be worth trying with Monkey.
Also, I bought my boy a pair of new PJ’s for after surgery, and we stocked up on things to do that required no movement!
Ask if you can go back while he’s in recovery. Explain that he has special needs and while it’s normal for most kids to freak out while waking up from surgery his freak out will possibly be WORSE. Our doctors/nurses allowed me to go to the recovery room as soon as he entered. It helped A LOT! I was able to talk him down from pulling everything out of his body and completely freaking out. Plus, seeing my face first helped calmed his nerves.
The tubes happened with my boy at age 11 months. Changed our LIFE! I hope you will find the same results with Monkey!
Praying all goes well.
Finally…a diagnosis? Happy thoughts and prayers for you!!!!!
Oh Mir THIS is great news even Monkey will agree when he feels better (jaysus i hope am right)
Best wishes Monkey.
Progress!!
Remind him of how long he gets to stay off school after the surgery. That oughta help.
Fingers crossed that this is the entire cause of all the problems lately and that the surgery will restore Monkey back to his old self.
Yay for a plan! We’re pinning our hopes on a T&A as well. I feel really bad I’m excited about a painful surgery for my son, but supposedly, it will fix many things.
So glad they think this will help!! Keeping him in my thoughts. Wishing him tons of ice cream and Popsicles!!
YAY for Friday and Answers and Life As it WAS :-) Good luck to Monkey on Friday –
I’ve had a few minor surgeries in my life, all of them to remove tumors, all of them benign. Tell Monkey that if it helps, taking out the parts that aren’t working right makes life in general better. Who wouldn’t want to get rid of the malfunctioning bits?
Hugs to Monkey for being brave and going through it.
Hugs to YOU for being brave and going through it.
Ice cream for everyone!!!
Having my tonsils out at 14 was the most painful surgery I’ve ever had (and that includes sinus surgery). The even more painful part was watching my family eating solid food the whole time I was recovering! And I don’t even remember getting all that much ice cream. But I do remember having to write a book report…hum. Anyway, I digress…perhaps a trip to the library is in order on Thursday as I remember reading a lot during my recovery. Especially since I couldn’t talk.
Hope this is the answer to all that ails! Hugs to you all!
Prayers offered for you all.
So glad you finally have a plan. I will pray that all goes well on Friday and that recovery is quick for both of you. I am sure he will feel so much better once the infection is gone.
YAY! He’ll be amazed how much better he feels after the operation(s). Not that it will be easy to get him to understand that…Best of luck.
Yippee, hooray and yahoo – and about darned time, too!
Both my kiddos have had the tonsils/adenoids/tubes thing and it is really ok. A kid like Monkey will probably recover very quickly because his high tolerance to pain will make staying hydrated easier. Plan on one week of feeling pretty lousy, followed by one week of feeling better but constantly reminding him to take it easy so he does not rip his scabs.
I bet a gigantic lego kit might be just the thing to keep him busy.
Good luck, Mir! I’m always routing for you and your family!
xoxo
Sara
http://www.shinyredhouses.blogspot.com
I don’t know the nutritional value of the popcicles we gave my youngest when he had his tonsils and adenoids out but they were “White Shark” popcicles – no artificial colorings to make sure any spit/drool/whatever wouldn’t be artificially colored by the “papa-cicle”. Just a thought. Or because you are amazingly gifted I’m sure you could make up something that would work that doesn’t have high fructose corn syrup and 0 colorings added. Just a thought. Praying for all of you!
Oooohhh!!! Good luck! My daughter was a completely different child after we removed her tonsils and adenoids. It was a shock to my husband and I to realize just how sick our poor baby had been because it had been going on for so long that we had forgotten about the lovely sense of humor she has until it came back. So hoping this makes a big difference for all of you.
Hurray for a plan and hurray for plan execution coming so soon! I hope all goes well and your sweet Monkey boy returns quickly :) So very happy for all of you!
So glad that things are finally getting to be resolved. Lots of popsicles!
Yeah, it hurts and it’s not much fun. But seriously, I’m not kidding when I say that the strep I had about every 4 weeks, tonsillitis, frequent ear infections, chest colds, you name it, as a teen was intense. All of it went away after the surgery. Since that surgery in my teens, I only get head colds and that.is.it. Nothing else. Seriously. 30 years of non-complicated health. I don’t advocate for removing tonsils for everyone, but if it could be a source of non-resolving infection, I say go for it!
So glad he will get some relief! My daughter had her tonsils and adnoids out last year, and I have to say the recovery was a bit brutal. I couldn’t get her to drink anything or even eat a popsicle. She ended up having to get a cortisone shot to get her past that part. Once she felt better (it took about 10 days) it was great. Much less sinus trouble and colds.
So, not trying to be a black cloud, just want you to be prepared for a potentially difficult recovery. Hopefully his high pain threshold will help you avoid that. Also, I highly recommend the Lortab you can get that you rub on their wrists instead of one they have to swallow if you can get it. That helped a lot.
We did the T&A surgery when my Matt was 7. This was after 3/4 of a year of monthly strep infections and ear infections. Once Matt developed scarlet fever, his pediatrician said enough was enough and sent us to an ENT.
I’ll be honest…the recovery SUCKED. The boy had nothing but Slurpees, codeine syrup and liquid Phenergan for 10 days. I’d wake him up to take his pain meds and he’d cry and cry. I’d let him sleep a little longer and when he woke up he’d cry and cry. As you can imagine, a diet of sugary water and pain meds is *not* conducive to human behavior.
But finally, on Day 10, Matt was supposed to go to a birthday party. I told him there was absolutely no way I could consider taking him unless he was eating food. He ate a bean and cheese burrito and some pudding, he went to the party for a short while, and then the recovery began.
For as awful as the experience was, it was worth it. Matt has been so incredibly healthy since then. He is no longer the fragile flower he was.
I turned my tonsils in at age 24 — single best thing I ever did!! I never knew how sick I truly was until they were gone. I’m a few years over 24 now and I still look back on that day as a watershed moment in my life.
Now, for Monkey — I know it won’t be easy, but in truth it is easier at his age than when I got mine done. I think he’ll be shocked to feel so much better — certainly when this has been going on long enough that he probably thinks this is the new normal.
Good luck — I highly recommend apple juice for Monkey and vodka for you.
Having my tonsils removed was one of the best things that ever happened to me, health-wise. I suppose you’ll have extra fun, given Monkey’s sensory challenges, but I think (hope!) that the outcome will make it more than worth it. Wishing you luck and strength and patience!
When my son had his tonsils and adenoids out he was indignant that he couldn’t take them home in a jar- they were HIS after all. He was very upset with the doctor when he came to talk to him before surgery, I told him it wasn’t the doctor’s fault, it was the law. My (at the time) 6 yr old’s response: “I hate the president.” Bush was still in office, what a good little liberal.
Jello
Pudding
Almond Milk
lots of patience for the patient
hope it turns out wonderful after recovering!
ROTFLMAO!!! When my youngest had his tonsils and adenoids out, at age ten, it made all the difference in the world. Ten year olds are NOT supposed to stop breathing repeatedly every night! And have colds and sinus infections every three or four weeks! We’re all happier now.
Oh, and getting an air purifier for Monkey’s room won’t hurt any either, if he doesn’t already have one.
YAY!!!! He’ll be great.
My son vastly improved in all areas (behavior, sleep, etc.) after having his tonsils taken out last summer. Here’s hoping the same goes for Monkey!
This makes me happy. Not as happy as it makes you, but happy enough.
My girl (aged 4) got her tonsils and adenoids out in November… her surgeon described the scene when she removed the super-infected tonsils as “pus fireworks”… nothing like a poetic surgeon. Best of luck to you guys, and hope this makes for a happier, healthier Monkey! Remind him to drink LOTS AND LOTS! :)
Oh the indignity! I hope that his shouting of that will be one of those things you tell him about when he’s an adult and he laughs. If not, well, it’s kind of funny for me :P
A) The T&A surgery? It sounds like something I’d want, myself.
B) Black market! YES!
C)Sounds like a good Friday Sale coming up. See point B.
Anyway. PLEASE, GOD, let this be a turn around for Mir and Monkey. ALL the stories I have heard about T&A surgeries have really fantastic results.
Poor baby! Poor Monkey, too!! LOL! I know you’re seeing light at the end of the tunnel, girl! Good for ALL of you!!
So many prayers are being sent your way from here!!
xoxo,
kathy
My son had tubes put in at age 6. The one little tip I will share for the actual surgery is something he still remembers to this day (he’s 17) I was allowed to go in the OR and be with him until he fell asleep. So as they are getting ready to put the mask over his face, they gave him a choice between “flavors” and I don’t remember what he chose, but they took that flavor of Bonnie Bell (or whatever?) lip gloss and smeared a ring around the inside of the mask. They told me later the gas smells really odd or even bad to some kids, and this gives it a familiar pleasant smell.
Funny the things that stick in your mind.
Good luck Mir! My ENT problem was way different from Monkey’s, but I’m sure the surgery will be worth it.
Answers and action are good. Hang in there!
Good luck!
Have you seen this pain scale? It cracks me up every time… http://hyperboleandahalf.blogspot.com/2010/02/boyfriend-doesnt-have-ebola-probably.html
Yay! So glad to hear improvements are going to be happening. Good luck to you all – I’m guessing this’ll be rough on the whole family, Chickadee and Otto included – and may things be much better very very soon!
I’m guessing it will be hellish, but if the results are like what everyone says it will definitely be worth it. I wish MINE were removed!
BTW, I REALLY like Meri’s pain chart (comment #48).
Almost as much as I like those happy, happy meds the hospital gives you pre-op.
My oldest (sensory issue kid) had his tonsils and adenoids out when he was 3 and it was life changing. We’ll watch videos of him before and after surgery and the difference in his speech, breathing and demeanor are just amazing. He still had to have speech therapy but his behavior changed so much because people could finally understand him, he was sleeping better at night and he could breathe. The pain level was high but manageable the first two days- just make sure you give those meds like clockwork so you stay on top of the pain instead of trying to overcome it when it starts to increase.
I don’t know if Monkey has sensory issues but my guy was in heaven because he had to eat soft, mushy foods like ice cream, pudding, yogurt and mac and cheese for two weeks. There weren’t any weird textures or strong flavors and that made him so, so happy. :)
Good luck!
our son had tubes put in and adenoids removed when he was almost 3…. after many sinus-ey issues and ear infections. BIG difference.
Here’s hoping that it will kick out The Crud Who Came To Dinner.
My son is having his tonsil/adenoids removed tomorrow. I am loaded with anxiety, but super excited for him not to breath like Darth Vadar! I am dreading seeing him in pain, but know that his quality of life will be much better. It is a hard decision, but one I don’t think you will regret.
best of luck to you and to Monkey! hoping his surgery goes smoothly and his recovery is popsicle filled!
Yay! I’m crossing my fingers this is the answer you’ve been looking for, Mir.
Best of luck on Friday! I hope this starts Monkey on the road to recovery and he finally starts to feel better.
you tell monkey he can keep any organ he can use properly. his heart is full of love so he is not in danger of losing that. :-)
Exhaaaaaaaaaaallllle. Or a little exhale now, the rest you can let out when the surgery is done. Glad things are moving for you and your family.
My youngest daughter who has Down Syndrome had her T&A two years ago. The Dr. said her adenoids were larger than what they could tell from just looking, so…ummm yeah! good thing we had them removed.
Best thing we did was the pre-op tour one evening before the surgery for the kids. Everything was familiar when she went in for her surgery, it made it much easier. Might be a big help for Monkey!
So Monkey doesn’t want his internal organs taken away, eh? Smart kid! Although, I think he may be glad to see the backside (so to speak) of these particular organs if their removal makes him feel MUCH better, which I so hope it will.
I hope it works and you ALL get some relief!
Praying all goes well:)
My daughter had adenois/tonsils out. One thing that was wasn’t prepared for is that she stopped snoring. So that was a plus. I don’t know how long it took before I stopped checking on her to make sure she was breathing.
So hope this helps with all his troubles! Here’s hoping for a successful surgery and a fast recovery!
Best of luck to Monkey. I hope it goes well and he’s feeling better very soon.
I still remember being scared to death when I had my tonsils removed. I was 3. Seriously, I remember — I couldn’t figure out how they could take them out from down my throat without cutting my throat – on the outside! the docutor tried to show me with a mirror, but really? All pinky wet mouth parts looked the same, i couldn’t tell swollen bits from the rest of it.
I sure hope the pre-op gives Monkey enough of a show-and-tell that he doesn’t have to imagine it horribly, but not so much that he is traumatized by the visions.
Hugs & ice cream all around!
Good luck to Monkey!!
Yay! It’ll be great once it’s over, I promise. I had mine out at age 12 (chronic ear infections since age 6) and so I now give my parents crap about why they didn’t do the surgery sooner. Just warn him not to expect to talk a lot for a few days. They forgot to warn me and I kinda freaked. “I ow ow can’t ow ow talk ow ow!”
I mostly lurk here but I wanted to chime in to wish you and Monkey the best with everything this week. Here’s to little ones feeling better!!!
i got my tonsils and adenoids out at the same time when i was 11 or 12. it’s no party, for sure, but WOWZA was my quality of life much Much MUCH higher once i healed up. two words for you : wendy’s frostees. (which, my mother – the same mother who made koolaid with apple juice, bless her – fortified with ensure protein shakes. just a thought…)
good luck, monkey! good luck, mir! we’re thinking of you out here!
Good Luck, Monkey and Mir!
Monkey, everyone will feel sorry for you, play up to it and take all the gifts xoxo