Papa bear has left the house! Eli, our resident snorer, is now tonsil-free and sleeping so quietly I have to watch his chest to make sure he's actually breathing when I check on him at night. I knew that Eli was a snorer, but didn't realize just how bad it was until we had to share a hotel room with him while on our Disneyland trip. That boy was rattling the windows! When I took him to see Dr. Denys, the same doctor who removed Oakley's tonsils, he told me they rate the size of the tonsils from 1 to 4. He took a peek in Eli's throat and said, "Those are definitely 4's!"
The day before his surgery, the hospital has a program that allows the kids to come in and learn about what is going to happen when they are there for their procedure. It was wonderful! She showed Eli the different rooms he would be in and what would be happening each step of the way. Scott and I both learned a lot, too, and I think it helped Eli feel a lot better knowing what would be happening.
Some wonderful volunteers make each child who comes in for surgery a blanket and pillowcase that they get to take home. They also make them a "buddy" doll that is dressed in a hospital gown and gets to go with them into surgery. Bless you, you outstanding volunteers for all you do to help make a scary day and bit easier for these kids.
We're glad all went well with Eli's tonsillectomy and he had a reasonable recovery. As the nurses were wheeling him away into surgery and I was feeling so emotional, I had a great admiration for those parents of chronically ill children who must endure surgery after surgery. It was a time for me to offer thanks for the health our family possess and a gratitude that I was not the mother of child in need of continual medical treatment.
We won't miss you, tonsils. So long!
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