Ezra's Surgery

We got to the hospital this morning at 8:15. Mom took Malachi and Jon took the big boys to school and then went to work. I figured this was the fourth time one of our children had gone for outpatient surgery and I knew what to expect and could handle it by myself.

I have never seen TCT Children's Hospital outpatient surgery area so busy. After about 30 minutes in the waiting room they took us back to a stretcher in the hallway. They said "We will start here and move you to a room as soon as one opens." We did all the prep stuff there in the hall. Two other families were also waiting in the hall on stretchers. (It wasn't really a big deal--so don't think I'm complaining.) Ezra played with his toys and then after an hour they gave him some medicine to drink to make him loopy. It made him relax but he was determined not to fall asleep.

(Ezra playing with Star Wars toys and a whale)

(Ezra playing in the hall by his bed)
(about to go back to surgery)

After they took him to surgery, they put me in a room. At 11:45, Dr. Barnes came to report that he was done. He had removed tons of fluid from his ears and repaired the place where his ear had ruptured a few weeks earlier. He put the tubes in and hopefully they would stay and keep the fluid from building up again (this is his second set of tubes). Dr. Barnes also removed Ezra's adenoids and said they were huge and he was very glad that we had decided to do that too.

Ezra did great. Apart from not wanting the IV in his arm, he bounced back pretty quickly. The nurses were surprised at how alert he was. Dr. Barnes said that adenoid removal recovery is different for all kids. Some are fine by the next day and others it take a week. We will see.

(after surgery in recovery)

Interestingly, after we were discharged we went to the bathroom and when I flushed the toilet, Ezra covered his ears and said "That is too loud." Then when I started the car to leave, the CD he had been listening to on the way to the hospital came on (at the same volume that it was at when we got out of the car) and he shouted "That is too loud!!!" If you don't know, the fluid on his ears was causing him 35% hearing loss. So these to complaints are an answer to prayers.

Thanks to all how prayers.