(Confused? See Generous Tonsils, Part 1)
We scheduled Aaron's joint tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy (yes, that's a word, though no one really uses it, since they just take 'em out while they're in there for the big guns). It was during what we hoped would be a "lull" in our summer: June 19th. After summer camp, before further travel, grands in town? Check!
When June 18th rolled around, it suddenly hit me that he was about to be laid-up for 2 weeks (gulp!). We promptly squeezed 14 days of activity into 12 hours...
We scheduled Aaron's joint tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy (yes, that's a word, though no one really uses it, since they just take 'em out while they're in there for the big guns). It was during what we hoped would be a "lull" in our summer: June 19th. After summer camp, before further travel, grands in town? Check!
When June 18th rolled around, it suddenly hit me that he was about to be laid-up for 2 weeks (gulp!). We promptly squeezed 14 days of activity into 12 hours...
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| At Chuck-E-Cheese with good friends. |
We were out the door the next morning by 6:15am for an 8-9am surgery. Our first stop was the family waiting area, where they had Disney Channel playing, trucks, puzzles, and even a playstation. No food is allowed since the kids can't eat or drink, so Josh and I took turns sneaking back to the carefully-camouflaged parent dining area.
Then it was our turn for pre-op, where Aaron and Peter Pan...
1) Received special bracelets and "finger hugs" (measuring the oxygen level),
2) Saw the room they'd be going into (on the iPad) and discussed why everyone else would be masked (they're still good guys).
3) Chose the flavor for his sleeping gas (raspberry),
4) Turned his bed into a racetrack for hot wheels (Remembering back on his time in the hospital, Aaron said, "They gave me hot wheels! And they told me, You can draw on the bed! It wasn't a regular bed. It was a magic drawing bed!"
5) Drove away in their cozy coupe with the surgical team in attendance (ala secret service).
I was so impressed by the whole process. As was Aaron, who was ready to move in.
Ironically, it was similar to my introduction to hospitals. I had an emergency appendectomy when I was his age (4), and while I remember the pain, my overall memories are happy: pudding and ice cream to eat, balloons/crayons/gifts from family and friends, candy stripers visiting my room, and all-I-could-watch TV. Life was goooood. And since most hospital visits could use all the help they can get, carrying a little warm fuzzies in the back of your mind is not a bad thing.
Thanks to the brilliance of Vandy Children's, I think Aaron would still jump at another visit. Minus the recovery...
Which is coming up next! Generous Tonsils, Last Part
Then it was our turn for pre-op, where Aaron and Peter Pan...
2) Saw the room they'd be going into (on the iPad) and discussed why everyone else would be masked (they're still good guys).
3) Chose the flavor for his sleeping gas (raspberry),
4) Turned his bed into a racetrack for hot wheels (Remembering back on his time in the hospital, Aaron said, "They gave me hot wheels! And they told me, You can draw on the bed! It wasn't a regular bed. It was a magic drawing bed!"
5) Drove away in their cozy coupe with the surgical team in attendance (ala secret service).
I was so impressed by the whole process. As was Aaron, who was ready to move in.
Ironically, it was similar to my introduction to hospitals. I had an emergency appendectomy when I was his age (4), and while I remember the pain, my overall memories are happy: pudding and ice cream to eat, balloons/crayons/gifts from family and friends, candy stripers visiting my room, and all-I-could-watch TV. Life was goooood. And since most hospital visits could use all the help they can get, carrying a little warm fuzzies in the back of your mind is not a bad thing.
Thanks to the brilliance of Vandy Children's, I think Aaron would still jump at another visit. Minus the recovery...
Which is coming up next! Generous Tonsils, Last Part
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