Bye Bye Tonsils

Landen got his tonsils out Wednesday and it has certainly been a rough couple of days. Everyone said getting their tonsils out when they are young is easier than when they are older. Well, I would hate to see anyone get them out when they are older because this has been awful. I really hope this surgery turns out to be worth it because I don't think I could put Landen through something like this again if it is somewhat "elective" like removing ones tonsils. My heart really goes out to parents whose children have major surgeries or illnesses. It is hard as a parent to watch your child be miserable.

We chose to have his tonsils removed at the new PCMC extension at Riverton Hospital because we could get in before the end of the year. The doctors, anesthesiologists and nurses are the same as the main PCMC so I didn't see it as being a problem until realizing the fact that if there are complications then the patient would have to take an ambulance to PCMC in Salt Lake because they don't have an overnight pediatric unit at Riverton. Read on because unfortunately this was mentioned with Landen.

We tried hard to prep Landen for the surgery, but unfortunately Landen only saw all the perks that come with getting his tonsils out. Leading up to the day, people would ask Landen about it and give him lots of fun attention. We went shopping the night before and I spent a lot of money on popsicles, pudding, and any liquid Landen even remotely thought he would drink. Dehydration is a common complication with kids when they get their tonsils removed.


We got there early in the morning. The nice thing about going to a new hospital is it wasn't very busy and we got lots of attention. Landen was able to decorate an ornament and the child life specialist spent some time with him. He was able to color a medical doll and play with medical equipment.

The anesthesiologist met with us and asked us if we thought Landen would need a dose of Versed before going into surgery. Versed makes the children relax and forget what happens before surgery so they don't get so anxious when taken away from their parents. Tanner got a dose before his tubes were placed which was good, however it makes coming out of the anesthesia even worse than it already is. They are so cranky and there is nothing you can do except wait for the medicine to wear off. Tanner was pretty terrible.

We decided Landen wouldn't need it, but when the time came for Landen to walk with the anesthesiologist he said he wasn't going. Thankfully, the nice child life specialist stepped in and walked with them to the OR.

The surgery was short and the doctor said everything went well. I was able to go back into the PACU to be there when Landen woke up. Well, as I walked into the room I realized he was already awake. He was crying. I should actually say he was freaking out. Landen's nose was all bloody and he looked like crap. I didn't quite expect him to look that bad. Landen kept complaining about the IV in his hand and I tried to distract him. I brought his blanket and he of course didn't want it. He wanted his stuffed animal that he had brought that was back in the waiting room with Mike. They only allow one parent back in PACU.

Landen kept thrashing about and I found myself not knowing what to do. It was really weird to be on the other side of things. I am used to being the nurse, giving the meds, and trying to console a family and pt. Now I didn't have a clue as to how to calm Landen. I was glad we didn't give him Versed. Who knew how he would be with that on board. The nurse asked if I thought he was in pain. I said no and that I thought his IV was just bugging him. A few minutes later he kept crying and wouldn't calm down so the nurse asked if she could get him some morphine. I quickly agreed. He settled down a little but he just kept groaning and seemed so uncomfortable. We couldn't get him to drink much but were able to get some Lortab down him so it would have time to start working after the morphine wore off.

Hospitals only like to keep patients in PACU the shortest time possible. Their airways need to be secure and pain needs to be under control. Hopefully they are able to be awake and drink a little. Usually the time spent in PACU is around 30 minutes and they charge by the minute. It is very expensive. We spent over an hour in PACU. Landen threw up bloody emesis and he was given Zofran. I think his stomach had been upset the whole the time and that was why he was groaning. We just couldn't get Landen to communicate this to us. We were finally moved out of PACU into a postop room where Landen would finish recovering and then go home.

Landen started complaining about his IV again and the new nurse was like, "Oh, we can take it out. He only needed it for the Zofran and since he just got it, we should be fine." I almost said to leave it in because he hadn't kept any fluids down, but I kept my mouth shut. I wasn't the nurse. But I soon learn my lesson to speak up for my child next time. She quickly took out his IV and Landen was happy for the moment and able to get some rest.

Landen was either sleeping or throwing up and he really hadn't drank anything to throw up. We were there forever! Usually you spend roughly an hour in post op and then are sent home. We were going on over 3 hours. The nurse didn't quite know what to do. There was talk of restarting an IV (Landen would freak out) and giving him a fluid bolus to perk him up and maybe flush out some of the meds from the surgery that were making him sick. If that didn't work, it would mean an ambulance ride to PCMC.

While Landen wasn't doing so hot, neither was I. I have never truly had a migraine, but now I can say I have. I worked Monday night and stayed awake most of the day Tuesday rather than going to bed like I normally do. We woke up early Wednesday for the surgery and I think my lack of sleep presented itself in the worst headache I have ever experienced. I threw up twice in a garbage can while we were in the postop room. The nurse got me some Tylenol and coke. At one point, I had a jacket over my head to block out any light. My good friend Heidi offered to drive all the way down to Riverton to come and get me. I was so close to saying yes because who knew how much longer we would be here. I just couldn't bring myself to leave Landen.

Finally, Landen was able to hold down an ounce for like 5 minutes and the nurse quickly discharged us. I don't think she knew what to do with us. We got into the car and Landen threw up. Mike asked if we should go back in, but I felt so crappy that I said no. I knew they couldn't do anything for Landen anyway. We could take him back to the hospital that night if he wasn't doing any better.

These past few nights, Landen has slept in bed with me. He tosses and turns and groans constantly throughout the night. The first night, I made him take Lortab pretty frequently. I would also make him take sips of water, but he just kept throwing up. Thursday night I called the on call ENT to see if he could give me something other than Lortab for pain because taking it on an empty stomach was probably what was making him sick. He said he couldn't call in a narcotic over the phone which I totally forgot about. He suggested just giving Landen Tylenol instead. I'm not a big fan of Tylenol. I really didn't think it would help a great deal in controlling Landen's pain, but there was nothing I could do.

By Friday, I felt like Landen was getting dehydrated and things just weren't getting any better. I called the doctor's office and they prescribed Zofran in a tablet that you place on one's tongue to dissolve. Landen had a tough time understanding how to do this but eventually that small pill dissolved.

Today, he is drinking more and I feel like we may have turned a corner. Unfortunately all he wants to drink is Creme Soda but I will take whatever I can get. This has been such a rough couple of days, hopefully Landen will continue to improve. He looks so skinny and sickly. I really hope he gets his appetite back soon.