Toddler Surgery: Adenoid removal + tubes

As many of you who follow along with me on facebook, twitter or instagram know: Fern had her adenoids removed Wednesday & tubes put in. The surgery couldn't have gone better. I'm so thankful for doctors who communicated well & proceeded quickly, a husband who was available and supportive consistently through the day and family and friends who sent texts, phone calls & messages our way all day & the days leading up to the surgery,  checking on Fern. It really helped distract me.

I know that having your adenoids removed isn't a big deal. Tubes are even less of a big deal. Super common surgeries. Even sitting in the waiting room were 3 other kids around Fern's age getting tubes that day as well. That being said- you can't tell a mom not to worry. We worry when they spend their first night away from home, we worry when they start eating solid foods, we worry that somebody babysitting won't see them stick their fingers in light sockets.. so it's only natural to worry about surgery, no matter how common or minor it is.

As I mentioned, I had a great team of doctors, nurses and surgeons who comforted me, explained things well and never once made me feel like I was over-reacting when I'd tear up at the thought of her being on a surgery table. I thought that I might pass along the information I learned in case anybody reading this has to go through this in the future. You can find information everywhere, but sometimes it's just comforting to hear it from other mom's experiences. Here's what I learned:

Fern has not always had ear infections. In fact, she just started getting them around September. I don't know what changed, but something did.
There's a tube connecting your ears, nose and throat called the eustachian tube. The eustachian tube should drain any fluid that gets in your ears. If the fluid stays in the ears without draining it can turn to puss which causes ear infections. When you have an ear infection; the antibiotics prescribed actually turn the puss back into liquid so it can drain properly.

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Tubes are put in after several (and I do mean several) continuous ear infections. Tubes are a surgically inserted way for that fluid to drain out if it hasn't been draining out properly through the eustachian tube. Fern had them consistently since September. Sometimes they would both be infected, sometimes one would be infected. Sometimes there would be no infection, but there would still be fluid in her ears, which is better than infection- but still not super awesome. This is when the doctor started talking about seeing an ENT (Ear Nose & Throat) doctor to have a better look & see if tubes were the way to go.

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After going to the ENT & having a hearing test done, it was confirmed that tubes would be the right way to go. Her eardrums weren't moving at all during the test, which I was informed meant that there was probably still a good deal of fluid in there. I mentioned that Tristan had to have his adenoids removed when he was small due to sleep apnea. I wasn't sure if this is something that could be passed down. He said it was. (Fern does not have sleep apnea, though she's always snored) Upon looking at her adenoids he was certain they were the main problem. Her adenoids were blocking about 80% of her eustachian tube, which is why the fluid couldn't drain properly. Even if tubes were inserted, he was certain that without the removal of the adenoids, Ear infections would start up again after the tubes were removed. (tubes only stay in for up to 1 year)

The whole process went pretty quickly. I was given advice by several people for the surgery and after such as:
Stock up on "soft diet" foods ie: yoghurt, eggs, smoothy ingredients, etc. It's common for their throats to be sore after surgery.
Ask to be with them while they're being sedated: I asked, but at our surgery center they couldn't grant this request for safety reasons for both you and the child. I guess they've had parents pass out before. But I was told to ask, so maybe some places will let you. This was honestly the worst part of the whole thing for me. Fern is so attached and screamed as they took her away from me. She didn't know them, and she didn't want to go with them without me.
Send comfort:  One of Fern's teachers got her a little present to open before she went into surgery. It was a little stuffed lamb to hold through the whole procedure. After the procedure is finished they'll come get you as soon as they can, but it was good to know she had something of comfort to hold onto while she was waiting for us.
Cold Drink: The hospital was ready with juice box & popsicle to soothe her little throat afterwards. I'd recommend bringing a sippy cup to put it in. She was a little out of it still and didn't quite "get" the concept of the straw, nor did she have the patience to figure it out.

We got to sit with Fern up until they were ready to take her back for the procedure. They took her. She cried. I cried. Tristan comforted me. The entire procedure lasted about 20 minutes. (Just long enough for my scalding tea to cool enough to drink) The doctor met with us and told us how well she did. He warned us that kids are ALWAYS really grumpy right after surgery when the anesthesia is still wearing off, so don't be worried about that. (and she was. very grumpy) She got ear-drops to use 3 times a day for 3 days. When we were able to see her she just wanted out of there. The nurses gave us some basic instruction and answered any questions we had while removing the IV in her hand (super sad- she's still pretty bruised). We went straight home where Fern immediately insisted on watching "Monsters University" (more commonly known at our house as "monsters")

Once we were home Fern's mood was worlds better. She cuddled up on the couch with me, her bunny & her sippy cup. (very important to keep them hydrated) We watched an episode of Paw Patrol before turning the channel to "monsters". Fern and I both fell asleep 20 minutes in. I woke up to Mike chasing a pig who had stolen his hat & relocated Fern and myself to my bed for some comfy napping and cuddling. She snored SO LOUD. The doctor said this would happen because she'd be a little swollen. She was also a little congested for the same reasons. After naptime she woke up and had scrambled eggs and yoghurt. Tristan skipped school that evening and took us out for tacos & fro-yo. Apart from being exhausted from the day, she was totally back to normal. I'm so thankful for that.