Tonsils

Today was surgery day. I have been nervous about this day ever since Maddie started getting strep throat repeatedly. I didn't share my fears with Maddie though- she has been looking forward to this day for a couple months now. Odd, I know but all she could think of was endless popsicles, sherbet and pudding. Normally, she is a cranky kid to wake up early, but this morning she woke up right off and was excited for "surgery day". I wondered if it was good to be happy about something so scary!Should I sit her down and tell her the facts to prepare her? I decided her innocence would help her to remain calm before reality hit. This picture is a Maddie in pre-surgery bliss. I worried the longer we waited the quicker she would catch on. SHe heard other kids around her crying, but she was singing songs with us and being her silly self. I could tell she was starting to wonder what was really going on though. Finally, they wheeled her in the other room with "Lamby" her best friend (also wearing a hospital bracelet). I felt my heart skip as they shut the door behind me. I know it is a routine surgery, but that doesn't mean anything when it is your child alone and scared, and soon to be in pain. We waited for the doctor to talk to us---he told us her tonsils were the size of walnuts and full of pockets of bacteria, and everything went well. As they wheeled her down the hall she had no expression. She saw me and my husband and burst into tears. Doesn't your heart break at a time like that? I held her and tried to get her to relax. She gets so upset that she will start gagging, which can't feel good on her throat. Finally she fell asleep in my arms for 30 minutes. When she awoke the nurse said she needed to take one sip of water to show she can swallow fine. That is when it all began... bribery, pleas, mind games, just for ONE sip. If you know Maddie well you know she has a stubborn streak. I discovered this on preschool mornings when she will refuse for 20 minutes just to go to the bathroom. For whatever reason, she would not comply---we had water, juice, popsicles, pudding, jello---just one swallow. Then the IV comes out and she can go home. Patients came, swallowed and went home, but we remained. Nurses went to lunch, but we remained. Then, 3 hours later, she put some ice chips in her mouth, followed by a drink of water. Me and Rob were grinning like fools. A few times in that time she held the drink then put it back because she "wasn't ready". Immediately, the nurse took out her IV and loaded her in a wheelchair for home. Of course she wanted to bring the water with her---she was thirsty... She hasn't been doing as well as I hoped. Her stubborness is at it's peak when she is in pain or scared, so it has been torture to get her to drink anything. They said it doesn't matter what she eats, as long as she stays hydrated. Thanks to everyone who has sent their love, gifts, and treats. In a couple of days she will be sharing her "war" story with everyone, and showing off her battle wounds.