The Pietig Family: Tonsils

Almost 3 weeks ago on June 14, Payton had her tonsils and adenoids out. When I wrote about scheduling her surgery back in January, it seemed so far away. When the time actually arrived, this mama was a nervous wreck. I know that it is a pretty routine, standard procedure, but the thought of putting my child under anesthesia was a bit frightening.

The day of the surgery we were up bright and early. We had to check in at Mary Greeley in Ames by 6:45. We were taken back to our little room, where Payton got her gown on. We had to wait in the room for awhile and Payton was having a blast. Poor girl had no clue what was about to happen! We had read a book about it, but I don't think she really understood. They gave her some medication to kind of take the edge off before they would have to put her under. Then they took us back into the "holding" room. At that point, the medication was starting to wear off, and she was getting pretty cranky. Finally the anestheiologist came back to talk with us as did the surgeon, Dr. Griffith. They told us they were ready for her. So, we walked out into the hallway and handed off our little girl to the nurses. That was hard. Dr. Griffith told us that he would come out to talk to us right after the procedure--in about 30 to 45 minutes.

So, Chad and I headed to the lobby where we had a strong cup of coffee. After that, we went back to our room and tried to watch a little TV. Dr. Griffith came in after about 45 minutes and said everything went great! He said she was taking a little longer to wake up, but would be back shortly. What a relief! He also said her adenoids were quite large as well as her tonsils.

The nurse brought her back about 15 minutes later and she looked miserable. It was hard to see her like that. They gave her 1/2 bag of fluids and she also ate a little bit of ice cream. Around 1:30 or so, we were discharged and on our way home.

Her recovery went pretty smooth. She did great the first few days after surgery. Then around Day 6 her scabs started falling off and she was in a lot of pain. We just tried to stay on top of the pain with her med. We did get a bit concerned that she wasn't hardly eating, but when I called the dr so ask about it, they said they weren't worried as long as she was drinking and keeping hydrated. (I am happy to report that her appetite is definitely back to normal again.) She didn't leave the house at all (except for a quick walk down to Dollar General) until Day 9. We decided she was well enough to get out of the house, so we went decided to go shopping Des Moines. :)

All in all, I would say everything went as well as could be expected. I was so nervous for it because I remember all too well having mine out when I was 11. It was not fun! But, they say the younger they are, the better they get along and they bounce back quicker. I am just thankful that she won't remember this experience!