Bye, bye knot!

First off, I just have to say THANK YOU to everyone that had us in their thoughts and prayers today. I had no idea how very anxious I was about the whole thing and it really calmed me down knowing there were so many people with Lauren on their mind. We are all relieved to have the hardest part, the surgery, behind us and I think she's well on her way to recovering nicely.

******************

(All sorts of words about how we found out about the knot, the first results, realizing that the first diagnosis probably wasn't right, pictures of the crazy knot, the cat scan, and the final results that led to her surgery today.)

Once again we found ourselves up bright and early headed to Hillcrest with Lauren. As usual, she was her happy bubbly self, singing and laughing all the way there. Checking in was quick and the pre-op was easy since it was exactly the same as the pre-op for her tubes. The main difference was the fact that she can walk now, but she surprised me by staying very close to us and not freaking out about being there again. She calmly went to one of the nurses and waved bye bye to us without any tears.

That's when the weight of all the worrying really hit me. It was terrifying to think about what they were going to have to do to remove that knot. I expected it to feel like the minutes were barely creeping by, but the hour and a half went very quickly. Dr. Guy came out to get us himself and said that it went about as well as it could. The cyst was completely removed, as well as her hyoid bone, which will all be biopsied. There was very little bleeding, a very small incision, so she didn't need a drain, which would have meant she was going to be admitted to the hospital at least overnight.

She wasn't completely awake when we went back and they had just given her some more medicine so she could relax. She was moaning a bit in her sleep but that was much easier to deal with than the ear piercing screams after her tubes and cat scan. It took about an hour before she really started waking up and she stayed drowsy all morning.

I'm still surprised at how small the bandage is and that it doesn't seem to bother her as much as I expected. She's asked us to take the tape off several times, which really just breaks my heart. She was also starving but we were told she was only allowed liquids and pureed food, and the packets of applesauce and smooshed bananas really weren't cutting it. I imagine she'll jump up and down tomorrow when she's allowed a cracker.

We had a very relaxed day and Lauren and I are going to take it easy tomorrow and Sunday, as well. I expect we will watch Pocoyo, Little Einsteins, and Elmo at least 294 more times, but as long as she's calm, I'm happy!

Daddy makes a good footrest.

I'm so thankful that everything went so well and that it's over. Now to focus on all the happy things. New House! (Closing scheduled for Tuesday!) Christmas! A new (to us) car!

Oh, you didn't know we got a different car? Guess I'll have to write about that later. :)

A Sigh of Relief

Bright and early on Friday morning (6:15 am...yuck!) we stumbled out of bed, chugged some coffee, and headed off to get the tubes put in Lauren's ears. We signed her in, changed her into her small, but still too big for her, hospital gown, and waited to have her taken back. The medicine they gave her to relax her kicked in pretty quickly, so waiting wasn't that difficult. She was hilarious!

They took her back a little after 8 am and not 15 minutes later she was done and screaming for something to eat. Poor thing. You could tell she was in pain and not at all happy about the anesthesia. We were home by 9 am and I immediately laid down with her. A few hours later she woke up and was completely happy. We were even able to go out for lunch.

Her ears looked pretty clear when the tubes were placed so hopefully this will help them stay clear and keep her happy and healthy. I'm so glad that we had this done and I'm so glad it's over!

Lauren's Ears

A few months ago, I had a mini rant about a doctor that had only seen Lauren once telling me that she needed a tube in her ear. It wasn't just that he was saying my daughter needed surgery (yes, I know it's a small one, but it's still surgery.) but the attitude with which he told me. I don't do well with being told something in a condescending manner. However, since then, Lauren has had infection after infection, all sorts of antibiotics, and is still suffering.

We were referred to an ENT by her pediatrician and I was very happy to see him. He has a very gentle way with kids and explained exactly what was going on and what would be the best way to remedy it. Lauren has fluid behind both of her eardrums which isn't currently causing her pain, but most likely will soon. Considering she just finished a third round of antibiotics to clear this up, it's pretty obvious that what we've been doing isn't working.

So, on the 22nd, we will be taking her in for tubes. She won't be completely sedated, won't even have an iv, and it should be very quick. He said it takes about 6 minutes per ear and he'll suction out all of the fluid at that time. I have a feeling that this will help her balance tremendously. Not long ago I had fluid in my ears and it was excruciating. I cannot imagine teething pain on top of that. Knowing that she is in so much pain is really what made up my mind. If something so simple can help her, why wouldn't we do it?

Hopefully soon this will all be a distant memory and her ears will stay clear. I need to get Brenden in to see him as well. I'm pretty sure he'll end up having to get tubes, too, and I think it will be a bit more traumatic for him. But again, if it helps clear up the ear infections that we've been battling for months, it will be worth it. Plus, he hates the medicine. He keeps telling me it's yucky and makes his stomach hurt.

Someday we will all be whole and well and I will be so SO happy!