Marshall had a checkup on Monday (about 4 days ago) to make sure his ear infections had gone away with the 2 rounds of anti-biotics (AND the ear oil I had been using in addition to the prescriptions). They weren't as healed as ears should be after 3 weeks. Most of the fluid was gone, but they were still inflamed and red and the skin was all scabbed over inside, so we scheduled him for tubes this morning.
I could see doing the surgery for myself if I had been having ear infection after ear infection... but making the decision for a 20 month old baby.... it was hard. I felt like the worst mom! Putting him through anesthesia?! Possible complications?!
Anyway... we prayed for the little guy and Daddy gave him a blessing this morning before we headed to the hospital. I felt mostly sure it was the right decision... but part of me was still thinking maybe he'd be ok without it. The hardest part about the morning was tricking him into skipping breakfast by giving him half a juice box. By the time we checked in at the hospital he was done with mom and had to be walked around the halls (naked, except for his diaper, because he refused to wear the hospital gown with tigers on it) by daddy.
They gave him a medicine that made him sleepy and kind of loopy. He spit out half of it, but I guess half a dose was enough, because 10 min. later he was making sounds with his spit to entertain himself instead of wiggling to get out of there. They wrapped him in a warm blanket and walked him down the hall to the OR while we waited in the waiting room. Even Jesse was a little emotional thinking of our baby in there, without us, having surgery.
The doctor came out about 45 min. later and told us everything had gone fine, but his right ear had been very distended and filled with infected fluid, so they had taken a little longer than normal waiting for it to drain and stop bleeding. The nurse came out and asked for us to come see him because he was awake. As we walked down the hall we could hear a baby screaming... and as we got closer I could tell it was Marshall... but not Marshall. It was Marshall screaming but he did not sound like my baby. They warned me that the anesthesia would make him very upset and confused when he woke up... but I did not expect him to be this inconsolable! It took 3 nurses to keep him in the crib till me and Jesse could get to him ( the kid is huge!). We got him out of there as soon as they checked his vitals again. He screamed all the way home and for 45 min. he rolled around on our bed hitting Jesse and then head-butting me, going back and forth between us (still screaming) until he fell asleep.
All that time I just kept thinking about that infection in his right ear that had developed in the 4 days since we had seen the doctor. 4 days! I just hope these tubes are the thing to help keep the infections away for good now.
He slept for a couple hours, woke up cranky until he drank some juice and had some crackers and rice. Now he seems totally normal! He's happy, playing, and seems pain free! Even through all that, I feel like it was the right decision. I hope he's a happy, healthy boy from here on out!
3 comments:
Oh poor Marshall! Laura this is crazy cause Emma is on her 3rd round of antibiotics for her ear infections and I'm going back on Wednesday to check out the results. I think they are still not doing good cause she is still having trouble sleeping at night. I was worried about tubes, but if Marshall seems to be doing good then that makes the decision a little easier to make! Give him a kiss and hug from all of us over here!
I'm so sorry for your little guy. I echo that I hope he's healthy and happy from here on out!
Chandler got tubes along with his tonsils and adenoids out a a little over a year ago. I'm so glad we did it. He hasn't had a single infection since. He had been having constant infections. It has been a great thing for us, minus the fact that he now has a hole in his eardrum. Kind of a random thing. Hope it helps and that he will be a new little boy!
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