Tympanostomy Success!

Thursday we were up early and took Ella in for her surgery. She had her Tympanostomy (the fancy medical term for “tubes in the ears”) done and it was a success. It was probably the fastest surgery I ever waited through!

Sam got the call Wednesday night that the surgery was scheduled for 9:40 Thursday morning. She was told to be there two hours prior. We live an hour from the hospital, so it was an early wake up for all of us. We had hoped that Ella might just fall back asleep on the way down, but that didn’t happen. She wasn’t allowed to have anything to eat or drink after 10pm, so we were worried that she would be very cranky and hungry when we got there that early.

We arrived at 7:30am and checked in. The gal at check in kept giving us the “stank eye,” and it didn’t take long for us to figure out why. Whoever called us was supposed to tell us to arrive at 9:40. I know exactly what this gal was thinking, because I feel the same way when patients arrive an hour early for their sleep study.

It worked out to our benefit, or so we thought, because they ended up calling us back to Pre-Op early because two patients had not showed up. Naturally, they showed up late and threw everything off in the back. Factor in there was an emergency during one of the operations that slowed everything down for everyone else, and the wait became VERY long. Thankfully, we brought plenty of stuff for Ella to do while we waited.

I love the gown they put her in. It had all kinds of cartoon fishes on it. Despite being hungry, she did really well. She started to cry when the nurses came into the Pre-Op room, but I think that is just her associating nurses to shots. They brought in one of those hair nets and a zip up body gown for one of us to go back to the OR with her while they put her under.

Sam was naturally worried and upset about her having surgery, even though she knew it would be an easy one. I decided I would go back with her. I’ve never seen anyone go under, so I wasn’t really sure what to expect. So when the doc finally came in to check paperwork and such, I was told to get ready so they could take her back.

Funny visual. The zip up gown is all white. I put my legs into this thing and could immediately tell that this thing was not meant for fat guys like me to wear! I was able to zip it up about half way to belly and the zipper totally popped off! Sam and I chuckled and I just threw that silly net over my head. Unless they had a gown sized “tent,” this was the way I was going into the OR!

When it was time for us to go, I was actually surprised that she let me take her. She’s been such a mama’s girl lately. She kissed Sam as she came to me and I could see her tearing up. It was a short walk to the OR and they had me lay her on the table. She was already upset. I held her and sang to her as they put the mask on and she drifted off to sleep.

It took me about 2 minutes to get back to the Pre-Op room to get Sam. It took another 2-3 minutes for us to get to the waiting room. We hadn’t been sitting down but maybe 5-6 minutes and the doc came out to tell us she was done and that all went well. It was probably less than 5 minutes and they took us back to recovery where she was coming out of the anesthesia.

In all honesty, that was the worst part. They warned us that kids tend to cry a lot when they come out of it, and she was. One of the nurses was holding her when we went back, and they immediately handed her to Sam. She calmed down a little, but you could tell the anesthesia was still wearing off. We stayed back there about 30 minutes and we were free to go.

She was very snuggly when we got home, as we expected. By the end of the night, she was back to her old self. She was so happy and chatty this morning when she woke up. She ate a big breakfast, and played a lot. Nana came by with a little present for her, an easel/chalk board to draw on. She’s been all about sidewalk chalk lately and we’ve kept it outside. Now, however, the chalk is indoors. This means that the couch will have plenty of chalk on it until we can make sure she knows it goes on the chalk board.

When Ella was born, she did not pass her hearing test as a newborn. Later, she did pass it, but they said that the ear that did not pass the first time would be prone to ear infections. When we saw the ENT, he told us that the ear drum wasn’t really moving like it should and that the tubes will not only help with ear infections, but with that, too. They told us that sounds would be a little more noticeable for her now, and things that didn’t used to bother her, may for a few days. I’m guessing with both ears hearing well, she will begin to talk more and more.

I know it was a very easy and routine surgery, but I was still thankful that it all went well.