I heart grommets

We got the call we had been waiting for on Thursday the 28th July around 1pm. Turbo was booked for grommets and adenoid removal the very next day, book in time, 7.30am. After (stupidly!!) deferring on his last surgery booking, I put myself on the short notice list so that I would be called if people cancelled. Hence, hardly any notice.

The night before was a night full of packing bags and lunches, praying and worrying (on my behalf). What worried me the most was not the actual procedure but the fact that he was not allowed a thing to eat or drink, including water from 5am. How was I going to explain to my 2 year old that he couldn't have any breakfast, let alone a sip of water? And the waiting without food at the hospital? Eeek! We avoided the breakfast issue by only getting him out of his cot 15 minutes before we left the house. We put clothes on him and soon after, we were on our way to Starship Hospital.


I also heart Starship Hospital. It is so good at catering to children's needs. Toys and ride on cars and books and dolls houses in every room. Turbo was in his element and food was the last thing on his mind. They even have dedicated 'play specialists' who are trained early childhood teachers whose role is to play with and distract children during painful procedures or checkups. Thankfully Turbo hasn't needed this but I saw one lady in action with a crying child, blowing bubbles all over the room.

At 8am Turbo was checked by a nurse for his weight. Shortly after we met with the aneathetist surgeon, and then with the surgeon himself, a young, buff Asian man whose sense of humour must have left him when he entered medical school and who talked only to Mr Samoa as if I didn't exist at all. Anway. I knew Turbo was in safe hands and we understood all that was going to happen.

At about 8.50 we were ushered into the pre-op waiting room (complete with another whole new set of toys to keep Turbo busy) and Hubby changed into his cap and gown for the theatre. At 9.30 I watched my little boy walk hand in hand with his Daddy down the hall and turn left into the operating theatre. My heart was a little sore at that point.

Back to the first waiting room we went, after skoffing some food in the hallway...you can't eat in any of the waiting rooms for obvious reasons. Less than half an hour later it was finished and the surgeon reported that it had gone well. There was indeed think mucous sitting in his ear drum (glue ear) waiting to fester again and again. And his adenoids were a 'moderate size' but also contributing to his constant upper respiratory sickness.

Soon after he woke up, howling, but as soon as he was in his Daddy's arms, he dozed on and off for the next 2 hours as we made ourselves comfortable in a recovery room. We made friends with a Tongan family who knew our old pastor, ate lots of food, and before we knew it, we were home. Turbo was given an array of medicines and some ear drops. After a talking to from a nurse at Starship about not putting medicine in his milk (we've done this for ages because we could never get it down him) we gave it a go with a syringe straight into his mouth and he was fine! We were amazed. And he took several doses, several times a day by syringe for the next week or so. He is growing up and surprising us every day.

My sister whose son had grommets a year or so ago said the pain and crying would kick in on day 2. So we prepared for it with bated breath. It never came. Looking at Turbo, you would never have known he had just been in hospital. And darn it, I even kept him home from daycare.

So he is the healthiest he has been in a long, long time. I haven't used a tissue on his nose in about 5 days. It is bone dry. Amazing! I am so glad and thankful we had them done, and that the whole experience was a good one. We prayed and God answered. Isn't He good?