Recovery Going Well...day 4!!

Alex had her tonsils out on Wednesday (today is Sat) and is doing quite well.  I think I had freaked myself out by reading all these horror stories online about recovery being horrible.  Now, it did say that days 5-7 can be bad again which will start tomorrow so we shall see. 

Overall she is doing great.  She has been in bed for the most part and been watching tv non-stop!  She has been eating soft foods since day one.  Mac and cheese is her favorite, mashed taters, chrushed ice (from Sonic...they sell it there by the bag) and soup.  She is also drinking tons of water, apple juice and Gatorade.  Oh and lets not forget Popsicles.  She has probably had about 15 since Wednesday!! 

Today she is mostly complaining about her ears hurting her which is a normal but weird side effect.  I guess because the tonsils are so close to her nerves for her ears.  She has also complained that it hurts when she talks so she is mostly whispering. 

She is still needing Tylenol with codeine at night and for some breakthrough pain.  It is almost gone so I will probably call the doctor for more just to be safe.  Especially since the doctor said that the pain will get bad again when the scabs start to come off. 

Enough of that lovely talk.  Thanks everyone for all of your prayers through this.  I am just so glad to have it behind us so that we can start to focus on her arthritis. 

Tomorrow is the BIG day!!

Well, we managed to keep Alex healthy in time for her surgery tomorrow.  I don't know how.  Both Ben and I were down the past week with bronchitis!!  We sent her to my parents house for the weekend to keep her away from the germs and it has seemed to have worked!

We are all anxious to get this behind us.  I have to say I think I am ten times more nervous about it all than her.  Like I have said before....it's not so much the surgery that scares me but the recovery I am worried about.  I have heard that it is a very painful and long (7-10 days) recovery.  But.....Alex does seem to have a high pain tolerance plus she is 12.  Kids seems to bounce back much faster.

I hope to update here daily to let all of you know how she is doing and for any other parents out there that are going through the same thing.  Feel free to leave her messages here because she does check this blog.  Thanks also to all of you for your prayers and well wishes! 

Taking Care Of Me!

Life has been crazy lately!  It's always busy with three kids but I have reached my limit and my body is mad at me!  A couple years back I had a root canal on a tooth that the doctor wasn't too sure about.  I guess the cavity was pretty bad and most of the tooth had to be sanded away. About a month ago I started to notice a yucky taste near the tooth, and upon closely checking it out I noticed that the tooth was unstable...even a bit loose.   I was under the impression that a tooth with a root canal wouldn't hurt but if there is an infection it will eventually make the gums, jaw, face and neck hurt. 

So, with everything else going on right now I get to go to the oral surgeon today to get the tooth pulled.  Today is my initial visit so not sure if they will give me antibiotics and have me come back next week or if they will just do it today.  I am hoping for today!  I have had teeth and wisdom teeth pulled before and know that the pain of recovery is actually better than what I am feeling right now. 

Alex's surgery is just 4 days away now and I want to be at my best to take care of her.  I was really hoping to take care of this after her surgery but I am afraid of making the infection worse.  I know that is not too safe to do. 

Oh the joy....

One Week Until Surgery!

So, in one week my baby will be wheeled into an operating room and have her tonsils removed.  I know, so dramatic but I am seriously nervous about it.  I am not worried about the actual procedure but the recovery.  I have heard that it is pretty painful! It's hard to really prepare a child for that.  You don't want to scare them yet you don't want them to feel betrayed either! I have explained it to her somewhat but will tell her more as it gets closer.  She is just looking forward to laying around and watching tv for 10 days!

My other big concern is school!  I have contacted all of her teachers telling them that she will be out of school for at least one week but have been reading online that recovery can be much longer.  According to her doctor she can go back when ever she feels up to it.  I know that some of her teachers are getting work together for her that we will do at home when she feels up to it. 

My last stress is that I will be alone to care for Alex.  Ben is leaving the morning after her surgery day for a 5 day business trip to Washington D.C. I am sure it will be fine but it will be hard not having any extra support.  I will be heading to the store before her surgery to really stock up on all of our needs. We have two other kids who are in elementary school that I will have to get to/from school and help with homework, feed, bathe etc.  

Otherwise Alex is doing fine.  Little aches and pains here and there that I have no idea if they are related to her arthritis or not.  I just keep taking notes of it and will share it all with the doctor next month.