Yesterday was a big day for my oldest son, Bentley. He had his first surgery ever! He is generally a really healthy kid, but last year we noticed his eyes were starting to look a tiny bit crossed. At first the doctor tried glasses to help, but his eyes seem to get worse and it slowly became much more noticeable. So it was decided surgery was the best solution to straighten them out. I tried to talk them into straightening his brain out while they were at it, but apparently that is not considered a legitimate medical procedure. Ha.
He was pretty nervous the night before as this is the first time he has ever had to experience a medical procedure or a trip to the hospital. We put him to bed at 10pm, only to find him up pacing back and forth around 12pm. he told us he couldn't sleep because he was so anxious. We checked in at the surgery center nice and early the next morning. I had to laugh, because when they went to get his weight and height, they did his height in centimeters. Jokingly, I told him he was 138 centipedes tall. He quickly corrected me with an exasperated eye roll and a "mooom, it's centimeters, not centipedes. Centi means one hundred and a centimeter is a type of measurement. A centipede is a bug. Duh." There is just no teasing this kid.
Overall, he did pretty well and remained fairly calm. The IV start was hard for him, despite all of the preparing and practicing for it that we had done beforehand. He starting crying, hyperventilating, and hollering, even with the local numbing medicine on the area. I felt so bad for him and for his nurse (who also happens to be my co-worker and personal friend). She wasn't able to get the IV in the first time with all of his panicking and afterwards he pointed and screamed "YOU FAILED!!!!" Thank god that I had apologized to her ahead of time for anything he might say. When the doctor came in and ask if he could try to start the IV himself, Bentley yelled "As long as SHE doesn't do it!!!" Poor nurse. He started hollering and screaming again when the doctor picked up his hand looking for a vein. The doctor looks up in amazement and says "I haven't even touch you yet." Got to love my son's flare for drama.
After the IV was in and finished (and he got a nice shot of sedatives), my son did really well. I was expecting more anxiety and tears from him when he came back from the recovery room, but he was as calm and sweet as he could be. He kept talking about how amazing anesthesia is because he couldn't remember a thing. He was pretty proud of himself for getting through it because now he can brag about how tough he is to his classmates. He practiced telling them "Oh Yeah, you think that hurts?!? Well I had an EYE surgery and I had a FAILED IV!!"
At home, he's been hanging out in dark rooms, watching TV when his eyes aren't bothering him too much. He likes for mom and dad to come down and watch TV with him to keep him company. This means I have been getting held hostage in a dark basement room in front of Star War movies and YouTube videos. At least his appetite is backs, so we can binge eat cookie dough while we are watching Star Wars.
He was pretty nervous the night before as this is the first time he has ever had to experience a medical procedure or a trip to the hospital. We put him to bed at 10pm, only to find him up pacing back and forth around 12pm. he told us he couldn't sleep because he was so anxious. We checked in at the surgery center nice and early the next morning. I had to laugh, because when they went to get his weight and height, they did his height in centimeters. Jokingly, I told him he was 138 centipedes tall. He quickly corrected me with an exasperated eye roll and a "mooom, it's centimeters, not centipedes. Centi means one hundred and a centimeter is a type of measurement. A centipede is a bug. Duh." There is just no teasing this kid.
Overall, he did pretty well and remained fairly calm. The IV start was hard for him, despite all of the preparing and practicing for it that we had done beforehand. He starting crying, hyperventilating, and hollering, even with the local numbing medicine on the area. I felt so bad for him and for his nurse (who also happens to be my co-worker and personal friend). She wasn't able to get the IV in the first time with all of his panicking and afterwards he pointed and screamed "YOU FAILED!!!!" Thank god that I had apologized to her ahead of time for anything he might say. When the doctor came in and ask if he could try to start the IV himself, Bentley yelled "As long as SHE doesn't do it!!!" Poor nurse. He started hollering and screaming again when the doctor picked up his hand looking for a vein. The doctor looks up in amazement and says "I haven't even touch you yet." Got to love my son's flare for drama.
After the IV was in and finished (and he got a nice shot of sedatives), my son did really well. I was expecting more anxiety and tears from him when he came back from the recovery room, but he was as calm and sweet as he could be. He kept talking about how amazing anesthesia is because he couldn't remember a thing. He was pretty proud of himself for getting through it because now he can brag about how tough he is to his classmates. He practiced telling them "Oh Yeah, you think that hurts?!? Well I had an EYE surgery and I had a FAILED IV!!"
At home, he's been hanging out in dark rooms, watching TV when his eyes aren't bothering him too much. He likes for mom and dad to come down and watch TV with him to keep him company. This means I have been getting held hostage in a dark basement room in front of Star War movies and YouTube videos. At least his appetite is backs, so we can binge eat cookie dough while we are watching Star Wars.