We survived the anesthesia!

Yesterday was a big first in our household... Will had surgery. YIKES! The Dr. called it more of a procedure, but they have to put him to sleep, which to me, means surgery. I told you about his blocked tear duct in his right eye (read more about it here) a little over a month ago. Finally, schedules managed to clear just enough for us to get it fixed. June is a crazy month normally, but add to that my sister's high school graduation, niece's dance recital & 8th grade promotion, plus birthday parties, airport shuttling, Dr. appointments, and attempting to boost your business...and there isn't much left.

My sister, Cydney, was kind enough to volunteer her helpful services and spent the night Tuesday night so she could be with us bright and early as we got to the Outpatient Center by 6am. Will's procedure surgery was scheduled for 7:30am. The morning was a mess of trying to keep Will entertained while I filled out paper work and answered the same questions over and over - Is he allergic to anything? No. Does he have any loose teeth? No. How much does he weigh? 24 lbs.

Thankfully, they didn't have to give him an IV. When the anesthesiologist called me Tuesday evening and told me that he would just be giving him some syrup to calm him down and then a gas to put him to sleep for the procedure, I practically did back flips. My veins are hard to find and after having to get Will's blood taken for testing a few months ago, it is NOT an easy thing for him either. Not having to deal with this was such a load off my (and Hubby's) mind.

Once the nurse took us upstairs 45 minutes before the procedure surgery, we were getting tired and Will was antsy. Being up early in a weird place with weird people was not his cup of tea. The anesthesiologist came in to ask a few more questions and answer a few more of ours. Then it was medicine time. He brought back some syrup that kicked in 10 minutes later. Will started stroking his tongue and instantly melted on my lap. He sat still long enough for us to get his heart rate/blood pressure from the little E.T. glowy red finger clip on his finger that he kept ripping off before. I think he saw tracers as he waved his little lizard toy in slow motion in front of his face. He was out of it and it was pretty funny.

He gave kisses to Jason's parents and my sister as Hubby and I carried him down the hall. When I handed him off to the nurse, he was staring off into space mouth agape. The procedure was quick. Thank goodness we got to huddle up in a tiny waiting room with a tiny TV to watch part of the USA World Cup game. That made the time go by faster. 10 minutes after they shoveled us downstairs into the big waiting room (without a TV), we were called back upstairs to handle "The Situation".

I had heard stories of how rough it was for little ones coming out of anesthesia because they aren't used to this weird feeling. Heck, as adults we aren't used to it either! We walked in to see his face beet red from screaming so much and he had trouble catching his breath. Hubby and I were in such a fluster trying to get him his Rupert & binky, that we forgot the binky downstairs. We gave him some juice that he sucked down no problem and then continue to scream his balls off.

The Dr. told us the procedure went great, as Will is screaming in my face. Dr. said it was textbook and he thinks this is the end of his problem. Hallelujah! Nurses gave us post-op instructions as my red faced child screamed some more in my face and we were out the door 20 minutes later. It was a rough ride home as Hubby drove, Cydney & I attempted to comfort the red faced Hulk screamer.

Once we were home, he started to settle down a tad. Hubby fetched some more juice while I held Will and Cydney put on Toy Story. I'm telling you, this movie is magic. As soon as it started, he was instantly better. He sat and watched the whole movie on our laps, while he drank his juice and even ate a banana. Total, I think he was a screaming, red faced mess for about an hour. I'm sure it would've been worse if he had an IV full of drugs to get out of his system. Thank goodness for just gas. Hubby's parents brought us some bagels from The Bagel Shack for breakfast, too. If you live in the Lake Forest, CA area, you have got to try these! They're SO good! This is our Sunday morning spot.

The day went pretty smoothly. I fed him slow and steady throughout the day. He had blueberries, yogurt, and Jell-O for lunch, some crackers for snack, and a quesadilla for dinner. He took two 3-4 hour naps throughout the day and went to bed at 8:15pm. He slept through the night with barely a peep and woke up at 7:45am this morning. It would be nice to have some of that syrup for when Will was teething! Sheesh!

I hope this helps anyone that has to go through the same procedure or anything else where your little baby has to be put to sleep. I barely slept the night before, and my stomach was in knots all day. It's amazing how much we love this little guy that the thought of him hurting makes Hubby & I physically sick...

Today, you would not even know he had anything done yesterday. He's a happy camper, full of his usual crazy energy. It does look like the super sleep schedule is going to stick around since he's been napping since 10am and it's almost 1pm now... YAY! I will not complain one bit about that!