Tonsillectomy Recovery Diary

When we decided that Adam's tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy were the best things for him, we were told that the recovery period was 7-10 days. The doctor emphasized that it was a hard, true recovery of 7-10 days. I kept a diary of that time as each moment and day passed.

The best thing about the last ten days is that the odds of Adam remembering this are very slim (although for a kid with the memory of an elephant, who at 2 1/2 recalls his first year Rock Star birthday party, that might be wishful thinking).

Adam is a tough, tough guy. Truly. He runs into walls and barrels through pain like a bat out of hell, and half the time we never knew he was in pain until after he feels better.

So when you read this, keep note of these things:

1) I am recording these things in the moment. Not with the hazy romantic filter of an experience long past.

2) Adam is recovering from a tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy, AND on top of that got a nasty virus with runny nose, COUGH, SNEEZE, ear pain and headaches that he probably had caught before the surgery and we didn't know about. Everyone in the house woke up Saturday morning, the day after surgery, with the full blown virus.

3) He is recovering without narcotics - only Tylenol and Advil. Our doctor says that recent literature notes varying metabolism rates in children after these surgeries (after all, they have removed lymph nodes), so it's dangerous to give it to kids when they don't know how they will respond. Many might think, well, my kid did okay with the narcotics, they are just being overly cautious. Maybe so. But I also have issues with narcotics and am allergic to most of them, and the others barely work. The only thing I can take is hydrocodone. For Shannon, on the other hand, hydrocodone makes him hyper, giving him such super human abilities like mowing the yard the day of wisdom teeth removal and just hours after the anesthesia wore off. Adam has a similar reaction to hydrocodone and in addition gets scarily delusional.

So when the surgeon said he couldn't prescribe any, I cringed but was almost certain that was the best idea, especially since I had concerns going into this anyway.

4) Adam was on antibiotics to ward off infections, and antibiotics make him unintentionally and unpredictably aggressive. He cannot control some of his actions and feels constantly on edge. So when on top of that you don't feel good, and you're grumpy, and someone is telling you no or making you do things you don't want to do, like take medicine, you sometimes find yourself in a downward spiral where hitting and yelling is the only thing you can think of to do. To his credit, he never once got aggressive or angry with his brother and sister and even begged for them to be around him.

5) Adam is 2. He doesn't understand. No one could properly warn him.  He gets cabin fever if he's inside too long on a Saturday, let alone 7-10 days in pain.

6) The twins sleep longer periods at a time, but still wake up once (or twice, if you're Claire) to eat (and they do not wake up at the same time).

Keep those things in mind.

Day 1: Surgery Day. 
Woke up after surgery in pain and struggling to get relief. finally napped an hour and drank lots of juice and ate half a cup of applesauce in the hospital. Took Motrin and Loritab and had the steroids to help. Still lots of screaming. Released that day. Slept in his own bed with Dad. Got pain meds by Dad all night. Full story: Tonsils and Adenoids

Day 2: 
Oranges and powdered sugar doughnuts were the final accepted food, and juice. The doughnut hurt. Asked for a Popsicle, then wouldn't eat it. Rejected ice cream, applesauce. Got antibiotics and moaned in pain every time he coughed or sneezed, because the day after surgery woke up with a cold. Took 2 hours of screaming before sleep at night.

Day 3:
Woke up screaming at 4 am. Mom and Dad's bed. Woke up screaming again at 6 am. Dad took him back to his room and slept with him for about an hour. Woke up quietly at 7:45.  Refused milk. Refused juice. Refused water. Refused all food.

We finally quit offering ice cream and popsicles, which he said he wanted but really didn't. Successful eating mandarin oranges, canned peaches, half a cup of yogurt and a whole banana. Showed interest in a Sonic cherry limeade.

Got a bath and a smile after the Tylenol kicked in.

Ride with Mamie and Grandpa. Ate and loved the pumpkin bread that neighbors brought. Cheered up at the "prayer pumpkin" they brought. Drank juice, cheered up before bed. Fell asleep immediately, then had night terrors and inconsolable screaming right away.

Day 4:
Woke up miserable but starting to understand that taking medicine equals a little relief from the pain. Asked for a sucker for breakfast, but warmed up to a few bites of banana and pumpkin bread instead (after about an hour). Drank juice. Breath is starting to smell, most likely from healing scab, but will watch closely.

Went shopping briefly with me, then home for nap and slept 2.5 hours (normal nap duration). Woke up and ate a whole cup of mac and cheese. More talkative, but also on edge and moody. Yelled at the sun. Yelled at mom. Yelled at dad. Nice to brother and sister.

Went for a ride to sell mom's car to Carmax. He fed Claire while we waited in Dad's truck. Asked for pancakes for dinner and ate without wincing. Yelled at me for cutting pancakes. Asked for applesauce but didn't eat it. Cabin fever is setting in.

Three hours of tossing and turning, yelling. Finally could have more Tylenol at 11:15pm. Gave it to him... cries and whimpers/yells, "I don't like that." My heart breaks. Sat with him until he fell asleep.

Stamina on Empty. I finally got a shower after 3 days.

Day 5: 
Bad night. Night terrors every  2-3 hours. Woke up at 7:45 after very little sleep, crying and whining for Daddy. "Mouth hurt."

 I can barely keep eyes open. Out of red bull. Must find coffee. Miss my babies. Wish I didn't have to send them to daycare but can't manage all three in this state.

Took a long bath on his own. Went for a long car ride. Ate one doughnut hole from Dunkin Donuts. Went to Mamie and Grandpa's house for impromptu lunch and saw Mamie and Ra Ra. Got sleepy. Moody. Tired. Refused all food, all drink.

Took 3 hour nap and woke up not crying, but still saying "mouth hurt." Took Tylenol, ate half a banana. Cup of milk. Finally ate more when I brought home McAllister's Mac and cheese. Much more cheerful when not hungry. Still anxiety going to bed, but only an hour of struggle instead of 3.5 hours.

Day 6: 2 am crying in pain. More Tylenol and I rub his back until he falls asleep. Up crying at 5:30 am. Up again but smiling at 7. Much happier. Ate a little bit of powdered doughnut, drank whole glass of milk. Still not eating much but not complaining of pain.

Babies had 4 month check up. Immunizations, so lots more crying for Mom. Adam home with Dad in morning. Eats a bit of grilled cheese. Struggles to sleep at nap time, but cheerful. Hyped up from antibiotics and happy to be feeling better.

Twins do not go to daycare. Mom works from home in afternoon.

I AM STILL EXHAUSTED.

Adam did not nap today. He felt it too, but was cheerful for the most part. His voice sounds deeper. He "told" me when he needed more medicine by saying his mouth hurt. It was more like every 4 hours instead of every 2.5-3 hours.

He ate peaches and pears, some ice cream, and asked for some fruit snack. Thirst and appetite are improving. Still emotional, clingy, moody and ready to be out of the house.

Day 7:
Another long night. Constant waking and crying means he slept in Mom and Dad's bed half the night. But went back and forth, so neither of us slept.

I haven't slept in months, but I especially haven't slept in 4 days. My body is starting to malfunction and I don't know what to do to stop his crying.

I am sick with a stomach virus. Shannon is coming home from work to help me. Adam is feeling better after Tylenol. Asked for mac and cheese for breakfast. Ate most.

Shannon came home. I slept. Adam went down for nap.

After nap Adam was inconsolable. Ran a warm bath for myself, had to share it to calm Adam down. He took some medicine, felt better. Ate a popsicle in bath. Believe the scab is coming off. We were warned that this day was the worst. Expected I would be well enough to handle it.

Ate Mac and Cheese again for dinner. Cried and said his mouth hurt. Moody. Exhausted. Throwing stuff.
Don't blame him.

Shannon slept next to him tonight. My heart broke again as he cried and quivered his chin in pain all day, but remembered that I got to cuddle with and talked Adam during his Popsicle bath, that I got to feed Claire oatmeal for the first time and she chatted and loved it, and Colin grinned at me for 10 minutes after everyone had gone to bed.

Status of family members, youngest to oldest:

Claire: recovering from cold
Colin: full blown cold, stomach virus.
Adam: recovering from cold, tonsillectomy & adenoidectomy.
Erin: stomach virus.
Shannon: healthy. Needs to get a bubble to stay that way.

Day 8:
Adam had another rough night but I got sleep due to Shannon being next to him. That is, I got sleep between the three times Claire woke up and the two times Colin did.  I did consider that "sleep."

Adam woke up in tons of pain. Refused to eat or drink until after a dose of Tylenol AND Advil. Called doctor about extreme pain, was told he'd have to tough it out but today was the worst. Asked if it got worse after today if I should call, and was told, "well, you can call if it makes you feel better." Nice.

Not sure why hospital discharge sheet says call if child will not eat or drink or if pain is not controlled. Basically when you do they humor you on the phone, do nothing, hang up and shake their head at "irrational mothers."

Three diaper blowouts before 12:30. Two vomiting messes (Colin) before 1:30. All while trying to work from home.

After generous doses of Tylenol to ease pain, Adam takes advantage and eats two soft waffles. Watches Curious George, plays on iPad, sleeps for 3 hours.

Best thing to happen to me all day? Colin pukes purple milk (from prune juice) all over our bed. Forced to wash sheets, finally. (That's it. That's the good news. Now our bed is clean.)

(Adam says "oh no," tries to clean up vomit with a baby wipe. I say thank you, try to stop him. Hope he doesn't get puking virus that Colin and I have.)

After nap Adam is in pain. Fights me when I give him medicine. Cuddle for 15 minutes. Feels better.

He disappears to garage when I'm not looking. Find him sitting in the van. Gives me puppy dog eyes and says sweetly, "my mouth hurts." Hmmmmmm. Fishy. I ask if because his mouth hurts he thinks that means I should let him play in the van. He asks when Daddy gets home from work.

I don't know kid. I hope it's soon.

Fun after Shannon got home. I left for errands. Colin and Adam play trucks. Claire talks to brothers, hangs with Dad. Hours of crying for Adam at bedtime, again. Suspicions that antibiotic is also causing delusions and paranoia. Would quit them, but fear he is teetering on infection as well. Shannon tries to explain to him that the yelling and screaming only makes his throat feel worse. He stops yelling. Unsure whether he understood or just gave up. Shannon decides to sleep in his room again to minimize my awake time.

If there was ever a time I felt defeated... Today is the day. Going to sleep with Colin and Claire next to me and a broken heart for Adam's pain.

Day 9:
Mostly quiet night. I am up at 4 am and marveling at how well he has slept so far...

Woke up at 7 am feeling terrible but after Tylenol and Advil, by noon had finished two and a half bowls of McAllister's Mac and cheese. Grumpy, growly. Refused to nap. Seems depressed. Was cheered up by wearing his motorcycle shirt. Begging for "white paci"... Still needs meds to function, but pain is more controlled. Attitude still needs help. Breath is starting to smell better.

2 more days of antibiotics. It can't come fast enough.

After 6 pm struggle to take Tylenol, which he begged for, and some water, Adam fell asleep in my lap for the first time since he was one and very sick. We rocked for 20 minutes, and then I put him to bed at 6:30pm.

Up at 8:30. Scared. Hurting. Screaming. Crying. Dad sleeps next to him again tonight. Babies are over their colds though, and Colin can keep down fluids as long as he doesn't cough too much. So that's 2 out of 3.

Adam cried for an hour and a half until I told him he could watch ONE Curious George in our bed. He calmed down and as we were walking to our room our cat Gus ran by. Adam said, "Gus! We're going to Mama's bed!!"

I ended up sleeping with Adam, and he fell asleep at midnight after moaning "medicine..." And getting some Advil (exactly three hours after his last dose of Tylenol).

Day 10:
Up at 7:30 after a mostly peaceful night. No complaints of pain, eagerly asks for breakfast. Requests doughnuts.

Eats and drinks after some Tylenol, complains that his mouth hurts when he drinks orange juice but does pretty good with the doughnuts... And then twenty minutes later steals one of Shannon's kolaches off the counter and inhales it. Looks like we finally turned a corner.

Ate an entire cheese quesadilla for lunch. Skips nap, but happy. Sweet. Fun. I didn't expect him to go from miserable one day to a million times better the next. Ate a corn dog for dinner as if he hadn't eaten in weeks.

We have our Adam back. Except this Adam knows how to manipulate to get what he wants and thinks that "mouth hurts" is the magic phrase when said sweetly and with a little head tilt.

We skipped the antibiotic tonight. I'm done with them. I hope that his first day back at daycare tomorrow is not terrible. Crossing my fingers and hoping that we're only getting better from here.

Adam went to sleep immediately last night, but threw up twice before 10 pm. Unsure if related to virus, recovery or something else he ingested. Slept well all night.

Day 11:
Woke up with a fever over 100. Complaining of mouth pain, but drinking fine. May be feeling sick to his stomach. At any rate, can't send to daycare with the fever, and is refusing to eat and wanting to lounge, which is also unlike him.Worried that an infection is setting in. Babies went to daycare. Miss them. Miss regular life... whatever "regular life" is lately.

Colin comes home from daycare sick. Claire acts like she doesn't feel good either. Another virus hits our house, luckily after Adam is mostly better. Onto our next recovery.

***************
Looking back I know that I voiced many complaints, but truthfully there were a few good moments mixed in there. It was better in the afternoons, and then horrible at night and at bedtime. I would definitely say that the worst days, in a sea of bad days, was Day 2 and Day 8. Towards the tend when I could see him acting depressed, like he'd never feel better again, really tore at me. But hopefully now we can look forward to less colds, less restless nights from snoring, and less infections.