On Monday our sweet Maddie Beth went to the children's hospital at Stanford for surgery. Madeline, as you may or may not know, has never been our best sleeper. It has not been uncommon for her to wake at night and need consoling to go back to sleep. She also snores, poor thing. We'd become concerned that her snoring might actually be interfering with her ability to breathe (and to sleep), and so we'd taken her for a consult with an ear-nose-throat specialist. He informed us that, though Madeline's tonsils were quite small, her adenoids were rather large, and that they could, in fact, be making it difficult for her to breathe at night. Additionally, the size of her adenoids made it hard for her ears to drain properly. The two times we saw the surgeon before the surgery, Madeline's ears were full of fluid. Though she's never had many ear infections, we have at times been concerned about Madeline's hearing and -- more recently -- her speech. (She's got ridiculous language skills, but her enunciation is really unclear.) Once I got over my decidedly anti-surgery stance, we agreed that it would be in Madeline's best interest to remove her adenoids. While the doctor was removing her adenoids, he'd evaluate the fluid in her ears and possibly insert tubes, to help with the drainage.
We'd read a number of books about hospitals and doctors to prepare for the big event, and we talked it up to Maddie as her "special day" at the hospital. (I'm sure that at some point, we'll have to have a talk about truth in advertising, but when dealing with a dramatic two year old, you've got to sort of gloss over the "it could hurt" part. At least, we've had to.) She was quite excited, mostly about the treats (ice cream and popsicles) and surprises (new coloring books, a copy of Disney's Robin Hood) we'd lined up to make the day go more smoothly. Nan and Grandpa, who'd come in the night before to stay with Madeline and John David, were the icing on the cake. They presented Madeline with two new sets of pajamas when they arrived -- one for her, and one for her dolly. They also promised yet another present when Madeline returned, a promise Madeline did not forget!
We had to be at the hospital at seven that morning, and we waited with all the other families in the surgical waiting room. While we were there, we spoke with a woman who had come from Georgia and was staying at the Ronald McDonald House so that her little girl (who looked about John David's age) could have surgery. We were reminded how lucky we are that our little girl is well and having such minor surgery, and how lucky we are that she can be treated at a renowned hospital, one that's a short drive from our home. Focusing on being grateful helped me from panicking about the fact that my baby would shortly be under general anesthesia.
After a short wait, we were escorted to an exam room, where a kind nurse took Madeline's vitals and reviewed her history (and double checked that she hadn't eaten since midnight) and outfitted her with hospital bracelets. She left us a set of hospital pajamas for Madeline to put on. Madeline balked at first, telling us she wanted to wear her own clothes. But we reminded her that her baby doll was wearing new pajamas and that everyone in her books had worn special hospital pajamas. She was persuaded.
We moved from the exam room to a curtained off area where we met Madeline's anesthesiologists, who were very kind. We also spoke with Madeline's surgeon and the resident who works with him, reviewing the details of the short (30 minute) procedure. A kind gentleman brought Madeline a warm blanket and showed us the television that was directly above her bed. He turned it to PBS for us, just as Curious George began. Madeline was transfixed.
The anesthesiologists gave her a sedative to drink to help keep her calm later, when they'd move her to the surgical floor, but Madeline really couldn't care about anything other than Curious George.
My very brave little girl, who just wants to be left alone to watch her friend George.
We stayed with Madeline as the anesthesiologists moved her to the unit where the surgery would take place. She loved being wheeled through the hallways in her bed. The doctors tried to talk to her, but Madeline was both shy and sedated. When asked if she had a sister, and what her sister's name is, Madeline managed to stage whisper, "Sissy." It was the only question she managed to answer, though she giggled when they rolled her bed into the elevator.
We were able to stay with Madeline until she was completely unconscious. At that point her surgeon pointed us to toward the cafeteria, and instructed us to come back after we'd eaten some breakfast. Noting my teary eyes, he reassured me that the mothers always cry, but that he and his staff would take good care of my baby.
They did.
As it turned out, Madeline's ears were completely clear, so they didn't insert any tubes. They did take out her adenoids. We returned from breakfast with plenty of time to wait around, and then to watch as Madeline began to awaken. Once she stirred, I was able to hold her until she woke more completely.
Almost as soon as her eyes were open, the nurse offered her a popsicle, which Madeline gladly accepted. As it turned out, though, she wanted the popsicle more than she wanted to stay awake. She managed a bite and then was falling asleep before she could get it back to her mouth again.
Once Madeline finished her popsicle and it was clear that she wasn't going to be sick, the nurses removed her iv and told us we could take her home. As we carried our still drowsy girl through the hospital, she picked up her head and mumbled, "I go home. Nan has 'nother surprise for me." And then she promptly fell back asleep.
When we got home, Madeline got her " 'nother surprise," along with more popsicles and ice cream and juice. She's watched a lot of movies and read a lot of books, recovering this week. Soon, though, she'll be completely healed.
We're so proud of you, Madeline! You were such a good, brave girl during your special day at the hospital.
