It's been almost 4 weeks since Ryan had his first surgery, so I guess now would be a good time to write about it. After almost a year of debating and putting this surgery off, we finally took that leap on Friday, May 24th. We scheduled it after baseball season ended to make sure he could make it to his last game so he could celebrate with his team, and get his first trophy!
We were originally scheduled to do his surgery last October when Dr. Moe (the best Pediatric ENT in the city) made the recommendation. He said that his tonsils are so big that it's restricting his breathing, especially at night when the throat relaxes. He snores, pauses in breathing, and never really can get a restful night's sleep. Without restful sleep, it can cause fatigue, lack of focus, and eventually it can be hard on the heart. But Bud and I kinda chickened out. We had a 2nd opinion and that doctor said "nah, he doesn't really need it yet. His tonsils are big but as long as you do it before he's 11, it's fine." He told us what we wanted to hear, so we canceled the surgery. After listening to his terrible snoring again, hearing him pause in his breathing during sleep, we finally decided to just do it. In the long run, it's best for Ryan. So we went back to Dr. Moe and scheduled the appointment for May 24th.
We had to do the blood work the week before his surgery. That was a bit traumatic for Ryan. I hadn't really told Ryan where we were going or why so he was fine at first. . . until we got into the lab and he saw "the chair." I still didn't tell him but he knew something was going to happen. We sat down, him on my lap, the lab tech took his arm and said "Ok, we're just gonna stick a little needle in your arm. . . " and that's all he needed to know. He started freaking out. They had to bring in another tech to help hold him down. Once they started, it didn't take long and he was fine afterwards. As a reward, we headed to Shipley's Donuts to have a little treat, which he thoroughly enjoyed.
The following Monday, I got a call from Dr. Moe's office telling me that Ryan's blood work came back abnormal and I needed to go do the blood work again. So I picked up Ryan and headed back to the lab. He recognized the place when we got there and I told him we needed to do another test. He looked at me and said "I'm gonna be tough this time." And he totally was. Not a tear. Not even a flinch. He did so great. And we headed to Dunkin Donuts for a snack.
The results came in later that afternoon, and they were again, abnormal. So we made an appointment with a hematologist to have his blood looked at more closely. Needless to say, I was a complete nervous wreck. I had no idea what to expect, but of course, I was planning for the worst and hoping for the best. I was asking everyone I knew to pray for him.
The hematologist appointment went great. They drew blood again but this time, they put "magic cream" on first to numb it, so he didn't feel the needle at all. And once again, he handled it like a pro! The doctor said he wasn't too worried about the test results (by the way, the only result that was "abnormal" had to do with the way his blood clots), he was more interested in his medical history and our family history. So he asked a ton of questions about bleeding, heart problems, bruising, nose bleeds, etc. We really don't have any family history no either side, so when I left there, I felt like it was gonna be ok. And it was! Our prayers were answered by the next morning when the doctor said his results were fine and cleared him for surgery the next day.
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