April seemed to completely fly by. I honestly feel like I blinked and it was May. Nathan had his tonsillotomy on April 20th. A tonsillotomy is where the tonsils are only partially removed and the last layer of tissue is left in the throat. Nathan needed his tonsils out (his adenoids have been removed twice already) due to obstructive sleep apnea. This was the best hospital experience for him thus far. He was calm and ready for the procedure. It sounds funny to say that since he's only 5, but I estimate that he's been under anesthesia about 15 times. If you've been following his journey, doctors haven't been his favorite people so to have an experience like the one we did, it's a step in the right direction since he'll never be fully removed from having to go. I can't ever say enough about Boston Children's Hospital and their staff. From the moment you check in until the time you wheel out, everyone is there to make the time you have to spend there as comfortable as it can be. It's priceless.
 |
| winning at Wheel of Fortune in pre-op |
 |
| loving the clowns singing a "Nate the Great" song |
 |
| in recovery, post-surgery |
 |
| just needs Mama's hair |
 |
| all done & ready to go home (he needed the ice pack for a split lip) |
 |
| in the car, on the way home...thumbs up! |
 |
| sleeping soundly the night of surgery |
His recovery was somewhat seamless. He ate dinner the night of surgery. He had 4 "white eggs" (hard-boiled eggs), a bowl of chocolate ice cream, and a Popsicle. Not too bad for a kid who surgery in the morning! Friday and Saturday were also good days for him...he was able to play, eat soft foods, and be seemingly pain-free. On Sunday morning, he woke up and immediately threw up. As his mom, I don't think I'll ever get used to him throwing up. My thoughts usually go for "what's wrong with his head?" but I just attributed it to the trauma his throat had been through and the crap he was probably swallowing as his throat healed. He chose to spend the morning/afternoon on the couch (which is unlike him!) so I knew he wasn't feeling well. He perked up as the day went on and started feeling better by the time he went to bed.
 |
| taking a snooze on the couch |
 |
| wanted to get some sun...lol |
|
|
|
He took two days off of school and went back on Wednesday, April 26...clearly not too difficult of a recovery! :) The kid is amazing!
Today, he had his pre-op appointment for the dental surgery that's coming in 2 weeks. It went as well as it could; of course he has fluid in his left ear. I'm hoping it doesn't turn into anything further, but if it does, it does. Can't really do anything to stop it, right? I can't wait until this part is over. I just want him to be able to chew and swallow like a normal kid. Maybe then, he can start to try more foods AND more importantly, sleep. Yes, sleep!!! Speaking of that...April was rough! He slept "through" the night 5 times. And that means until 5:00. I don't know how he makes it through the day like he does. He's 0/3 in May too. Ughhhhhh! I'll sleep when he's a teenager, I guess.
I am also on a fundraising/awareness push for the month of May, which is Brain Tumor Awareness month. I am hoping to be able to get to at least $60,000 by the end of the month. I've had 3 people donate so far and am so very appreciative!! If you'd like to donate or share his fundraising page, please go to
Team Nate the Great.
If you'd like a Team Nate the Great bracelet to be able to spread awareness, please send me a message and I'll mail one out!
A friend left this quote on Nate's fundraising page and I wanted to share it here.
"Whenever you find yourself doubting how far you can go, just remember how far you have come. Remember everything you have faced, all the battles you have won, and all the fears you have overcome."
No comments:
Post a Comment