Janissa's Surgery

On Friday, February 24, Janissa underwent surgery to fix her ears.  Her hearing had become increasingly worse.  I was having to repeat myself constantly and she was always asking, "What did you say, Mommy?"  After three rounds of antibiotics and an ear infection that would not go away, her doctor finally referred us to an ENT specialist.  Two minutes into the appointment he said, "I hate to say this so soon, but she needs to have surgery."  So it was scheduled for the 24th of February.

My little girl was so good!  She did everything the nurses asked of her and she was so brave.  Here are a few photo's in pre-op.

 

There were four little gowns on the bed and she got to pick which one she wanted. 
She picked the soft blue one.  She wasn't quite sure of what was going on.  I think she thought we were just going to the doctor's office for a regular visit.

 She liked the booties and the bracelet with her name on it.

 

 Thank God for portable DVD players.  All the nurses stopped by to see what she was watching.  That's a thermometer on her forehead.

They gave her some medicine to make her groggy, so she really wasn't aware that they had wheeled her away with out me.  My parents were in the waiting room when I went out.  It was a welcome distraction for me.  It seemed like only a few minutes had passed when the doctor came out to tell me it went well.  He said her tonsils and adenoids were huge and the ears were really bad.  He said I would notice an immediate improvement.  Shortly after that the nurse came to get me.  She said Janissa had come to and was crying for me.  When I went into the recovery room a nurse was hugging her.  They had me sit in a rocking chair and they handed her to me.  It was so strange, I was holding her and telling her I was there but she didn't recognize me.  She was pushing me away and trying to get out of my lap while she was crying and and saying "I want my mama."  I was told this is normal for children coming out of anesthesia.  They don't know where they are, what has happened, and their vision is blurry and they can't see well.  I held her tight for 10 or 15 minutes while she cried and kicked.  She calmed down a bit and we put her back in the bed.  She slept for half an hour or so and then woke up.  When she saw her Nana she got a little smile on her face.  They made us wait an hour before we could take her home.

Coming out of the anesthesia in recovery

That afternoon and into the next morning were rough because she was in so much pain.  She just wanted me to hold her or sit next to her on the sofa while she watched her favorite movies.  Her Auntie Mimi and cousin Lisa came to visit and she perked up a little.  She cried in her sleep every time she swallowed and woke up in terrible pain.  It was so hard to get her drink anything.  She finally had some vanilla pudding.  Our friend Dana came on Saturday and was a godsend.  She not only got her to drink her juice, but got her to eat some more and take her pain medication.  Almost immediately she was her old self again.  Dana even stayed and gave her a bath while I rested for awhile.  Thank God for great friends!

This morning she woke up in great spirits.  She's eating her pudding, drinking apple juice and watching movies.  My parents will be here soon to stay with her while I go to church.  I will be working from home tomorrow so I can stay with her another day.  I have my Mom and two friends lined up to come during the rest of the week so I can go to work.

True to the doctors words, her hearing has drastically improved.  Not once have I had to repeat myself.  I can talk while the movies are on and she doesn't get mad because she can't hear (and the volume isn't nearly as loud!).  She had a great disposition before, but I think this will improve it even more.  She has lived with these problems since birth and has been sick more often then she has been well.  Life is going to be good for my sweet Janissa!