Surgery, Erin Update…

 

We had the surgery for Erin’s ears on Thursday.  Everything went well. 

Texas Children’s really is the bomb.  There are toys everywhere for the kids to play with to occupy their time.  Erin was so busy playing that she didn’t realize we got there at 8:00 and had to wait for her turn until 10:00.  There are bright colors everywhere and you actually forget you’re in a hospital.

When it was time to take her back, Tommy and I went with her.  She put on the hospital pjs and we waited some more.  The Anethesiologist came and talked to us and Erin was very timid with him.  He asked how she was going to do when we separated and I told him she was nervous and would not do well.  So, they brought me a suit and I suited up and went into the OR with them. 

They put her on the table and put the mask on her and I sat beside her talking to her the whole time.  The gas smelled like strawberry and she was fine.  The doctor warned me about what would happen and he talked me thru it as she reacted to the gas.  Kids apparently thrash around and look like they’re having a seizure when the gas starts working.  I knew what was coming but it was scary anyway.  I kept my cool until she was out then my eyes watered up.  The doctor told me I did great so I sucked it up and put on my brave face again.

Tommy was waiting for me in surgery holding and Gram and Pawpaw were in the waiting room.  We went back out to the waiting room and about 20 minutes later they were calling us to the Recovery room to be with her.  She was still crashed out but she came to and sat straight up.  It was the weirdest thing.  She then layed back down and was out off and on.  They gave her a popsicle and try to get her to sit up in the bed but she only wanted to lay down.  I had to feed her the popsicle thru the bed rail!!

We were in Recovery for about 45 minutes and then they let us go.  Her surgery started at about 10:15 and we were on the road by 11:45.  Truly remarkable.  I have all the faith in the world for Texas Children’s.

Dr. Giannoni was fabulous.  She was more personable then the first time we met with her and she put all our fears to rest.  After the surgery she told us that Erin had a lot of fluid behind her ears and that they got most of it, but her right ear was worse and it may continue to drain because it was so far backed up into her ear.  Both tubes were put in and she said Erin would have instant relief.

She was right.  When Erin woke up I asked her if she could hear better and she said yes.  But, she still didn’t hear as well out of her right ear.  The next day she was fine.

Thursday night she started running a fever and I was worried.  I called the TCH hotline and they said it was too soon to be surgery related and that it was probably a virus or sinus infection.  She’s been fighting that without a fever for about 2 weeks.  So, they recommended we take her to our pediatrician the next day.  I made the appointment with our doctor and we went.

She wasn’t running fever Friday and Dr. Leonard said it was probably just her body’s reaction to the drugs and surgery along with the sinus infection.  It’s all connected so they think that’s all it was.  No fever on Friday and you would never know anything was wrong with Erin.  I took her on to school when the appt was over.

Tommy and I have both noticed that she doesn’t need the TV and her Ipad as loud as she used to.  Poor baby just couldn’t hear.

I’m glad it’s all over with and in hindsight I’m glad the whole thing moved so quickly.  It’s better for Erin and it was nice to go to the doctor and have the surgery the next week.  No having it hang over us !

Dr. G and the staff at TCH are great.  Glad we switched to Dr. G as our ENT.

Hurricane Rita…

 

Nine years ago this week Hurricane Rita hit.  It was right after Katrina and was sort of the “forgotten” hurricane.  It struck Southeast Texas and was very scary for a lot of folks.

My parents packed up Max and came to ride out the storm at my old house in Spring.  It was an anxiety filled couple of days.  When it was over, Daddy and I made the trip back to Vidor to look at the damage.  It was horrific.  It literally looked like a giant had stepped on trees and houses.  It spared some houses and demolished others.  There were area where trees were destroyed but the next tree over was spared. My parent’s house was not spared. There were broken windows and tree limbs everywhere.  It had been flooded and they lost almost everything.

Over the next few months my parents waited for the insurance and Federal Government to move at their slow pace.  When it was all said and done, the house was condemned and they were forced to move out.  FEMA bought several houses in Vidor and my parent’s house was one of them.

My mom especially took it very hard.  In hindsight this was the end of an era.  The Vidorian Hillbilly Wistners moved west.  More anxiety followed with where to live and getting the VA loan in order and so forth.  As luck would have it, my brother and sister-in-law were selling their house in The Woodlands.  (About 20 minutes from me and about 45 from Amy).  The deal was made and the Vidorians moved to the true suburbs.

I know there are not as many memories in this house, but I don’t have to worry about my mom fretting when it rains.  Their new house is high and dry and weathers the storms nicely.  They were so confident in it that they didn’t evacuate for Hurricane Ike.  It’s far enough inland that it didn’t get anything but rain and strong winds. 

The new house is where William and Erin know my parents.  They are safe and comfortable there and will never know any differently.  I’m so glad that my parents moved over here.  They help us both out when the kids are sick or when something breaks, but the best part of the move has been the time they get to spend with their grandkids now.  They’re not 2 hours away!

Mom lost a lot of “stuff” when the house was condemned, but ultimately she gained.  I think if you asked my parents today they would tell you the forgotten hurricane was the best thing that happened to them!

Toobin’…

 

Erin’s appointment with Texas Children’s was yesterday.  She failed the hearing test again so they have recommended another set of tubes.

Of course, as always, they run like clockwork at TCH.  Our appointments were at 8:00 and 9:10 and we were home by 10:15 and that was after dropping Erin off at school. It’s crazy how they can get you in, take time with you so you don’t feel rushed and still get you out quickly.  One of the downsides to another surgery is that it has to be done downtown at the TCH hospital, but if they run the surgeries like they do the appointments, we’ll be in and out of there no problem.

Dr. G told us that 1/3 of the people with tubes have to get another set.  She said Erin’s ears just haven’t grown enough for them to drain correctly.  She said the Eustachian tubes are still not angled enough for the fluid to drain.  The first tubes had grown out and were not doing anything for over a year, so we need another set to be put in and grow with her again.  Dr. G said she has put as many as 7 sets in some kids.  She said those were extreme cases, but that it’s not unusual to have more than one set.

Erin has trouble hearing low pitches.  That’s why she can’t hear the TV sometimes.  I think that could be part of the reason she’s sort of loud.  Part of it is that she’s a four year old little girl, but the doctor said she’s hearing things muffled and that can add to it.  Dr. G equated this to being on an airplane and needing to pop your ears.  There is pressure there and you feel it, and you can still hear, but things are muffled.

They’ve already called us to schedule the surgery.  We go next Thursday, October 2nd.  The scheduler said they’ll call back on Wednesday to give us the time, but that they take the cases in age order.  She said that the 4 to 5 year olds are usually mid-morning to lunch.  The hardest part of that will be explaining to Erin why she can’t have anything to eat or drink. 

The doctor was very confident that this would solve the problem. 

In Training…

 

I started my new job today.  I’m set up at the house at the dining room table.  I’m sitting here in yoga pants, a crappy shirt, no make-up, hair in a ponytail and a Cowboys hat on.  I. Love. It!!

I’m doing virtual training until the middle of November.  So, until then I don’t have to get up and get ready for anything work related. 

I have to log on to the computer system and they can see who is in the virtual classroom but so far the participation is sort of voluntary.  If it stays like this, I’m really NEVER going to question why I made the move to Fire Company!!! 

Escape from Alcatraz…

 

My faith in humanity has been restored.  Last night when I was giving Erin a bath I heard the phone ring.  I didn’t think much of it because the only people who call our home number during bath/dinner are my Momma and telemarketers!

We got out of the bathtub and came back downstairs.  Tommy was no where to be seen.  I figured he was out in the garage or doing something else in another room and I just didn’t see him. 

Erin wanted to watch a little Disney Junior before we went to bed.  I got her settled in and picked up my cell phone.  There was a message from a woman in our neighborhood who said she had Mae and that Scooby had gotten away.  I immediately jumped up and ran to the door.  Both dogs were in the backyard but still no Tommy!

I let the dogs in and searched for him all over.  I stuck my head out into the garage and he wasn’t there.  He wasn’t in the backyard or out the front door.  I finally ended up texting him.  The response I got was DOGS GOT OUT.  FIXING FENCE.  He was on the side of the house at the gate and I just didn’t see him.

So, apparently the nice lady saw both numbers on Mae’s tag and called Tommy too.  Somehow, he got the dogs back and discovered they had broken the latch on the gate.  All of this went down while we were upstairs with Erin’s bath so I don’t know all of the particulars.  When Tommy came back inside from fixing the fence he wasn’t exactly in a chatty mood. 

Tommy had just that morning reminded me how much he hated my dogs.  This did not help win him over.  He was hot and totally ticked off.

So, I was happy that the lady called and very thankful they had their ID tags on.  There are nice people in the world.