I am NOT a Nurse

Posted March 5, 2014 by Prairie Wife - 4 comments

I have previously mentioned that I am not a good mom when my kids are sick. I usually have only about a day’s worth of nurturing and patience in me and then I start to slowly descend towards more of a Annie from Misery type caregiver rather than Florence Nightingale. Which really makes me feel bad for my Cowkids, because in total they have all had 7 surgeries and one three day hospitalization…and who knows what Cowboy C will bring to the table. My kids were cursed with bad ears, it comes from my side of the family. Ma’s maiden name is very German and literally translates to mean “evil ear” (thanks Grandma Bea). If that’s not a warning I don’t know what is!

By now having tube surgery is old news, the nurses at the surgical center know us so well that they recognize my family and I in public and come over to chat. After each kid has gone through their first surgery with no reactions to the anesthesia I breathe a little easier the other times. I’ve even done the last three surgeries on my own (once with a Cowboy C only a few months old and nursing in the recovery room) because of The Cowboy’s work schedule or needing him to stay with big kids. It still makes my stomach drop when I sign the waver that says I understand that my kid may die on the operating table, and I won’t get too upset. And my time in the waiting room is spent pretending to read my Kindle while I secretly shove down all my worried thoughts, and pray fervently that all goes well.

This is fresh on my mind because Cowboy W just had his third surgery last week. Tubes in for a third time and adenoids out. I was dreading this one because of past experiences. Just getting in tubes is no big deal, the hardest part is keeping the kid “still” for the first 24 hours after the surgery! But, Cowgirl G had tonsils and adenoids out and tubes in and it was one of the top 10 worst experiences in my parenting life so far. She was absolutely screaming mad when she woke up in recovery and it went downhill from there. I figured a diet of soda, Popsicles and ice cream would be the stuff of dreams for a 2 ½ year old girl…not so.

The nurses and staff pounded into me the importance of keeping her hydrated and the dangers if she wasn’t drinking enough (fever, hospitalization, IV fluids, death) so I hovered over her trying to get her to eat and drink. She wanted nothing to do with it and screamed kicked and pushed us away. I’m sure you already know you can’t physically force them to drink or eat. So, there I was, 24 hours later, crying and screaming at my sweet little girl to just “Eat some %&^$* ice cream!” Not a shining moment for me…it all worked out fine and two days later she was better than ever, and speaking so much clearer.

So, I mentally prepared myself for Cowboy W’s surgery. The doctor told me that just doing adenoids wasn’t going to be nearly as rough as tonsils and adenoids but, I wasn’t buying it. I began to have flashbacks in the recovery room when Cowboy W reenacted a scene from The Hulk. He was angrily arching his back while kicking and screaming and trying to pull his IV out. After three days spent in Denver Children’s Hospital (while he enjoyed the helicopter ride, overall it wasn’t very fun) with IV’s in both arms and tons of tests, he isn’t a big fan of needles. I finally got him calmed down and he fell back asleep while the rest of the anesthesia wore off.

He woke up much more like himself and I drove home slowly in 6 inches of snow, crossing my fingers that he wouldn’t barf in the car. I got him home and he devoured 3 Popsicles in 10 minutes. I began to feel the stirrings of hope in my heart, perhaps they weren’t lying to me. I can now confidently say that the hardest part of the surgery is post op day two, trying to keep a three year old boy still is no easy trick!

I am thankful for my Otolaryngologist (say it three times fast) and his ability to help my children to heal, though The Cowboy thinks he should give us a punch card. Every time I go through this I am thankful for the health of my kids, I know that this is just a short term thing, and there are so many parents that don’t have that luxury. I am also thankful for all the nurses (shout out to all three of my sister-in-laws) and doctors that are so wonderful and compassionate. I am good at many things but I am not a nurse!

Are you good with your sick kids?

Categories: Life As It Happens, Parenting

Tags: , parenting, sick kids, surgery, thankful