Recovery.

I expected the day of surgery to be a rest day, and was fearing an afternoon of nausea and throwing up from the anesthesia based on Fawn's sensitive tummy and his motion sickness.  Not so!  Once he woke up from surgery he was wired and was able to eat pretty well!  No nap, late bedtime.

We frequented Doodles in Cahaba Heights during Fawn's recovery for Italian ice.  While our doctor did not tell us to avoid dairy, other resources I read said that dairy can make the mucus worse.  We didn't avoid it but tried not to over do it.  Doodles was a great alternative to ice cream and yogurt -- not to mention delicious.

The first few days of recovery were much better than days five through ten.  Following doctor's orders, we very much limited Fawn's activity but made an exception for some play time with the dogs.  Those first few days, Fawn was hard to keep down.  I was talking to a friend at Doodles and turned around to see him climbing a tree.  I am sure that was on the "not allowed" list!

As boredom set in, Fawn started to feel worse and worse.  It wasn't a great combination.  Plus, I made the strategic error of lining up help the first couple of days after surgery.  Big mistake.  I was appreciative of the help when I got it -- it made it easier to focus on Fawn and to stay on top of household duties.  But, I really needed and could have used help days five through ten.  I was completely solo during the day -- and Buck was traveling for work.  So I went four days without even seeing another adult.  It was tough!

Belle's Tonsillectomy Recovery Tips (none are original, just continuing to pass on great tips we received):

1.  Stay on top of pain medication.  Do not be afraid to use as directed and set an alarm to administer medicine in the middle of the night.  While not fun and totally exhausting, it was a necessity.  The mornings were by far the worst time of the day even with the nighttime medication regime.  I cannot imagine what they would have been like if Fawn didn't get pain medicine in the middle of the night to take the edge off.

2.  Sleep in the same room with your child.  First, it makes #1 much easier.  Second, you will be worried about your child and it will be easier to get some rest if you can keep an eye on them.  Be prepared for some loud snoring though.  Like 60-year old man snoring (I'm talking to you Pops).  You will be so tired from #1 that you will be able to sleep through it.

3.  Keep a list of intake -- medicine and food -- and output.  You may get confused as to which pain medicine you gave at which time.  Just a good way to check yourself.  As for food, when things get rough and your child has a hard time eating you may start to worry.  It's nice to have a list so you know exactly what's been consumed.  Our list also included all the times Fawn used the restroom.  Days eight and nine we didn't get much liquid in him at all.  It was definitely rock bottom.  We were told to look for one urine every six hours, so we needed to keep up with that.  (In this sense, it felt a whole lot like having a newborn.)

4.  Plain old water.  So much for Gatorade and juices.  Plain water was about the only thing Fawn wanted to drink that didn't burn his throat.  The first few days we were also able to get some Vitamin Water in him.

5.  Fawn's favorite recovery foods: donut holes.  One morning he ate 18 and one morning he ate 20.  I know, disgusting.  Ice pops.  Doodles.  Popsicles.  Jello.  Cheese toast.  Turkey slices.

6.  Numbing lollipops.  Our ENT gave us a prescription for numbing lollipops that we got filled at a compounding pharmacy.  They were a lifesaver during the worst bits -- Fawn couldn't swallow his medicine without using his lollipops first.  

7.  Ice packs on the outside of Fawn's throat were key to getting through the morning.  We didn't keep them on long, just long enough to take the edge off the morning discomfort.

Reading this back, I've made the experience seem horrible.  It was bad, but not horrible.  And, you quickly forget the worst (I already have!).  That said, I can already tell that it was worth it.  Fawn's appetite is back -- after having virtually no appetite since late March.  He'd even been calling himself "skin and bones" -- totally true!  I haven't weighed him since surgery but he already looks like he's gained some weight.  This is a huge praise!  He's also sleeping much better -- not longer (in fact, he's total sleep duration is less than before surgery).  But, I'm confident that he is getting good, solid, restful sleep for the first time in a couple months.  We passed our post-op appointment with flying colors, so I can now say I'm glad we did it and I'm glad the experience is behind us!