One Brave Gal

Yesterday was quite the day. Sadie went in to have her tear duct cleared at Primary Children's Medical Center.


We farmed all the other children out to family and neighbors (thanks again, you guys!) and managed to help Sadie feel better about not getting anything but jello for breakfast (I was scared about that but she handled the situation better than I expected). We checked into the hospital at 11:15 AM. We got a sweet beeper upon arrival that let us know when it was our turn to sign papers and when to see the nurse to get weighed and measured. Then they took us back to a room to get her changed and check her temperature, blood pressure, pulse, and oxygen level (she hated that part so they gave her a bunch of Winnie the Pooh stickers that she stuck all over herself). We were then escorted to another waiting room. Carter entertained us by drawing on the MagnaDoodle we found (Sadie drew a few "scary aliens" as well). I had no idea Carter could draw Piglet so well. Sadie's operating room nurse, her surgeon, a resident, and her anesthesiologist were meeting with us before too long. Then it was time to walk her to the operating room. Sadie didn't bat an eye when we handed her off to the anesthesiologist. Such a brave girl!


Carter and I then went to the most unpleasant waiting room I have ever been in (crying parents getting news about their children from surgeons is very disturbing to me). The procedure was only supposed to be 20 minutes and I got a little worried after 30 had passed. Soon the desk nurse was summoning me up to take a call from the surgeon. He informed me that Sadie's obstruction was a lot worse than what he had anticipated and that he would need to insert some silicon tubing to keep the duct open. I gave him my consent and went back to my seat to fill Carter in on what was going on. The surgery itself ended up taking three times as long as expected. We took turns stepping out to call our babysitters and get drinks. The surgeon came and pulled us into a consult room after that. He explained that normally a clogged tear duct is the result of a tiny membrane blocking the way. Normally they just break that and irrigate the duct. Sadie's blockage was more complex. A normal tear duct passes through a canal in the bone. In Sadie, that canal never formed and her tear duct just ended at the bone. So the surgeon had to break through the bone and insert the tubing. In the next 2-3 months the hope is that membranes will form around it and that scar tissue grows in a way to complete the tube that hooks up with the nose. The success rate has dropped lately, but there is a 70-75 percent chance that this will work. He runs into this problem once or twice a year in his practice, he said. If this surgery doesn't work, then we'll be referred to a special plastic surgeon that deals with issues of the eye. But fingers crossed we won't have to! Soon after that meeting, they told me that I could go back and see Sadie in recovery.

I found her fighting the nurse and crying. Sadie was trying to pull out the IV in her foot and coughing like a maniac (the breathing tube really scratched up her throat). When she saw me, she collapsed in my arms and calmed down. After a few minutes, they moved us to another recovery area and Carter was able to join us. We got her some pain medication and a popsicle. Then she fell asleep. After about 30 minutes, they took out her IV and we were allowed to get her dressed and go. One quick stop by the pharmacy for antibiotic eye drops and we were headed to collect the starving Tessa (she doesn't take kindly to bottles and after a five hour separation--nearly twice as long as what I had planned!--she was ready for a meal. I sure could have used a clone of myself yesterday!)


Sadie kept her eyes closed the entire car ride. I kept thinking she was asleep, but then she would take a bite of the rootbeer slushie the nurse gave her for the road. She loved it! She would say, "It tastes like candy, Mommy!" She didn't cry or complain one bit. She had a really bad bloody nose just as we arrived back at home, but she was very calm as I cleaned her up. I definitely freaked out more than she did! She was glad to be able to have real food again and ate really well at dinner. She was pretty tired the rest of the evening. She slept well last night. Here's how she looked this morning:


Kind of like she lost a fight. But she's in good spirits and running around as usual. I'm so proud of my brave girl!