Winston gets his tonsils removed

For years I have been monitoring the (enormous) size of Winston's tonsils.  His breathing at night has always been loud, and during allergy season, the poor boy can hardly breathe.  So after watching to see whether he would sort of grow into his tonsils, we decided that it was best for them to be removed.

  

{July 29, 2014}

Following our pediatrician's recommendation, as well as a the recommendation from a close friend, we met with Dr. Forsen, a pediatric ENT.  He asked me the typical questions and seemed unconvinced that Winston was a candidate for the tonsillectomy.  However, once Winston showed off tonsils, Dr. Forsen responded with, "Have you seen those things? They're huge!"  Yeah, I know.  We determined that it would be best to have the surgery done before school in order to allow for the suggested two weeks for recovery.  To make that happen, we returned home from Utah on a Sunday and Winston went in for the procedure on Tuesday.  

Dave gave W a blessing the night before.  It was really sweet, and it was obvious to see that Winston felt its effects.  He seemed unfazed, almost excited before the surgery.  He opted to bring his blanked and pet snake. It was no problem to go back to the surgery, get a gown on, and even be wheeled back to the OR.

The surgery lasted about 45 minutes.  Winston woke up shortly thereafter and was NOT happy.  He cried for a good 25 minutes or so.  It was hard to see him so upset.  But once he calmed down, he was able to drink an orange slushy.  And not much later we were able to go home.  From the moment we pulled into the driveway and he literally jumped out of the car, I knew his recovery would be more of trying to help him rest than anything else.  

Sure enough, the first four days or so were a breeze.  He ate everything.  He acted happy and carefree.  But on that fourth night, everything changed.  From there on out, he was in pretty intense pain every night; up every three hours or so, and very upset.  It was rough.  Thankfully, by day eight he seemed to be back to himself.