Jacob Goes Under the Knife

So, Jacob got ear tubes put in Thursday. This is a relatively simple procedure that takes about ten minutes, but that does require the patient going under general anesthesia. We showed up to the hospital at 12:00, like we were told to. Jacob had not eaten since 5:30 AM, when I had woken up to feed him (I determined that Stacey wakes up to feed Rebecca most of the time when she requires night feeding, so I would do the “night” feeding of Jacob, kind of like the Bishopric in Soda Springs always being in charge of snow removal in July). So, after waiting for about 2.5 hours, they called us back and started getting Jacob ready. He put on a little gown, and had to wait for longer. 

By that time he had not eaten for a long time, not drunk anything for a long time, and was about 1.5 hours overdue for a nap. I asked if I could come back during the surgery, and they said I could be back there up until he was out. I donned a little suit (yes, a little one, posing a problem for this large person), and went back there with him. Jacob was not very happy when they laid him down on the operating table. He was crying pretty bad, and was really sad. They kept on saying, “What’s wrong, Jacob?”, and I just wanted to shout “He is 19 months old, has not eaten in a long time, has been refused his nap, has been waiting for 2.5 hours in a strange place, is laying next to naked on a cold table surrounded by strangers dressed oddly. What do you think is wrong?”  The anesthesiologist resident said that generally they give children a little something to drink that makes them sleepy, and then knock them out completely with gas. But, since I was going to be there, he said he would not use the drink. When we were in there getting ready to use the gas and Jacob was upset, there was a tense exchange between one of the normal doctor people and the resident that basically suggested that Jacob should have gotten the liquid to sedate him. In any event, he was on the table, crying a lot, thrashing around as we held him down, as one of the doctors had a gas mask over his mouth until he slowly became drugged enough to lie still and be out.

Once he was still, they had me leave. It was a good thing that Stacey did not have to see all that. 

Then, we waited. The audiologist came down and talked to us, as did the ENT. The tubes went in well, and the hearing test Jacob had went well. The hearing test is an ABR test, which is the same little test they do on newborns where they electrically stimulate parts of the brain to see what happens. But, when you are 18 months, you move more, so being gassed helps. He is a bit deficient in the hearing area, but not bad enough to warrant hearing aids, so, of the three oldest in our family, Jacob hears best.

After a little bit longer, they led us up to the recovery room where Jacob was sound asleep. Since he had not had a nap, he was still out. I asked the nurse that was there how we know if he is just tired, and he said we don't. So, we woke Jacob up. It was so weird to see him in a little gown, with an IV, on a huge hospital bed. So sad, and so cute at the same time. 

He was a bit groggy. We sat there for a while, and then just went home.

Jacob recovered well. Here he is right after we got home, with his legs kicked up on the recliner, taking it easy with some saltines and water. He didn't really seem to have any problems, he ate fine that night, and seemed pretty normal.

So, that is that. Jacob was gassed, punctured and electrocuted all in the same day, and he lived to tell the tale.