Kendall Update

Thank you all for your prayers and concern for Kendall this weekend as he had minor surgery on Friday.  He has been so sick lately and our doctor as well as ENT (Ear, Nose, and Throat) doctor determined that it was best to have his adenoids removed and have tubes put in his ears.  Several years ago Carson had to have tubes put in and we were not unfamiliar with the process.  My parents came up to stay with the older boys and I spent most of Thursday preparing for the next day- I even made breakfast and lunch ahead as well as planning lessons for the boys to do while we were at the surgery clinic.  They were SO happy that I went to that extra effort to make sure school stayed on track-- NOT!

Anyway, Friday morning broke early for us as we did final breathing treatments and prepared to go.  We arrived at the clinic for surgery and completed another 10 pages of paperwork even though I had answered a ton of questions on the phone earlier in the week.  Meanwhile Kendall, who had been relatively calm, began to panic.  Thankfully, the receptionist switched the television to "Mickey Mouse Clubhouse" and immediately he went and sat to watch it.  He was on a second episode when the nurse came to take us back to prepare for the surgery, and when I said, "Come on Kendall.  They are ready for us."  He just looked at us and said, "One minute Mommy."  Sorry, buddy, but that won't work this morning!

As we walked back in the surgical prep rooms, I felt his grip get tighter on me.  Then, as we began to change him into a cute tiger decorated hospital gown, he went into full panic.  The nurse kept talking with him as she gave him an oral dose of medication to help him relax and calm down.  We just held him and calmed him until the medicine started to work.  Then, he looked directly at me and said, "What your name?"  I laughed as I stated, "My name is Mommy."  He then started asking where Daddy was- over and over and looking at his hand floating up in the air.  We couldn't help but chuckle at how relaxed he had become.  I almost wished that they had some of that magic medicine for me!

Then, they rolled him back and we went to wait for all to be done.  About 30 minutes later we heard that the surgery had gone well and once he was awake they would come get us.  We waited another 30 minutes and then went back to see him struggling to open his eyes as he began to cry and moan.  The nurse had me cuddle with him in the bed as he woke up.  Preparations began for us take him home when she realized that one eye was dilated while the other was not dilated.  So, we ended up having to stay a little longer for him to rest and make sure he was okay.  He enjoyed a Popsicle and an entire sippy cup of juice.  As we left, he even got a Popsicle for the road. 

We arrived home and had quite a time keeping him still and quiet- which were our instructions.  He was to keep his heart rate down stay quiet for 3 days and no heavy active play for 7.  I thought that would be pretty easy for the first day-- just a lot of movies, games, Lego's, and such.  Well, I was wrong!  The pain medicine he was given as well as what I gave him a dose of sometime after we arrived home sent him into a hyper storm!  He was running everywhere and diving off couches.  I did all I could do to keep him still, but felt like I failed miserably-- to make matters worse, my parents and Reagan had both left when it hit with full force.  Thankfully, the effects of the medicine wore off within a short time and we determined (after talking to the doctor) that he did NOT need that medicine again.

The next two days went relatively well- until late Sunday night when his fever went up to 101*F.  We had been told that if it went to 102* to call the doctor.  Such a fever, after surgery, could be bad.  We kept him on Tylenol and watched him closely overnight.  On Monday, I called the doctor and waited to hear back when his fever went high again and his breathing started to change- it was becoming real raspy.  For a child with asthma, this is not good and I began breathing treatments and switched to Motrin for the fever.  Thankfully, our doctor's nurse was so helpful and kept touching base with us.  By last night, he was much better- as the fever had gone down and breathing was much better.  Plus, we kept on top of his fluid intake as we fear that he started to get dehydrated which caused the fever to spike.  A sweet, dear friend texted me and brought dinner over for our family.  It blessed my heart because mentally, I was exhausted by that point.  The thought of putting together dinner seemed overwhelming.... you never know how such a small gesture can bless someone until you are that someone.

Today, I hope to re-discover a "normal" day and try to get back on track with things.  God really spoke to me regarding some of all this, but I think that will have to wait until another post.... Please continue praying for K-man as he continues to recover. Much love and hugs!