Ear Tube Procedure

It was not the horrendous nightmare I had imagined. We arrived at the surgery center at 6:50 and John let me go back with her to take vitals, meet with the doc, nurses & anesthesiologist, sign papers and answer questions. The nurses were super friendly and Brooklyn responded well to the hustle and bustle of their pre-surgery duties.

Then I handed Baby Girl over to the nurse who took her to The Room. Though smiling, I remember thinking "Don't you guys dare screw this up! I will be on you like a spider monkey." I walked out to join John in the waiting area.

I had just settled into my chair and taken half of a sip of searing hot coffee when the doc came out saying "All done!" He did mention earlier that it would take literally 3 minutes to put the tubes in. I swear there must be a NASCAR pit crew back in the surgery room because it took more like 65 seconds.

John and I went to the recovery area where the nurse held a flopsy, bewildered and screaming Brooklyn. Coming out of the haze of anesthesia made her unable to control her own head and I think that really annoyed her. Oh, and having tiny things jammed into your ears probably added to her discomfort. I felt so bad. But she had taken a sip of water so we were cleared to leave.

In the car Brooklyn would NOT let go of her sippy cup or her glow worm as she cried nearly the whole 30 minute ride home. I kind of expected her to be more groggy and less cry-ey. But once home, she slept for 3 hours. Then ate a bit of lunch, played for an hour and slept for 3 more hours.

When she woke up around dinner time she was very much her normal self. By 'normal self' I mean she kept tugging my index finger in an effort to drag me to the front door...her way of saying "Hey people, what does a baby have to do around here to get someone to take her outside?!!" All in all, the day went well.

The tubes will fall out within 12-18 months. Until then we have to get her to wear earplugs while taking a bath. Yay us!

=)