I am hoping that tomorrow's surgery will be Bean's last surgery for a long, long time and I hope that it makes her feel like she looks in this picture. Tomorrow, we are scheduled to have her tonsils and adenoids removed because of her severe sleep apnea. For those of you who have followed her story, you know that we were at the pre-op appointment for this very surgery when they discovered her tricuspid valve leakage and resulting fluid in her chest cavity, which started us down the road to the open heart surgery that she had in May. She has now recovered from that surgery and yesterday she got a good report at her clinic visit and we are ready to move on the tonsillectomy. I was shocked that they were able to get it scheduled only two days later, but happy to have the chance to get it done before my Fall semester begins and mine and my husband's work and travel kicks in to full gear! It sometimes seems cruel to put her through yet another surgery, but there are so many reasons to get it done that I just have to go ahead and do it.
For those unfamiliar with sleep apnea in children, here are some symptoms (I have identified the symptoms that Bean suffers by bolding them):
- Snoring
- Long pauses in breathing
- Much tossing and turning in bed
- Chronic mouth breathing
- Night sweats
These symptoms can lead to some pretty big impacts, especially if it is let go for the long term. Some of which we already see in Bean (again, I used bold to indicate the symptoms we have seen):
- ADHD
- Failure to thrive or lower growth rates
- Sleep walking
- Bed-wetting
- Hormonal and metabolic problems
So, we're hoping that getting the surgery now will stop any further cognitive impacts that may lead to ADHD in the future (and she may be a little hyperactive now, but its difficult to tell with a 3 year old). We're also hoping it may get her growing faster and maybe even eating better. Sleeping better will be a boon for all of us. I am not looking forward to another surgery, but I am looking forward to improving her health!
The surgery is relatively easy and short (compared to open heart surgery, most are). But, because of her health history, we will have to stay overnight in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit. I am hoping that all goes smoothly and it really is just a 24 hour stay.
The summer has been pretty good since she recovered from the surgery (I would say she started feeling "herself" around the end of June, beginning of July - it was a long recovery - more mental than physical I think). She has gone to Monterey Bay Aquarium twice, went on a week long "camping" vacation in Chester, CA near Lake Almanor (we stayed in a cabin), and spent a lot of time at my parent's house, where she gets treated like a princess. But, she is also looking forward to going back to "playschool" and seeing all her friends there! Sorry I have been so bad about updating the blog. I always say I want to make it a priority, but it always falls down the list. Again, I will try to keep it updated more often!
Here are some pics from our summer adventures!
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| Playing in Chico's downtown fountains |
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| Swinging at the park by Grandma and Grandpa's |
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| Juniper Lake in Lassen National Park |
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| Mom and Bean's feet |
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| Bean's feet |
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| Being a princess at Grandma and Grandpa's - literally! |
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| Enjoying some fireworks on the 4th of July, with Daddy! |
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| Spending some time with her favorite Uncle - Jeremy! |
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| Enjoying the pool at Uncle Jeremy and Aunt Sydney's new house! |
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| Warming up after the pool! |
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| Under a turkey at Bravo Farms coming back home from Papa and Gigi's |
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| Swimmin' with Aunt Dawn at the hotel at Monterey Bay Aquarium |
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| Looking at a tiny, tiny starfish with Grandma at Monterey Bay Aquarium |
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| Exhausted... |
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| Playing in the sand at the park |
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| Back to the downtown fountains... |
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| Legos and Star Wars at Barnes and Noble...future Nerd Girl in action |
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| Playing near the giant slip n slide at Chico's Family Night Out |
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| On the slide at the park |
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| Summer runnin' at the park |
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| Spooning with Nosey |
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| Tiny pool, big goggles! A little swimming in the front yard. |
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| Swimming with dino! |
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| Tap dancing in a pincess dress. |
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| On the boat in Lake Almanor with Gigi |
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| Serious boating |
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| And another summer comes to an end... |
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i think this is the first time i've been to your blog. and you've not posted in several months. hopefully, things are going well. your daughter is precious. and those dimples! so adorable. i'm glad i got to see such a sweet face. :]
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