Updates! Updates!

On Wednesday Lexi had her 3rd esophageal dilation. It was scheduled for 2pm, which I hate because that means she goes all day long without eating. On top of that, the procedure was after her nap time (1pm) so not only was she starving, but exhausted as well. Regardless of that, she did so well. The only really hard part is that they admitted us to the exact same room she's had 3 times and she immediately cried when we walked into it. They have a little play room down the hall which saves us every time and we spent the majority of our time in there while waiting for the procedure which started 30 minutes late.

Since this was our 3rd time I've learned small tricks that have helped maintain a certain level of comfort for Lexi. We brought the portable dvd player with several Elmo dvds (Elmo is the man...I can't imagine life without him). We waited until right before the procedure to change her into the gown. We had them put the hospital bracelet on her foot (she HATES having stuff on her arms). They did vital signs while she watched Elmo. I requested they put the IV in her foot instead of her hand so when she woke up she wouldn't freak out every time she looked at her arm or tried to rub her eyes. And paci, paci and more paci. We've weaned her from sleeping with it and I have no problem using it for soothing with all these medical procedures until we are done with them. I like to joke that I am addicted to HER paci because I use it when I need a fast way to calm her down.

The procedure went quickly and we were called back to recovery about 40 minutes later when she was waking up from the anesthesia. To my delight they had listened to me and inserted the IV into her foot. Let me tell you, this made ALL the difference. Because she didn't see anything on her hands or arms she was able to comfortably snuggle up against me and sleep off some of the anesthesia for about 30 minutes. Usually all the gauze, IV and hospital bracelet make it too uncomfortable to rest her head on and she just freaks out every single time she looks at her arm. Every. Single. Time. We didn't even need to use the dancing monkey they have at the hospital that usually distracts her from looking at her arm. I know how pathetic this sounds and I really wish I had a video that captured the drama that ensued each time she caught a glimpse of her wrist. Tragedy.

Her oxygen sats were a little low because she was sleeping and they didn't want to release us until she could maintain a 93% for 15 minutes. She was hovering in the high 80's for awhile. Once she woke up her sats went up and we were able to good home. But the best news is that this was most likely the last dilation. They were able to dilate to 15mm. Although that is still below normal, it's probably enough for her to eat normal food. We will re-evaluate if she is still having issues after her tonsillectomy.

Speaking of tonsillectomies, we decided to see the ENT that placed her ear tubes because he performs partial tonsillectomies that have a quicker recovery, and less pain, but are still just as effective if the reason for removal is simply size related. Needless to say that sounded awesome to us and we've changed our plans and are going with him. The procedure will most likely take place at the end of this month, or early next month. Most kids her age recover in about 3 days. 3 DAYS! While another less than 10% of kids take about a week. Just compare that to the recovery of a full tonsillectomy that can take up to 4 weeks to recover from. The risk of bleeding is also 4x less in a partial. Jackpot!

Now, onto more fun subjects... like my birthday. I am turning 30 on Monday. I'm feeling super spoiled because my parents will be out here for my birthday. They live several states away so I haven't shared my birthday with them for 6 years. Then the following week the hubs is taking me to an all inclusive couples resort in Cancun. Both grandparents with be watching Lexi so she's going to have a blast and we'll get to rest easy knowing she's having a blast. She probably won't even realize we're gone.

So those are some significant updates. I will post more once we're back from our trip and once The Chubs goes through her final procedure. Then we can hit feeding therapy hard and maybe, just maybe, I can finally think about ordering something for her off of the kids menu. Sounds like heaven to me.