For quite a while now, Owen has been a snorer. I'd guess the snoring started around when he turned two and has gotten louder over time. No big deal, right? A month or so ago I started to notice that it also seemed like he wasn't breathing very steadily while he slept, his breaths just didn't sound relaxed and comfortable and I even noticed that he would stop breathing for a few seconds at a time until he'd gasp and start breathing again. Pretty soon Mark and I decided that things didn't seem right and we got him in to see the pediatrician. The pediatrician examined his throat and told us Owen's tonsils would probably need to come out. They were so large that when he slept they obstructed his airway. We were referred to a Ear Nose and Throat doctor but weren't able to get in to see him for two weeks. Those two weeks seemed to last forever and we did what we could to keep Owen breathing as best as possible. We propped his mattress up at an incline, kept a humidifier on in his room, and checked on him often at night, repositioning him when needed since certain sleeping positions seemed to make it easier for him to breathe. The specialist confirmed that his tonsils would need to go, and finally we had a date for surgery. That last week waiting for surgery was particularly nerve-wracking for me. Owen slept longer during naptime one day and I nearly had a panic attack with the thought that he might have stopped breathing for good. We are blessed with good family and friends that stepped in to help us with Dallin and Adam while we were in the hospital with Owen so that Mark and I could both be there for the surgery. Owen had a hard time in the hospital, especially coming out of anesthesia. Because he is so young for a surgery like this the doctor wanted him there overnight. Mark and I were with Owen until about lunchtime. At that point Mark left for a few hours of work. Mark came back that evening and stayed with Owen overnight while I went to pick up Dallin and Adam at Grandma's house and take them home to sleep. Mark brought Owen home from the hospital the next morning. The surgery went well and now, a little over a week later, we seem to be through nearly all of the recovery process. It was so sad to see our little guy have to go through surgery, but we breathe a sigh of relief when we lay him down to bed knowing he can breathe comfortably now. Before going to the hospital Mark asked me if I was nervous for the surgery. I told him no, that I was nervous every night when Owen went to bed, worrying that he wasn't getting the air that he needed and worrying that he would stop breathing and not start again.
We had to be at the hospital at 5:30 AM so we brought Owen in his favorite pajamas.
After this picture below I stopped telling Owen to smile because that seemed a little inappropriate for taking photos of him just before surgery.
Getting prepped for surgery and showing off the lobster he was given by the hospital. They told us all the kids robes they had available for his size were purple. Good thing he doesn't care.
After surgery. It took him a couple of hours of crying fits and short naps for him to come out of anesthesia and calm down. After that they took us to his hospital room here. He hated the IV in his leg most of all and kept telling us to "get it off!"
We are sure glad this is over and that our little guy is feeling well and breathing well!
