Our appointment for today was slated for sometime between 11:00 & 12:00. We arrived on time (no snowstorm today) and were quickly admitted into pre-op. She was given a wrist band and as you can see in the picture below, and that hand was rendered useless until we left for home. Moments later, we headed to the back room and Sarah started to get very suspicious and began to cry. They weighed and measured her, then ushered us to curtained room so she could change into hospital pyjamas, have her blood pressure taken and get a temperature reading. They also applied a numbing cream to her feet for the IV. Once that was all done, Sarah and I headed back to wait some more with Doug. I brought my iPad and she brought the comforts of her choice: a pink puppy, a kitty from Danielle, "small puppy" from Miss. Lesa and a blanket.
A big part of what makes an event like this so hard is that Sarah doesn't understand what is going on. Even when we told her (minutes before going into the OR) that a special doctor was going to fix her teeth, she didn't comprehend it. It doesn't make sense to her and she can't understand why her desperate pleas of "I wan' to go home" remain unanswered. I could only respond with "soon" and "later" and she wasn't very impressed with my noncommittal answer.
Over all, this waiting part went fairly smoothly. She was happy enough to watch "Frozen" or the other cartoons on the wall mounted TV. Around 11:35, we were called back again, this time for the real deal. Her cries became more pronounced and she was so very unhappy. Right away, we met with the nurse, anesthesiologist and the dentist; all who would be working with Sarah. I was gowned and capped up so that I could be with Sarah until she was asleep. The mask was placed over her and within a few seconds, the fighting and tears subsided as she slipped into dreamland. The dentist escorted me back to Doug where I finally fell apart. I had wanted to be so strong for Sarah and let her know that it would all be okay, and I did. We headed to the cafeteria to get some lunch but it wasn't long before I needed to go back to the waiting room. I loved how Doug said "I know you well enough, I know where you want to be." The pager went off around 1:00 and we met with Dr. K to discuss what procedures had taken place. My sister in law (who is a nurse) popped in to visit just as the dentist came into the room.
Sarah's dental work was quite extensive. She received six caps, one filling and two extractions. Her poor baby molars were such a mess. I had no idea they were that bad, nor did I expect to receive news like that. As the dentist walked away, I broke down again with the combination of the shock of the news, being tired and not having eaten much. A fierce part of me needed to be with Sarah so very badly. I didn't know if anyone knew her needs or her level of comprehension. Since she was still in immediate recovery, we had to wait another 10 minutes or so before we could see her.
Sleeping in my arms (her face is covered so there is no picture of how rough she looked)
Finally, when we arrived in the room, it took most of my will power not to climb over the rail into bed with her. Once the guard was down, I climbed on the bed and held her close. She was so very sad and looked like she had been through a boxing match. It was awful. Her whole mouth was swollen, her mouth was droopy, her voice was croaky from the intubation and she looked really rough. Dr. K had given Sarah an early discharge, so once she had a few sips of water and another dose of Tylenol, we were given the go ahead to leave. The lovely nurse let us out a back door so we wouldn't have to walk through the waiting room past other patients.
The ride home was uneventful. She dozed off and on for the 30 minute drive which was a relief for me. Being at home consisted of movies for the afternoon. Her speech was really thick sounding as she still had some freezing in her cheeks and tongue. She was also VERY unbalanced. It didn't take long before she wanted to eat and quickly downed a couple bowls of oatmeal. A friend of mine came by shortly after 5:00 with a delicious meal to feed us which was such a blessing... not having to make a supper after this kind of day was a real gift. I am so grateful!
By 8:00, Sarah was snuggled in bed with me (I'm keeping her close tonight) and ready to sleep. I received a call from the dentist this evening, as she just wanted to check up on us and see how things were going. She seemed pleased with Sarah eating and drinking and left her cell number in case we needed her. She also reminded me that kids are very resilient and she would recover just fine.
As I type this, she's curled up against me, deep in slumber-land. I'm praying that tonight is peaceful and uneventful.
I am so thankful for those who covered Doug, Sarah and I in prayers today. I could feel the peace of Jesus over me, even when it was really hard. I appreciate the encouraging texts and I hope you all know how special you are to our family.
