Post Surgery Smiles

Our little man is such a trooper. We all arose early this morning and ventured toward the hospital 45 minutes away. Our pediatric dentist had strongly suggested we have all the work done in the hospital so it could all be done at once and Jay-R could be put under. We thought this to be a much better option than mutiple trips to the dentist. So anyway, once there, we waited about 20 minutes before going upstairs to the pre-op room. Jay-R changed into scrubs and the hospital socks with the grippies on the bottom. He looked so cute. We had thought about taking a camera but wasn't sure what to expect. Kory snapped a photo on his cell phone, though, to show Ashleigh. The hospital gave Jay-R a balloon and he played with it until it was time to go back. As they wheeled my little baby away on that hospital bed, my heart ached. He looked back at us but the nurses along with us reassured him that he was okay. He got to push the button to open the door so that was cool to him.

This was 8:45 am. Kory and I prepared ourselves for a couple of hours of waiting. After some chatting, some reading, some drinking coffee and Mountain Dew, and some people watching in a very busy waiting room, our names were called. The dentist/oral surgeon came out and told us everything went fine. Jay-R cried a little when they first took him back. They were unable to insert the tube in his nose and he experienced some nose bleeding so they inserted the tube in his throat. Poor little guy. This of course was after he was already out. They had placed a mask on his face to make him fall asleep, then inserted the IV. The dentist had to remove his two front teeth, do 13 dental restorations, and a root canal. He said it was no wonder Jay-R was in pain, the tooth that required the pediatric root canal was deep in the nerve. Jay-R has been complaining of headahces on an almost daily basis so we are thinking the head pain was a direct link to the tooth pain. Kory then called our families-I was too nervous to talk to anyone until I saw my baby. About 20 minutes later, we were allowed to go the recovery room. I wanted to cry when I saw him. He was totally groggy and looked so small and vulnerable. The nurse helped me with his tubes so I could hold him in my arms. His eyes fluttered a little when we said his name, but he would not wake up. He refused drink and popsicle which they said is common. All his vitals were stable so we chatted with the nurses for a short while before changing him back into his clothes. He started waking up and we were able to leave.

We had the surgery done at St. Vincent's and I have to say that the staff were all excellent, kind, considerate, compassionate, and very thorough in their explanations. I want to send a letter of thanks to the hospital for our very positive experience. I work in healthcare and we always appreciate kind words. Everyone was so good to him and were very interested in our adoption experiences. It was such a positive experience. Oh, and they valet park your car when you are having surgery-that was nice especially since it was raining and cold when we left.

Before we even left the parking lot, Jay-R drank some grape juice they had sent with us. He let me feed him the jello cup we had brought him. We stopped at a McDonald's and he ate some plain ice cream. He hadn't eaten since 9:30 the night before, so he was hungry. He fell asleep on the way home. Once home, he mostly watched TV but he ate a lot tonight. We were told to limit him to soft foods so he ate more jello, popsicles, peanut butter, eggs, noodles, and a cupcake that Ashleigh's friend had given him-thanks O...he loved it! He also downed 2 glasses of chocolate milk. Today, anything except for no pop or OJ (dr orders) was allowed. Tomorrow, it's back to limiting sugar. Even though our dentist told us that Jay-R is now no more likely to get cavities than the next kid, we want to be careful just like we are with Ash. His teeth are now shiny white and he has silver caps on all four back teeth. He took a little Ibuprofen for pain at 4 but tonight he just told me he didn't need medicine, "I'm okay." He prayed and thanked God that his teeth were all better.

We are so excited that he will finally get to experience life without daily pain. Anyone who has ever had a toothache knows the pain that comes from mouth pain. Imagine living day to day with 15 cavities. Our heart aches to know there are many children in the orphanages with the same dental issues as Jay-R. Anyone adopting a child from the Philippines old enough to have a decent number of teeth, please take them to the dentist soon after you return home from the Philippines!

Oh, and we couldn't resist....we're already working with him on the lyrics to the song, "All I Want for Christmas is my two front teeth!" He thinks it's funny!