Almost 2 Weeks Post-Surgery......

Last night was such a good night after a long string of terrible, sleepless ones! Let's hope the sleep continues:

Erika Lindsay Maxfield

Leighton was in bed from 8pm-7:30am(and was completely asleep by 9pm after a couple potty trips) with no medicine in over 24 hours. I hope this means she is recovering and I'm going to get some more 8-hour nights of sleep to myself... I am so thankful for how easily she is breathing now and that she is not in so much pain. Makes this exhausting experience seem so small in the big picture!

· · a few seconds ago

Leighton's Surgery (11/4/11)

Last Monday(Halloween), I was finally able to see a doctor about Leighton's breathing problems. She has snored since infancy, but month after month it has grown worse and worse until she would stop breathing for up to five seconds at a time during the night, then wake up gasping for air. When I brought this up with several doctors in Idaho, I felt like I was too overprotective when they'd say "It's just a cold" or "She must have allergies" -- not that we didn't love the doctor that we settled on in Idaho, but the pediatricians made me feel like it was completely normal for a 1-2 year old to breathe louder than a train all through the night.

After about 5 minutes at JC Pediatrics, the doctor confirmed that I was right to be worried and recommended us to a specialist although she said it would take a week to get us in. Then that afternoon they called and asked us to come in on the 3rd. After one look in Leighton's throat, the specialist said we needed to have her tonsils and adenoids taken out as soon as possible and they scheduled her for the first surgery the next morning. I was really surprised because I'd been warned that they only perform this surgery in children over 3 unless the case is severe. It was a 30-minute procedure and after 1 and 1/2 hours the surgeon came out to tell me they took out her tonsils and adenoids, but as she was coming out of the anesthesia she experienced a lot of bleeding. Some blood got on her vocal cord and caused her to have throat spasms, so they had to put her back under anesthesia and go in to stop the bleeding, then take her off anesthesia slower the second time. They also told me that the airways to her nose had been completely blocked off and that is why she hasn't breathed through her nose the past six months.

After the surgery, we spent the next 3 days in the children's hospital trying to get Leighton to eat or drink. It was tough for me to watch her in so much pain and know that it was for her own good. By the third day, she was already breathing through her nose when she slept better than I have ever seen...she has always breathed through her mouth while sleeping. My mom came and stayed with us in the hospital and it was nice to be able to leave to shower since we live so close. The second night, Leighton ate some jello and they said if I could get her to drink a sippy and eat again, we could take her home. So I tried...all night and morning...with no luck! If there is one thing she gets from me, it's her stubborn will. And two-year-old's are hard to bargain with!

Finally, around noon on the third day Leighton pointed to a bag of Ranch Dorito's and said "Can I have chips please?" I was really hesitant because she is supposed to be on soft foods, but the girl ate two snack bags of DORITO'S! They must have "scratched an itch"(as Annemarie put it!) and they discharged us that afternoon. Grandmother, Grandaddy, and 'Nana'(Tiawanna) came up for the night to stay at our house and give Mom a ride home(since she brought our car up!) and Leighton loved having them at our house!

Yesterday was probably the worst day yet. Leighton whined and cried for 11 hours straight, but her medicines were giving her problems going to the restroom so we had to cut back some till she could go and would eat again. Today she is still acting somewhat sore, but is getting back to herself and playing! She loved having preschool at our house today -- sometimes her galpals are the best medicine! And her breathing is better than it ever has been, I am so happy to see such a quick improvement. It definitely makes it worth it to hear her breath so easily at night.

Here are some cell phone pictures to remember the hospital stay...I only took happy pictures:

Leighton was 'high' or 'drunk' on the medicine before the surgery... and Jack and I were dying laughing! She would move her hospital bracelet up to and away from her face and tell us how much she loved Dora and stickers(which the nurses were letting her watch and play with). It was hilarious!!

Watching Dora before surgery.

Playing in the playroom at the hospital (we were hoping she would wear herself out after they took her off the IV and realize how thirsty she was).

We love our TN friends! Madalyn and Audrey brought her surprises and played for a while. Hollidae also came to play and AnneMarie brought us dinner(I wish I had gotten a picture, but Leighton was really upset by that time).

Playing some more -- Lei loves letters and her new Minnie slippers that Jammin' brought to the hospital for her!

And finally DORITO'S!! I will never forget this, she is so unpredictable sometimes after I offered her pudding, popsicles, jello, ice cream, and yogurt for days! I love this girl and I'm so thankful we have gotten this over with :] but wanted to 'journal' it all the same!