Scheduling a Surgery.

As soon as a surgery is scheduled, your nerves start pacing.  At least mine do.  My nerves will pace for the next 22 days. 

Our appointment with Dr. Palmer finally came.  From the second Dr. Palmer walked into our room, I knew the wait was worth it.  Dr. Palmer was dressed in scrubs and a lab coat, but the Mickey Mouse pins on the lab coat told me he was going to be different.  (Really, why wouldn't a Pediatric Doctor's office automatically refer a patient to a Pediatric ENT in the first place?)  Dr. Palmer instantly started conversations with Logan and Ava, and continued to engage them in the introductions throughout the room.  Totally different. 

Dr. Palmer looked in Logan's ears, and said the hole in his ear drum was "a pretty good hole".  He then moved onto Logan's mouth, and after one glance at his tonsils said, "those are some massive tonsils!"  "Mom, have you seen these?"  I had not, so he offered the light for me to have a glance.  I liked that.  I didn't like that Logan's tonsils were touching each other, but I liked that the doctor offered the opportunity to see what was going on.

Dr. Palmer said that Logan should not have been put through the sleep study.  He said that when he sees any child with tonsils that large, they come out almost immediately.  Dr. Palmer commented that the sleep study was un-necessary, un-comfortable, and un-cheap.  He said he was floored that any doctor would order that test, when clearly the tonsils needed to be removed.

So....what do you do?  The sleep study was in December.  You move on.  It was done.  Another reason we switched ENT's. 

Dr. Palmer said he will remove the tonsils and adneoid, plus repair the hole in his ear drum.  (Which has an 80% success rate in children.)  Dr. Palmer explained the entire surgery to both me and Logan.  He asked if I had questions, he asked if Logan had questions.  (I think he asked Ava and Blake, too.  Yes, we all took a trip to the doctor.)  Surprisingly, I had no questions.  At all.  He had covered everything, and I actually felt comfortable about the procedure.  (Or as comfortable as I could.)  Surgery will take between 30-45 minutes, and Logan will be discharged when he eats 4 popsicles in recovery.  Logan will be out of school for 1-2 weeks, and can not get his ear wet for 4-6 weeks afterwards.

Surgery will take place on April 29, 2011 at Cook Children's in Fort Worth.