Owen's Outpatient Surgery

A week before Kate joined our family, we spent a morning at St. Joe's Outpatient Surgery Center, where Owen had tubes put in his ears and fluid drained from behind his eardrums. Let me back up ...

Owen is a true trooper. We hardly ever hear a fuss when he's ill, and we have never known when he's had an ear infection. In fact, twice when we were at the doctor's office for routine visits, we learned that he was suffering ear infections. One time, we were even told that on a scale of 1-10 (10 being worst), he was experiencing no less than a 7. And yet, he showed no signs at all. What a trooper.

Then at his two-year check-up in January, we learned that Owen had fluid behind his eardrums. The pediatrician asked us many questions and was shocked to discover that although Owen couldn't hear us very well, his vocabulary was astonishingly developed! Of course, as I became more and more aware of his hearing impairment, I realized that I was often interpreting Owen-speak for others. It turns out, Owen was hearing everything - but he heard it in much the same way you or I would hear if we were laying in a pool or bathtub and had our ears under water. Everything was muffled or slurred. And, so was his speech. Well, not all of his language, but many of his words.

So, the decision was made to drain the fluid and put in tubes to keep the passage clear from fluid blockage, and the appointment was scheduled for April 2.

We went in that morning with no idea what to expect in terms of how Owen would react to the anesthetics or the surgery. We left with a great sense of relief (he did great!) and were quite pleased with the care and attention he'd received.

The hardest part of the process - for Kevin and I at least - was watching Owen drink a "loopy liquid" that put him into a seriously "loopy" state. I felt like I was watching my little two-year old on hallucinogenic drugs! He was giggly and laughing at the silliest "nothings." Then at random moments, he would shift focus and point out one of the many fish on the walls as if he was seeing it time for the first time. He'd start cracking up, all goofy-like. It was so bizarre. It seemed as if he actually thought they were flying or swimming in the room. It was so "trippy" - and not at all in a good way, from a parent's perspective.

Then they rolled him away and put him under for the surgery -- I had tears timidly streaming down my cheeks, but I kept it together. The nurse sang "Twinkle, Twinkle" as they ventured down the hall, while Kevin and I stared after them. Thankfully, Owen was in recovery in less than 20 minutes, surgery went "excellent,", and by the time we saw him the "loopy" drugs had worn off. He was very unsettled and teary, but once we got him home and he had a good breakfast, a nap with Mom, and some one on one playtime, he was in great spirits ~ albeit totally unbalanced and discombobulated! (We couldn't let him walk unassisted for the first couple of hours because his balance was so off!) *As we drove home and was "coming around," Owen seranaded me with his faorite renditions of "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star."

By evening, Owen was his old self ~ we even went out bike riding (I walked, Owen ran with his truck, Collin rode his bike) after dinner. And I was already noticing new sounds in his speech, such as a distinct "c" and "t." Now, two weeks after the insertion of the tubes, Owen's speech is recognizably improved, his vocabulary significantly increased, and my "job" as interpreter has nearly come to an end. Thank heavens for modern medicine! And bravo, Owen!!

**The doctor told us that the fluid they drained from behind Owen's ears before inserting the tubes was as thick as taffy. Yuck!!