Did you know that the tonsils and adenoid play an important role during childhood as
a major defense system against infections in the upper respiratory tract? The tonsils are lymphoid tissues located in the back and on each side of
the throat. The adenoid tonsil is also made up of lymphoid tissue and is
located in the upper back part of the throat behind the nose. They work
together to "catch" and trap incoming infections. Unfortunately,
the tonsil and adenoid may and can become the source of infection itself like a
plugged filter.
And this was
Isabella's case, she was a "plugged filter" if you will. Every
month, I was taking her to the doctor for either reoccurring ear infections or
sinusitis. I just chalked her constant sickness to all of the germs in
daycare. They pass it around and around and around it goes. Most
often times, she was crabby. She would sleep at night, but then she would
take 4 or 5 hour naps during the day, which I thought was odd. She always
breathed heavy through her mouth, never through her nose and she snored really
LOUD.
About a month ago,
I had received yet another call from the school to pick up Isabella and I had
just walked into work. I told my boss that I had to leave work to go get
Isabella, that she was sick. My words to her were all too familiar and
often coming out of my mouth. I saw the look in her eyes, as she said to
me.”Isabella is sick ALOT." I looked back at her, said yes and
walked out the door to go get my sick child.
Part of me was
really mad that my boss said that to me and the other part of me knew what I
needed to do about it. A year ago, her doctor told me that she needed to
see an ENT surgeon, but I let his words go in one ear and out the other.
I didn't want to put my daughter under the knife and most importantly, I
didn't want to see her in any pain. I thought that in time, Isabella
would get better on her own terms without any surgery.
As I drove home
that day to pick up Isabella, I picked up the phone and made that appointment
to see the ENT surgeon. He checked her all out; looked at me and told me
her quality of life was not that good right now. Her tonsils were the
size of golf balls restricting her airway, her adenoid tissue was blocking 90%
of her airway AND that she needed to get ear tubes inserted. My heart
instantly broke as I listened to his words. I took a deep breath in and
started asking my 50 questions and taking notes. I must have had a
"look" on my face because after the appointment, he pulled me aside
and wanted to know if I still had additional questions and then assured me that
everything was going to be all right.
On April 25th at
1:30 p.m., Isabella had tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy surgery at Silver Cross
Hospital. We elected not to have the tympanostomy (ear tubes) surgery.
SHE WAS A ROCK STAR and our girl is so strong and such a fighter!!
Surgery went well and she is at home recovering for the next week and
should be completely healed in three weeks. Last night, I watched her
sleep gracefully and it was the first time in years I witnessed her actually
breathing through her nose instead of just her mouth.
Thank you to all
friends and family for brightening her day with your love. Here are a few
pictures from before the surgery that were taken and also Isabella's self-portrait.
There is also a drawing that the doctor sketched for us to see how
blocked her airway was.
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