Old Hat

You know you've been to Same Day Surgery way too many times when . . .

1. You know to block out three hours the day before to wait for a phone call from the SDS desk to give you your instructions.
2. Your child has a "frequent flier" file.
3. You could easily guess your child's check-in time.
4. The week before the event, your child tells you the procedure, "ride in the wagon, put on the mask, fall asleep, wake up, drink water, and go home."
5. Without prompting, your child tells you what smell he wants for the anesthesia: "strawberry."
6. You listen politely while mouthing the instructions from the nurse because you have the instructions memorized.
7. You mentally take note the month before the procedure any time you gave your child medicine of any sort, how much, and for what reason.
8. You know exactly where to sign on each piece of paper that's shoved in your face and what it's for.
9. You arrive 30 minutes late from your scheduled arrival time because you KNOW that you're not going to be pushed forward, you're going to be bumped back, and you know that waiting there for 1 1/2 hours is already too long to have to add more time. So, you take your time leaving and get a car wash on the way because it's not worth stressing over.
10. You stress anyway because you know you've been pushed forward before, and you're hoping you will be today.
11. You measure how much liquid you give your child up to 12 hours before the procedure because you know you have to tell them in oz. how much he drank and what he drank.
12. You recognize most of the doctors and anesthesiologists when they come in to the waiting room to visit with parents, and you know most of their specialties (ENTs, etc.).
13. You recognize all old toys and note the new ones.
    
14. You adamantly state what the nurse and anesthesiologist should do because you know better than they do.
    
15. You know where the warm blankets are kept.
16. You know what Versed is and does and wish that your child could have it like all the others (Jackson had some reactions to that drug while he was a preemie, and so he can't have it.)
17. It's no surprise that the doctors take your child back 45 minutes LATER than scheduled.
    
18. You have a bag of food and water bottle prepared for the trip home because you know that your child will be starving.
19. You bring a book to read, snacks to eat, and a crossword puzzle because more than likely someone will be watching Dr. Phil on the waiting room big screen TV.
20. You realize it's pointless to go down to the cafeteria for food because you can calculate the the second when the doctor will be back, and it's within 20 minutes.
21. You don't have to be escorted to Recovery or Post-Op because you have all of the bed numbers memorized -- chances are your kid has been in every space.
22. You tell the discharge nurse the discharge procedures.

What a weekend! Jackson had yet another eye exam under anesthesia, and I'm happy to report that his eyes are healthy. It's so great to have good news about his eyes. I'll always worry about them, but at least we know that the surgery he had almost two years ago has been worth it so far.


Despite the fact we've done this too many times to count, my little man still gets nervous. Here's the emotion he was feeling the last 45 minutes of waiting in the pre-op room:
He either spent the time cuddling with Daddy and Rico or Mommy and Rico. Yes, Rico comes with us every time, and he stays with Jackson during the entire procedure and wakes up with Jackson, too.