We started our day bright and early as the "sleep study" ended promptly at 5am and our first appointment to register for Aiden's MRI was scheduled for 6am. And because he had to have general anesthesia for the MRI, he was not allowed to have anything to eat or drink until after the scan. Not to mention that the electrodes leave huge globs of goop in his hair that need to be cleaned off with baby soap and adhesive remover. Fun stuff I tell you. So you can imagine how difficult it was to soothe a grumpy, sticky, hungry 3-year-old without a paci or bottle like in years past. Poor baby was NOT happy. (PS - mom wasn't either).
Because most of Aiden's experiences in doctors offices or hospitals involve needles, he has developed a pretty unhealthy fear of anyone donning scrubs or latex gloves. When the anesthesiologist arrived to begin Aiden's happy gas, total tantrum mode ensued. A couple of puffs from a magic mouthpiece and all was well again. It was kind of scary to watch him fall limp in just a matter of seconds. It shows just how strong the medications effects are on the nervous system and brain.
The MRI took about 30 minutes and it took another 30 minutes or so for the anesthesia to wear off - which meant 30 minutes of another seriously unhappy little guy. He thrashed around in my arms and I felt a bit like I was wrestling with a soaking wet fish. The poor nurse who had to take his vitals experienced the wrath of Aiden - who had somehow become the strongest and heaviest toddler I know, throwing his weight around and almost knocking me over in the process.
Then as if a switch had flipped, I placed him in the stroller (thank you April!) and as soon as he heard me say we could leave now, he was all smiles and said "Bye!" without a single tear. Seriously - he could have an acting career in his future I tell ya!
We bounced around the hospital from appointment to appointment and thankfully Aiden remained in good spirits the rest of the day (I think the M&M cookie as big as his head may have had something to do with it). There was pre-op testing and education, media and photography where they take pictures every year of Aiden's hands, feet, and head to have a visual representation of how he's growing/changing and finally a visit to the anthropologist who takes very precise measurements of his head/skull.
In this case, Aiden couldn't have been cuter. He marched right in to Dr. Fearon's office like he owned the place. In fact, when he opened the door to call us back, Aiden jumped up with a big grin, said "Hi! My mommy's right here behind me" before proceeding into his office and checking out the toys. As we started to discuss the surgery, Aiden politely asked before dumping out a bag of flash cards, then began naming each picture and declaring "Look, these match"! I was so proud :) Dr. Fearon was quite impressed with how he is developing and gave us the great news that his sleep study was normal - meaning ZERO issues with sleep apnea! Alleluia! After explaining the surgery in greater detail, we were on our way.
Almost 24 hours of tests and appointments later, we were finally ready to leave the hospital for a bit and get some fresh air. We couldn't wait to meet up with the Gorman family for a nice dinner outside in the sunshine. We had a lovely time, as did the kids, 4 year-old John (who was 10 days post-op from his 2nd cranial vault), 2 year-old Rory Cate, and our boys.Finally, it was back to the Ronald McDonald House to rest up for the next day - surgery day.
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