Ethan Jay's Procedure

So, I definitely have sealed the deal for "Worst Mother of the Year" award!  Yeah (boohoo) for me!  

So let's start from the beginning.  I noticed when Ethan Jay was 18 months old that his teeth were not like any of his other friends.  They had really large gaps between their teeth, but Ethan Jay's teeth not only touched they were bowing back in on themselves up front.  So at his check-up we asked the doctor and he said that yes he probably needed to go ahead and be seen by a pediatric dentist.  So we took him on over and sure enough the dentist said that his teeth were very crowded and he had a pre-cavity in-between his two front teeth.  So we started using fluoride toothpaste, flossing in-between his front teeth and seeing the dentist every 3 months so that he could keep an eye on it.  Things went great and when we left California, the dentist said he could then start being seen only every 6 months again because things were looking so good.  Yeah!  

Well, time passes, were still brushing, flossing and having checkups, but then comes time for the big boy appointment with x-rays and a real teeth cleaning.  Yep, people, Mommy might not have been doing such a good job in-between those back toofies!  He had several cavities back in-between his teeth.  I couldn't help but feel responsible for this and feel even worse that he was now going to have to suffer pain because of it. The dentist said that his teeth are just soooo crowded and even both girls are the same way.  I can tell that this is really going to be a struggle for us.

Anyways, we scheduled the appointment to go in and have the cavities filled and let me tell you, it was a  No Go!  After, valium (don't judge) and loads of laughing gas, Ethan Jay was still having none of it.  It was down right pitiful.  So the next step was for my little boy to go to the hospital and have the procedure done under general anesthesia.  Yet again, don't judge.  I'm not a huge fan of medicine, or my children being put to sleep, but I simply could not bear to see him go through any more and frankly I don't think there were enough elephants in the world to sit onto of him and hold him down to have those cavities filled.  

So we made our appointment and off we headed to the hospital.  Grandma was wonderful enough to come up and stay with the girls while we took Ethan Jay.  The worst part of the day was that his procedure was not until 3:30 and he could not eat or drink anything until afterwards.  The lady from the dental office gave us a great idea though.  I took a piece of paper and folded it to make little boxes and every 30 minutes, he got to add a sticker and get a prize.  Most of them were little dollar items, and the whole thing was a huge hit!  He loved it all and didn't really seem to mind too much not eating or drinking. 

We got to the hospital a little early and he loved playing in the grassy area with his toys!

Blowing the ball through the cracks on the sidewalk.

Playing catch with Dada.

Blowing both of them at one time!

Then time to go in for the procedure.  He even had a little friend waiting for him in the bed!

Out for the count.  Poor thing, he just had some liquid medication to help relax him a bit.  I think it did the trick.  The anesthialogist tried waking him up before he took him back but he wouldn't budge.  

And here he is after the procedure.  Everything went great and he was ready to eat as soon as he woke up good!  When he was first waking up, he was right pitiful.  He was hysterical and still back in post-op and we were not really allowed back there.  But he was so crazy that they let us back with him, and what do you know it did the trick right away.  He just needed his Momma and Dada.  

After he got to recovery, the nurse their said "oh no, he can't eat those goldfish."  I let her know that the nurses back in post-op had given them to him, not us, and he was doing just fine with them.   He also had some juice, a pop-sickle and when we left he ate nuggets and a chocolate milkshake and a doughnut and when we got home he ate half a basket of strawberries and some crackers!  The next morning the nurse had said that he would probably be a little sore and need some ibuprofen, but the little trooper woke up bright and early and said he was feeling fine and didn't once complain about any pain and acted and ate normally from then on out!  

What an experience, physically and emotionally draining and one that I do not want to repeat again.  I do believe that there will be some flossing between some back teeth from now on.