To prepare for the surgery I talked to friends whose children also had their tonsils and adenoids removed. I had many friends and family praying for the surgery. I ordered children's books about tonsillectomies and doctor's visits. Bradley liked the Care Bears book the most, but also enjoyed the Mercer Mayer one too.
I knew that this was an awesome idea that would really help Bradley, so I made him his own surgery book. I used Microsoft PowerPoint and actual pictures of Bradley, his doctor, and the hospital we would be at. Texas Children's has a slideshow on their website that includes a story of the girl in the pictures I used. I have included pictures of Bradley's book below. I wanted to get it printed and home to Bradley quickly, so I didn't plan the binding of the book well. I printed these pages out and ended up stapling them together like a bound book. I also kept the language simple and familiar to Bradley when I could, even if it meant having some weak grammar choices (i.e. "scared" rather than "afraid").
We read the books I found on Amazon and Bradley's personalized book every day for a week. Bradley was resistant to reading them at first, because he put the pieces together and realized I was preparing him for his own surgery. After a few days though, Bradley selected these hospital related books when I asked him to choose a book for story time.
The day of the surgery arrived and my sister Jordan, Bradley, and I left our home and headed to the hospital bright and early. I was nervous about Bradley not being able to have anything to eat or drink prior to surgery, but thankfully he did not ask for either. I prepared for resistance when we arrived at the hospital, but Bradley willingly walked in and made it through our first 2 check points without getting anxious. We had many people praying for the surgery and I know God helped prepare Bradley that morning. I was wearing a Christian t-shirt that day and was happy when a nurse asked me where I got it.
Bradley played with toys and remained relaxed until it was time to get his vitals checked. He was a bit nervous when we walked back to an exam room to have his vitals assessed. Height and weight measurements were pretty uneventful, but the oximeter and blood pressure cuff were sources of anxiety. Thankfully the Child Life Specialist, Katy, had a bag full of toys that kept Bradley distracted as best she could.
When Bradley woke from the anesthesia I was ready to go into comforting Mom mode and do whatever it took to bring peace to him. Bradley coughed a few times and slowly opened his eyes. I told him I was there with him, that everything was okay, that his throat might hurt a little, but that Dr. Vilela said it was going to be all better. Bradley opened his eyes, looked at me, and then looked at a younger boy in the recovery room who was not quite awake yet. While looking at the boy Bradley clearly said, "Jesus is helping him." I fought back tears of shock and awe as I asked Bradley to repeat what he had said. Bradley looked straight at my eyes and said, "Jesus is helping that boy." The little boy's parents looked my way and asked how my son was doing. I told them he was doing well and shared what Bradley told me. Both of the parents smiled and said, "Yes He is. Jesus is helping him." Bradley went back to sleep for a little bit and talked just a little in between sips of a Kool-Aid watermelon flavored juice pouch. Another boy entered recovery and was wheeled in to the left of Bradley's bed. When he began to wake he was very combative, uncomfortable, and clearly in pain. Bradley looked at him and said, "Mom- Jesus is helping him." The nurses overheard him as Bradley continued to tell me "Jesus is helping him. Jesus is helping him!" I have no idea how I fought back the tears of pure joy that were swelling in the corner of my eyes, but somehow I managed to turn them into a huge smile. Bradley said he wanted to pray for the boy so we prayed and after a few minutes of the nurses tending to the boy, he calmed down and rested. I was a proud Momma and made sure everyone within earshot knew that my son was praying for these boys and taking comfort in Jesus.
An hour later we were able to leave the hospital and head home to rest and recover. On the way home Bradley was VERY talkative. We drove by extensive road constructive at the Katy Freeway and Hwy 99 and Bradley looked up at the partially completed overpass and said, "I don't think they're EVER gonna finish that bridge." My sister and I laughed hysterically and Bradley continued to make interesting observations on the way home. I noticed Bradley was talking more frequently and his speech was more fluid. At first I thought Brad's increased language flow might be a temporary result of his pain medication (Lortab Oral) making him a little loopy. What was amazing though, is that the increased expressive speech did not subside after Bradley no longer needed the pain medication. I am in awe at the improvement Bradley is making daily. Streams of sentences are coming from my son that didn't happen this easily before his surgery. I stopped trying to figure out if it was the experience of the surgery, the anesthesia he had, the pain medication he took, or maybe even the absence of his tonsils and adenoids. I waited over 2 weeks to complete this blog post because I wanted to make sure I wasn't getting ahead of myself in what I know is true today. God has been working on Bradley since the beginning. "For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well." (Psalm 139:13-14)
God has given me moments of Bradley's life to see the miracles He is working in my son. Bradley told me Jesus was helping the boys around him in the recovery room. We have taught Bradley that God helps those who seek Him, but what if Bradley actually saw Jesus..? Before you think I'm crazy, read "Heaven is for Real." The book chronicles Colton Burpo's near death experience, vision of Heaven, and how his parents learned about the experience.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/12/books/heaven-is-for-real-is-publishing-phenomenon.html?_r=0
God allowed 4 year old Colton Burpo a glimpse of Heaven as doctors worked on Colton in a medical emergency. God could have easily allowed Bradley to see Jesus helping the children in the hospital in an effort to comfort him. My son went to sleep struggling, fighting us, panicking as I told him I loved him and was praying for him and that God would be caring for him. Bradley woke up calm, with very little discomfort. He never complained in recovery. This amazing post-surgery progress is FOR SURE one of God's miracles He has allowed me to be a part of and He deserves all of the glory, all of the credit, and all of the praise. My prayers for the last two and a half weeks have been prayers of praise and thankfulness for God's awesome, mighty love and power. Please join me in thanking God for providing peace for Bradley and us in this process and his continual hand in the progress He is making in both Bradley and me.
This is the back of the shirt I wore to surgery. You can check out these cute shirts at www.woggleonline.com
Bradley's new friend, Katy. She is a child life specialist at TX Children's. Katy did a wonderful job at entertaining, distracting, and comforting Bradley!!!
After several rounds of Angry Birds with Katy it was time for Bradley to go back to surgery. I was able to go back with him to anesthesiology and stay with him until he fell asleep. Bradley DID NOT want to go back to the Operating Room and became incredibly upset when we walked in to the OR. At this point I was wearing an enormous, white space suit that the nurses joked I could borrow to paint my house. I carried a frantic Bradley in my arms. We attempted to have him inhale the cotton candy flavored anesthesia from the mask, but Bradley was not having it. Thankfully all of the nurses assured me this was a typical response and each nurse held one of Bradley's limbs while I hugged him tight. The anesthesiologist helped Bradley inhale the gas despite Bradley's numerous attempts to kick him. I later apologized profusely for the few blows Brad managed to land on the anesthesiologist, but he promised me it was "part of the territory" and that the older kids kicked harder. After about a minute of whispering reassuring messages of "I love you" and "I'll be praying for you" Bradley finally fell asleep. It was so strange to see him go from screaming to sleeping almost instantly.
I kissed Bradley and entered the family waiting area where I prayed and waited. I was told the surgery would last about 40 minutes, but after only 15 minutes or so I saw Dr. Vilela walking toward me and smiling. He told me the surgery went great and that Bradley's tonsils were "enormous." I hugged Dr. Vilela and was overjoyed. He shared the post op instructions with me and I nodded and smiled, getting about 80% of what he said. Thankfully all of that info was on a take home sheet.
After a few quick texts to update family and friends I was able to sit in the recovery area and wait for Bradley to wake. I specifically requested to be there before he woke up, because I knew he would do better if I was there. Most of the time parents are kept in the waiting area until children wake up and are tended to by the nurses. Some children wake from tonsil and adenoid removal in extreme pain and discomfort, feeling like they are choking, very upset, and sometimes combative. I prepared myself for this. I expected Bradley to wake up hysterical and struggling to breathe.
Bradley sleeping in recovery
When Bradley woke from the anesthesia I was ready to go into comforting Mom mode and do whatever it took to bring peace to him. Bradley coughed a few times and slowly opened his eyes. I told him I was there with him, that everything was okay, that his throat might hurt a little, but that Dr. Vilela said it was going to be all better. Bradley opened his eyes, looked at me, and then looked at a younger boy in the recovery room who was not quite awake yet. While looking at the boy Bradley clearly said, "Jesus is helping him." I fought back tears of shock and awe as I asked Bradley to repeat what he had said. Bradley looked straight at my eyes and said, "Jesus is helping that boy." The little boy's parents looked my way and asked how my son was doing. I told them he was doing well and shared what Bradley told me. Both of the parents smiled and said, "Yes He is. Jesus is helping him." Bradley went back to sleep for a little bit and talked just a little in between sips of a Kool-Aid watermelon flavored juice pouch. Another boy entered recovery and was wheeled in to the left of Bradley's bed. When he began to wake he was very combative, uncomfortable, and clearly in pain. Bradley looked at him and said, "Mom- Jesus is helping him." The nurses overheard him as Bradley continued to tell me "Jesus is helping him. Jesus is helping him!" I have no idea how I fought back the tears of pure joy that were swelling in the corner of my eyes, but somehow I managed to turn them into a huge smile. Bradley said he wanted to pray for the boy so we prayed and after a few minutes of the nurses tending to the boy, he calmed down and rested. I was a proud Momma and made sure everyone within earshot knew that my son was praying for these boys and taking comfort in Jesus.
An hour later we were able to leave the hospital and head home to rest and recover. On the way home Bradley was VERY talkative. We drove by extensive road constructive at the Katy Freeway and Hwy 99 and Bradley looked up at the partially completed overpass and said, "I don't think they're EVER gonna finish that bridge." My sister and I laughed hysterically and Bradley continued to make interesting observations on the way home. I noticed Bradley was talking more frequently and his speech was more fluid. At first I thought Brad's increased language flow might be a temporary result of his pain medication (Lortab Oral) making him a little loopy. What was amazing though, is that the increased expressive speech did not subside after Bradley no longer needed the pain medication. I am in awe at the improvement Bradley is making daily. Streams of sentences are coming from my son that didn't happen this easily before his surgery. I stopped trying to figure out if it was the experience of the surgery, the anesthesia he had, the pain medication he took, or maybe even the absence of his tonsils and adenoids. I waited over 2 weeks to complete this blog post because I wanted to make sure I wasn't getting ahead of myself in what I know is true today. God has been working on Bradley since the beginning. "For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well." (Psalm 139:13-14)
God has given me moments of Bradley's life to see the miracles He is working in my son. Bradley told me Jesus was helping the boys around him in the recovery room. We have taught Bradley that God helps those who seek Him, but what if Bradley actually saw Jesus..? Before you think I'm crazy, read "Heaven is for Real." The book chronicles Colton Burpo's near death experience, vision of Heaven, and how his parents learned about the experience.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/12/books/heaven-is-for-real-is-publishing-phenomenon.html?_r=0
God allowed 4 year old Colton Burpo a glimpse of Heaven as doctors worked on Colton in a medical emergency. God could have easily allowed Bradley to see Jesus helping the children in the hospital in an effort to comfort him. My son went to sleep struggling, fighting us, panicking as I told him I loved him and was praying for him and that God would be caring for him. Bradley woke up calm, with very little discomfort. He never complained in recovery. This amazing post-surgery progress is FOR SURE one of God's miracles He has allowed me to be a part of and He deserves all of the glory, all of the credit, and all of the praise. My prayers for the last two and a half weeks have been prayers of praise and thankfulness for God's awesome, mighty love and power. Please join me in thanking God for providing peace for Bradley and us in this process and his continual hand in the progress He is making in both Bradley and me.
Great Aunt Sarah bought Bradley 2 Iron Man toys for being so brave during his surgery. He loved them both! When he realized his younger brother, Max, wanted to play with one of the Iron Men he quickly realized "Big Iron Man" was Bradley's and "Baby Iron Man" was for Baby Max. In return, Max was extra kind and loving to his big brother as he recovered.
At exactly 2 weeks post surgery we celebrated at Chuck E Cheese and it was everything Bradley had anticipated the Chuck E. Cheese experience to be. It also happened to be my husband's birthday, so it was a wonderful day of family fun!
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