Tongue Tie Release

It was stressful to keep track of the time and made IZ had his last meal (a pineapple tart), last milk (at 2.30am) and last water (at 6.50am) on the day of surgery.

We arrived at 9.30am sharp.

Registration at 9.30am

We went into the Day Surgery department after registration. Weight and height measured. Numbing cream "plastered".

And he had to take off everything except his underwear..

And change into the hospital "gown"

The sexiest patient I've ever seen

Added tag

 Then we were brought to Level 2 to wait for the surgery.

In the waiting room..

Enjoyed himself while waiting..

I guess he was nervous

After waited what seemed forever.. hmm it was really forever.. the surgery was "supposedly scheduled" at 10.30am.. we were not called for the OT until close to 11.30am.. I started to feel hungry, I could imagine IZ too, but he didn't complain. Felt heart pain seeing his dry lips. I dared not ask him if he was feeling hungry or thirsty.

He's got cold feet while we were headed to OT11, for few steps he took forward, he took one backward. Once he stepped into the OT, he wanted to leave. It was scary.. there were 6-7 staffs in OT attire, although they were all very friendly.

So he refused to blow the balloon (the breathing mask). He chose to be poked, but it took them forever, and he started crying in pain while I held him tight. It didn't occur to me then, why he felt pain when he had numbing cream on both his hands? They didn't manage to poke him even after IZ keeping still for a while.

Apparently the numbing cream didn't spread under the plaster, so the vein area they supposed to poke was not numb. And so he could feel the pain. Duhz!

After another what seemed forever of bubbles blowing and many distractions by the nurses, I decided to bring out my weapon (the tobot smart key), in the hope he would be too distracted to resist anything.

He still refused to use the mask. So they gave us syrup to make him giddy. He refused to drink at first, but finished it eventually, with cup, with syringe, with cup. Estimated time to be giddy, 10mins.

15mins past.. nothing happened, he was not even close to giddy.

Tried to ask him to blow the balloon again, he refused..

By then I was perspiring, desperately trying to keep calm and patient..

The consultant finally said (after 30/45 mins?!) if still cannot put him to sleep, we have to reschedule the surgery.

I finally asked IZ once more "do you want your friends to be able to hear you speak properly?"

He said "yes".

"Ok, so, do as said. You just need to count to 20"

They made him lie down on the bed..

And so he counted .. up to 19.. and he said "20 already what" and struggled to sit up..

Seeing he was still very awake, they held on him, head, hands, legs and "knock him out" - he struggled while losing consciousness (the hardest moments in my parenting life thus far)

I was near to tears when the staffs thanked me, and I thanked them instead. And packed and left the OT. If I was left alone, I would have cried.

I waited outside as asked, I was trembling.

After a while (10mins later), the young doc came out and announced that the tongue tie was released. It was over in 1 minute. He's prescribed some numbing gel and panadol for the wound. We were to go back for post-surgery review the week after. He said the staffs will let me know when I can go in to see IZ.

My bro and hubby then came up to join me.

Another 20mins later, I was asked to go in and look at IZ in the Recovery Room. There was ONE nurse attached to EACH kid. He was still unconcious. They told me usually the kids will regain consciousness after half hour.

1.5 hours passed.. but he didn't show any sign of waking up - despite attempts to wake him. At one point, he sat up, then he knocked out again.

Consultant then came, and pressed the back of his ears to wake him. He woke up with an "OUCH!" and knocked out again. They agreed he was ok to be released to Day Surgery.

He continued sleeping when we transferred him to Day Surgery. And was still sleeping after I finished my lunch.

The nurse told hubby we had to wake him so that he wouldn't get gastric from empty stomach.

Slowly he managed to be awake, although we could see he was still feeling giddy.

We were discharged at 4pm..

I was then stressed about the pain he would probably feel after the surgery. It wasn't until 3 hours later, he crunched and held his jaw in pain. But he didn't cry and didn't complain. Asked if he was feeling painful, he said Yes.

He went about as usual, except for the occasional pause to breathe in when he felt painful. I was really amazed by his pain tolerance. A strong boy I have.

For his bravery....

Spiderman balloon and Captain America from JiuJiu
Tobot Smart Key from daddy and mommy
A bravery award from the hospital

I was really impressed by KKH service:
1) the flow was really smooth - from one point to another
2) the staffs were really friendly and patient - they treat your precious like their very own
3) the hospital is really children friendly - it's really not called a Children's hospital for nothing!
4) one nurse to one child in the recovery room - taking note of their pulses every interval
5) they called me on the 2nd working day after the surgery to check on IZ's condition

Some minor stuffs:
1) numbing cream do not spread under the plaster.. err..
2) pharmacist went for late lunch, thus not able to deliver medicine - luckily hubby was with us, so we could fetch the medicine ourselves
3) I didn't even know which was the doctor which was the nurse!
4) for sure, there were the same SOP questions asked throughout the flow.. when was the last food, when was the last water, any metals in/on the body etc.. Was there a need for some many rounds? The timing wouldn't change, would they?

Now, I'm looking forward to what doc has to say at the post-surgery review.

Well done, IZ!

Tomorrow is THE DAY..

We rescheduled his surgery from 5th Feb'15 to 12th Feb'15 as his cough and runny nose did not recover within the 10 days time frame. Since rescheduled, he was on the way to recovery and recovered completely well over the 10 days time frame.

But this time frame was the longest ever. I am paranoia, over possibility he'll catch bug and fall sick again. Any sneeze he made, sent a jolt to my heart, maybe like an AED. "not again" I would think. Really stressed to keep up.

Thank goodness, all is well. We avoided crowded places, although he continued going to school and classes.

KKH sent a sms on 9th Feb'15 to call them if he has fever/cough/cold.

Tomorrow is THE DAY.

KKH called me a while ago to give me the fasting instructions (asking again if he has fever/cough/cold for the past 2 weeks):

No food after 12am (milo/milk is ok)
Only water after 3am
No food/drink after 7am

Registration at 9.30am, surgery is estimated to be at 10.30am.

(Gosh, I really don't know how he can fast this long.. will he cry coz he's hungry?)

I have mixed feelings.

Anxious, I pray for his smooth recovery and least pain possible. My heart is aching whenever I think of him crying in pain.

Anticipating, the day has finally come for him to overcome his speech problem (and maybe swallowing problem too).

Worried, that he doesn't improve even after surgery and speech therapies. What should we do?

I've prepared the Tobot Smart Key as a gift. Hopefully that can distract him a little off the pain he may experience.

I pray for a smooth and speedy recovery.

Half day in KKH

It was terribly long few hours yesterday, our first appointment in ENT.

Nice landscape at B1

We were registered by 1.30 pm, did the audio test by 2.15pm. Saw the doc by 2.30pm, made payment, scheduled for the day surgery, it was already 3pm - all in Level 2. Then went to the playground and pharmacy at Level 1. Then went to the Rehabilitation Dept and Day Surgery at Level B1. Then went back to canteen at Level 1. Then went down to Level B1 to catch a cab home.

Yummy OREO!

In the audio room, a set of headphone was placed, and he was to raise his hand whenever he heard any sound. I found it agonizing. It was not a short 10 times trial, but I believe he raised his hands more than 50 times. I understand about different frequency pitches and all, but to see him so near to nap time, so tired yet so excitedly raising his hand (sometimes both hands) when he hear something, and was not allowed to move his legs etc,.. believe me, it was agonizing. So much so I was near to tears. Why does it have to be him going through this? I know.. silly right, it was nothing, but a set of headphone, but I still question, nonetheless.. His hearing was perfect although his ears were covered with ear wax. Errm.. I've never cleaned his ears, to be honest, I thought ears are supposedly "auto-cleansing". Looks like I was wrong.

Then we went to the see the doctor. Information was scattered. I'm not sure if it was because I had blocked my brain (or ears) or had somewhat made up my mind on something. I couldn't digest what the doctor was saying. One moment, she was asking me to fix surgery date. Next moment, she said she could clear the ear wax for him when he is under GA. Next, she said she needs to soften the ear wax with olive oil. And then she said we could do it at home too. Then she said about can fix an appointment just to clear ear wax (not surgery day). Then she said see how it goes. Mostly see how it goes, so how will it go?

Anyway, I decided he should go for the surgery. Doctor said it'll be using laser (knife / scissor.. I couldn't remember) and there will not be a single drop of blood. What a relief. Have to undergo GA for 5-10 mins and that the cutting will be done in the count of 5. "1, 2, 3, 4, 5, done" she said.

The doctor was so kind to tell me that she could prescribe something for his runny nose and cough. Very much appreciated, then I could skip the trip to Sinsei!

So we waited to make payment. Both the audio and the nurse at the doctor said "I cannot give you a candy as you are coughing". The payment counter, was attended by a lady who was transferred from the Eye dept. This is when you feel like you know KKH that well. Like oh ya, I've been to both departments! The lady offered IZ a balloon, he said he wanted green, and he got the last green.

Happy boy with his reward

Then we had to wait to fix appointment for the day surgery.

While waiting, I was shoved a piece of paper for the Rehabilitation Department to schedule for his speech therapy. Yup, speech therapy is essential to train him how to speak properly with his "new tongue". I shivered thinking the waiting list of 6 months.

Surgeries are available only on Mon and Thu. I chose Thu and the earliest possible. Hubby has been really busy, and I do not think there's a need for both parents to be around (although it'd be nice if so). Only a parent is allowed to company anyway, so I guess we'll just go ahead, with or without daddy. Thursday is also a good day so that he doesn't skip too many days of school (and me, work).

BUT........ we'll not know what time is the surgery until the day before. They'll call us from 4-6pm to inform us of the time and the fasting instruction. EH?!

By then, he has been bugging me about playing at the playground, and me holding on to 3 tasks, ie. to get prescribed medicine in the pharmacy, to go to the day surgery to get the cost, and to rehabilitation dept for speech therapy appointment.

Felt bad that I didn't keep my promise (playground after seeing doctor - of which I broke coz we had to wait for our turn to make payment, and wait for our turn to make appointment for day surgery), I let him play for 15 mins.

Then it was another waiting game at the pharmacy. We waited close to 50mins in total to get the prescriptions, which were heavily subsidized. For a small bottle of Zrytec, a packet of Fluimicil, a bottle of virgin olive oil and another flu/cough syrup, it cost us only S$11+.  Oh, not to mention, we had to queue to make the payment too.

All this while, I was worried about him skipping nap. Like what if he suddenly knock out and want to nap, how do I carry him with all the barang-barang and the tasks in hand?

So in order to perk him up a little, I told him we could have his favorite egg prata after we're done. Big mistake, later on, I tried to change the direction to Saybons / Delifrance where I could have better yumcha, he refused, and insisted to have egg prata. :-/

Before yumcha, we went to the Rehabilitation Department to make appointment for the speech therapy. I was very lucky as there were toys and tables there to keep him occupied. He was very happy while I waited for our turn and given a date, 1 week from the surgery. woohoo! I was so happy and felt lucky that we do not have to wait 6 months! Maybe because he has to undergo surgery, so therapy should start immediately otherwise he will not use his tongue properly? Asking him to head to Day Surgery was not easy. He said he wanted to stay there coz he was having fun. I told him we'll be back next month (not exactly a good thing, but that's the truth).

At the Day Surgery, he found something to keep himself occupied too. So the helpful lady printed out something called Financial Counseling Form (if I remember correctly). It'll cost us S$541 for the day surgery including GA and 3 hours rest. He has to be able to eat and drink without problem before releasing. If we decided to stay beyond the 3 hours, it'll be chargeable (obviously). We can pay using Medisave first and claim insurance thenafter.

Finally, it was yumcha time. That, we had to wait too. There were 2 customers before us. Telling me he would eat a little bit, I ordered just ONE egg prata and waited. The Indonesian lady before us with 2 kids ordered Indian rojak and 2 pratas but she didn't have enough money. She had $10 only while the whole cost was $11.80. Right away, I wanted to jump in and pay for her. But something held me back. She ordered banana prata, tissue prata with chocholate and a big plate of rojak. So, I was not sure if she genuinely calculated wrongly or not. She asked the stall to keep the rojak, who refused, saying he cut already he can't take it back. I decided that even if she is not telling the truth (that she didn't have enough money with her), I would do a good deed. Not just for her, for myself too. It's only $1.80 anyway.

IZ decided the prata was too nice to be shared. I only took 2 bites and he finished the rest. I couldn't buy another one as queue was building up.

Yummy prata!

Even the queue for the cab was terrible. It was 5+. On the way back, IZ nearly doze off. I had to keep him engaged and entertained. When we reached our block, he could have fallen asleep while walking. It was not easy to keep him awake for the next 2 hours and gave him medicine before knocking out completely at 8.20pm when my yoga class started!

Oh ya, dropped the olive oil into his ear yesterday and I saw some came out today. Hopefully it'll get better and need not help from the doctor.

He has to be in best of health for 10 days leading to the surgery. So if he still has runny nose or coughing by next week or we have to reschedule, EVERYTHING!

Tongue-Tied..

I can't remember if I've shared IZ has pronunciation problem, especially with f, s, c. We noticed since he started talking, ie. when he could answer when strangers asked him "what's your name?"

The most irony about the mispronunciation has always been his look when he has to repeat his name, sometimes twice, sometimes thrice, and many a times, we have to jump in to "save him". Strangers will then go "Oh, IZ!"

His form teacher once told us not to worry about his pronunciation as he was too young. In the last PTM, she told us she was worried of his pronunciation as he didn't show improvement although she had been correcting him for a year.

I thought of monitoring him this year as he progressed to K1. I've checked the cost of speech therapies last year, and it would cost us BOMBS.

Not sure what struck me. I started googling more information about his pronunciation problem and got really worried on Monday. I wrote to a fellow mommy with similar experience in SMH and asked if she could share her experience.

Her information was very helpful. And it was frightening as she shared that her son withdrew coz of speech problem. I started to panic and immediately made appointment to Polyclinic for referral to KKH. I confirmed that would be a cheaper way.

So doctor did an assessment and concluded that his speech problem could be due to tongue-tied (short frenulum). She said "a minor surgery" could be done to solve this. If not, speech therapy would do.

She referred us to KKH ENT for further review.

Appointment was made on 16th Feb'15, but I called earlier today to check if there was possibilities to change to other dates. Kinderland would be having CNY performance on the 16th, I wouldn't want IZ to miss out the fun for hospital visit.

Luck was on our side, the lady who answered the phone actually gave me 22nd Jan'15 instead! How lucky!

I'm very anxious, nervous, worried, all jumbled up. And a little in denial too.

I remember how I was treading very carefully between correcting his pronunciation mildly and not over-doing it so that he doesn't withdraw and never speak again.

I remember how anxious I am every time people ask him to repeat what he said and correct him. At times making fun of him.

I remember how I've threatened him to speak properly, pronounce accurately by telling him if he doesn't, we would have to go for doctors and it'll cost us money, thus we won't be able to afford to go on holidays. Little did I know, he actually couldn't help it! :-(

Now that I'm reading more about the surgery, all the more I pray not to be put through this agony.

Although it's a minor surgery, I don't think my frail heart can see him in pain in any way.

Please Lord Buddha, I pray to you. Please give us strength. If there's anything wrong I've done in my past lives, please let the Karma be on me instead of the little one.

Added on 15th Jan'15:

Apparently heart-shaped tongue is not exactly normal. It could affect our pronunciation to certain extent. To some, severe mis-pronunciation, to some, very minor.