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The Green Eyed Lady Blog

Parenting & Lifestyle Blog By Carissa Godbott

2 Surgical Procedures in One Summer (5 Ways to Get Through It)…

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All Images © Craig Dugan Photography 2016

 

Whew! This summer has been flying by! I know you are thinking from the title, WOW Emma is having another procedure. But the answer is No, its not Emma its DJ! DJ will be getting Ear Tubes today (written a couple of days ago). My mind and anxiety this summer have been at an all time high! Even though this is considered a minor procedure, any procedure when anesthesia’s involved is major !

 
Over the last year DJ has had about 6 ear infections, it seems like once we get rid of one he has another one. And if he doesn’t have a full blown infection then he is messing with his ears.

Mama can’t take it anymore…when it was presented to us from the doctor we decided it was the best decision for him. Also, with having so many infections being on antibiotics we didn’t want him to become immune to them.
 
Sometimes I sit back and think how did Darrick and I become experts on children’s surgery. I’m not an expert but we have been through our far share, so I like to share what we know so we can help others. We came into Emma having many surgeries, and a lot of stuff we had to learn on our own. But I don’t want others to go through the process on their own or alone so I share what I know!
 

How do you get through a summer when both children have surgical procedures that have to be done?

 
When the ENT first said she wanted to do ear tubes it was before Emma’s procedure in June. She said we could do both of them in the same day but I said ABSOLUTELY NOT! There is no way I would’ve made it through both of my children having procedures at one time! NO WAY!!!
 

I am sharing 5 things that help us get through surgery with less stress!

 
Lots of Prayer…from the time that we are told about surgery until the day of and throughout the process, we are praying! We request prayers of family, friends, church family, blog readers, random people! We can never have enough prayers, and I ask for your prayers as you read this for DJ! We pray for DJ (of course), but we also pray for the doctors, nurses, anesthesiologist, and anyone that steps foot into the operating room! We pray for their minds, hands, and protection over our child! We pray for it ALL!! I don’t know if they’re are believers but I cover them while they have my baby in the operating room!
 
Talk Until You’re Comfortable…I’m a crier, Darrick is more of a talker-we balance each other! When we talk I usually talk and cry, but it’s a good release! Communication is VITAL during this time! We have to be on the same page about EVERYTHING! There have been times during surgery when one person goes for a break and doctors come out for decisions, but we trust each other enough to make the right decisions no matter if both are present or not.
 
Have Fun With Each Other…leading up to surgery we make sure we have lots of fun together. This has been a tradition we started with Emma and we did DJ the same way. After church the day before surgery we took the kids to the biggest candy store b. a. Sweeties Candy Company in the city to have a little fun candy shopping.

Don’t let your thoughts consume you…as moms we worry! We worry about EVERYTHING, what could happen, what is going to happen, what happens afterwards…ANY and EVERYTHING! But its important to not let your mind wonder during this time. This will be our third child having surgery and although all of them have been successful surgeries its easy to drive yourself crazy! So if that is consuming yourself with a book, your phone, the computer…ANYTHING!

Play Your Part (Darrick’s Suggestion)…No matter how many times we have been through these procedures we are not experts. We come into each situation as if it is our first time dealing with surgery with our child. We listen to all the directions, ask questions if we don’t understand and have the doctors explain what they will be doing in “laymen’s terms.” Find a doctor that you can trust and let them do their jobs.

Have you had a child that has had to go through a surgical procedure? If so, what did you do to make the process less stressful for you?

And once again, as you finish reading this I ask that you whisper a prayer for our munchkin! Thank You! 

#GodIsInControl