It's ear tube surgery, and very minor, as far as surgery goes- it'll be about 20 minutes total. We should be home by noon. This will be his second set of tubes, too. He had surgery before, in July 2009, but those tubes, as they're meant to, fell out at some point recently, and he subsequently had three ear infections in three months, which is the magic number they look for.
He has inherited this tendency towards ear infections from my side of the family. My brother and sister, neither of whom have immune issues, also got frequent ear infections as children, but neither of them ever needed tubes. I did, at age seven, so I remember a great deal of that whole deal.
My biggest concern about tomorrow really isn't about his physical well-being- he's had this surgery before, and come through fine, and I've had this surgery before, and obviously lived to tell the tale. I also trust his doctor absolutely. My concern is for his emotions- he's already quite nervous. We just told him about the surgery over the weekend; I figured there was no point in having him worry even longer than that. Also, he and I took a tour of the surgical center yesterday where he'll be having the surgery.
Looking back on my childhood, with all my medical woes, I don't remember my father being there for much. I do, however, remember my mother. My mother has always been a force of nature, a veritable god to me. No matter what I had to do- spend a week in hospital for various tests, surgery, multiple x-rays and blood draws- my mother was always there, firm and calm and strong. She is the one who has never allowed me to pity myself, or limit myself because of my health. She raised me as she would have any kid, and never treated me as sick. I only hope that I can be as strong for my son, not only tomorrow, but all his life, as she has always been for me.
No comments:
Post a Comment