This time was for dental work.
Taking your kid to the dentist is generally a less than desirable event. Now imagine your child has autism and that everything is a constant assault on his senses. Because of this I sought out the best special needs dentist in our area. His first visit was a simple checkup, and they really only counted his teeth. Without x-rays, they could already see what needed to be done. The plan was to schedule an OR at CHOC, knock everything out in one visit, and then instill healthy trips to the dentist to reduce anxiety.
I was so pleased with her plan of action that I got right to work on our part. By the Grace of God we got our insurance to approve an out-of-the-ordinary expense, so we scheduled our CHOC appointment as soon as we could.
Children's Hospital of Orange County is an amazing hospital to say the least. Not only do they have some of the best doctors and staff in the country, but their process for ASD families is extraordinary.
We arrived one hour prior to surgery {the usual is two} to decrease our wait time, which in turn decreases anxiety. We didn't have to check in, we just walked straight to security to get our stickers and our paperwork.
Auntie Christy {Tj's sister, who happens to be a Child Life Specialist} met us in her adorable blue scrubs. Caleb stopped in his tracks when she noticed that she looked like hospital personnel.
Caleb has a serious phobia of elevators {sigh...} so Christy walked us up the stairwell to the OR floor.
Caleb was pretty mesmerized by these racing bubbles.
We didn't have to wait long before we were in our room.
Auntie Christy had prepared us with a lot. We had a bag of practice tools at home, and she even printed a picture slide-show of what Caleb was going to expect. We checked off each thing as we completed them {vital signs, changing into jammies, drinking the pink medicine etc}.
He even got to put scented chapstick on his anesthesia mask before he went back. He picked banana.
After he drank a sedative that made him loopy and giggly, he stared down the hall {into nothing}, and said "Mom...LOOK...DOWN THERE!" ...where, Bug?
"Mom! I'm sleeping! I DID IT!!"
"Hiiiiiiiii Daaaaaaaad! Hahahahahahaha!"
He had no problem at all being wheeled into the OR, and lucky us, Auntie Christy got to accompany him until he was asleep {this picture is from her}.
After a recharge at Starbucks and the delicious cafeteria {seriously, so good}, we got a mini tour.
Did you know they have their very own Turtle Talk with Crush?! Hello! AMAZING.
I literally hadn't been in CHOC for ten years, and they've done so many amazing improvements to it.
Seacrest Studios, where Ryan Seacrest frequents {as do fancy guests}.
This is the most recent addition, a theatre room for patients.
TJ showing off his bball skillz in the youth play room.
After our mini tour, we said goodbye to our beloved Christygirl and headed upstairs to wait.
The whole procedure took about two hours. They took full x-rays, filled cavities, and took care of a few other things. One thing about Caleb is he won't say something hurts unless it really hurts, and by that time unfortunately, when it comes to teeth, it's just about too late to be preventative.
He had a few popsicles and we were ready to check out. He was pretty calm coming out of anesthesia, we were so pleased. The only thing he pitched a fit about was how we left; he couldn't walk on his own because he was so groggy, but he couldn't sit in a wheelchair because wheelchairs don't go down stairs, and we have to go down the stairs because he's afraid of elevators. Oy. SO TJ had to carry him, and he didn't like "being carried like a baby" haha! How's that for independence?!
As always, God's sovereign hand was in everything and we're so thankful for everyone's prayers and encouragement. I'm just so thankful we were there under such minor circumstances. Thanks again to Grandma for watching Lilly Belle, and once again, Good Job Bug.
No comments:
Post a Comment