Joe is fixed at last!

Just over 3 weeks ago we came home from a longer than planned stay at West Suffolk Hospital.

Joe's operation to remove his tonsils and adenoids was arranged for Thursday 11th August and I expected us to come home same day. FOOL!

The operation itself went well, Joe was very cross when he came round and again required several nurses and me to hold him down, and even then we failed miserably! He refused medicine because it wasn't from home - appeared to think they may be poisoning him with calpol! With many more bruises we got him back to the ward where after a while he picked up and played on the ps2 happily all evening. They said we had to stay in just incase so Uncle Neil very kindly stayed with Joe to play FIFA (not one of my many talents!) while I went home to get supplies. All was well.

Next morning Joe was still asleep when the docs did ward rounds but they said overnight stats had been good and he could go home so long as he ate breakfast ok.
Joe finally woke up and was not happy. He wouldn't eat and was really drowsy. I left him with the lovely Leigh in the playroom when he requested smarties (by now I'm not caring what he eats, just want him to eat!) and when I returned less than 5 minutes later he was in bed. Leigh said he was just so lethargic he didn't want to play. Joe then refused smarties (never heard of!) and his temperature started to rise. Without eating he couldn't have ibruprofen so when his temp got scarily high he was given morphine which allowed him to sleep and then he felt well enough to eat. Weekend cover at WSH does not stretch to ENT department so after a worrying few hours where Addenbrookes was threatened (I cried when the doc told me, was like April 2010 happening all over again) they agreed that as the operation side of things seemed to be healing as expected and xrays were clear of chest infections, this may be just a virus and the paediatricians would take over Joe's care for the weekend. PHEW!

Friday night came and food was eaten, more ibruprofen given, the night passed well and come Saturday morning we were clear to go home - so long as he ate breakfast! Given the experience of the day before I told Joe he HAD to eat breakfast, I didn't care what but he had to eat as we couldn't go home if he didn't.
Joe informed me he had no intention of going home, he would like to stay at the hospital and play ps2 actually. After being told that mummy was going home whether it was with him or not he decided perhaps eating breakfast would be a good idea after all!!!

We were discharged Saturday afternoon and the change in Joe has been amazing. He has had his follow-up and been discharged.

For the last 16 months we have had very little fun, Joe had been tired all the time, he couldn't breathe properly if he exercised, he couldn't cope with pre-school and it's been pretty miserable.
Now, Joe has cycled over a mile on his little bike with stabilisers to Granny's house, we have been out lots picking blackberries and geocaching, he no longer sounds like darth vadar and we can have FUN again!
Of course, he still has his stroppy 4 year old moments but I can live with those, because they are just moments and they show how much we have all missed out on over the last year when those moments lasted all day, every day.

Matthew is thrilled to have his brother back properly, without the boring constraints he had before, although he says he often has to check on Joe at night because (like the rest of us) he is so used to Joe breathing very noisily that he worries Joe has stopped breathing now that he can't hear him!!!

The doctors said that Joe's tonsils met in the middle and his adenoids blocked his nasal airway entirely. It's no wonder he struggled so much and brilliant to see the difference it has made to him.

Here's to Joe's first day at school on Wednesday and to a happy and healthy end to the year!