Tubes In, Tonsils Out

Well, it's done. Today 5-year old Bub had tubes put in his ears and his tonsils removed. The surgery itself went well, my only complaint is that I was very specific in my instructions that he was not, under any circumstance, to be awake without me being with him. He has Asperger's and much anxiety comes with that, and I did not want him to be more anxious than he already was. I was very clear about that. I was able to stay with him while he was put under (which really frightened him and broke my heart) and then I left the operating room. Of course, I cried simply because 1) he was having surgery, 2) he looked so scared, and 3) seeing him go limp looked like he had died. It was unnerving. 

Then we waited. Finally they let us know he was okay and shortly thereafter, we got to see him. Even though I was clear with my instructions, he was awake and sitting up when we got back there. And he looked so sad. SO sad. I was ticked, needless to say. I ran to him and comforted him and let the nurse know I was upset. She tried to make light of the situation, but there was nothing about it that I found to be okay. If he had been a non-verbal autistic, they wouldn't have thought twice about making sure we were there when he woke up. But, because he looks "normal", has a great vocabulary, and seems logical and capable of being reasoned with, they made their own judgment. And that's not okay. He was so rattled and upset that he just cried and cried. His anxiety was so high he couldn't even make eye contact. Then, he out and out refused to speak. To us, but especially to them, which was actually really funny in a way. They'd ask him something, and he'd look away. He hated them for not getting me there faster, as did I. 




All the anxiety-inducing stuff aside, we've had some really funny moments in all this. First one was a few days before his surgery, he asked me, "When they take out my tonsils, will they put in new ones?". Then today, before the surgery, Bub decided he was a bunny, because bunnies don't have to get their tonsils out. Then was the moment he's been waiting for. We've been talking about this one for a week or so, and he finally got his chance in the car on the way home. Both boys were in the back seat and Bub looks at his brother and says, "Hey, where are your tonsils?" Goober answers, "In my mouth." To which Bub replies, "Oh yeah, well mine are in a trash can!" 
The funniest one came when we got home. I told Bub he could get up and play in spurts, but he needed to rest a lot. I said, "Just make sure you're listening to what your body is telling you. If you're tired, lay down. Make sure and drink lots and lots too." So, he sat on the floor to play, then told me that his body was telling him to rest. He laid down on the couch for a few minutes, then got up to get a coloring book. I said, "Whatcha doin?" to which he replied, "I'm listening to my body and right now it's bored." I almost peed my pants because I laughed so hard.Currently he's cracking us up because he's on codeine (aw, baby's first narcotics ) and he's being so silly. He's barely talking because his throat hurts and he's thinking of the most random things to say. Nothing is funny enough to dictate here, but funny simply because he's not being his usual self.  
So, here's hoping this is worth it. He took 30 antibiotics last year for strep and ear infections (yes, you read that right...THIRTY), so this had better help. Otherwise, it isn't worth it.