The New Ella

Ella is well! Yay! Huge sigh of relief.

Things went very well this morning and we were home in 2 hours.

When I arrived, Ella was a bit unsure and kept "pinky" close by. Her thumb was her comfort. She stayed in my lap while we talked to the anesthesiologist, nurses, and doctor.

They informed us that they would be giving Ella "happy juice" so that she would separate from us easily. I had no idea "happy juice" = totally wasted. Within ten minutes the child was so drunk she could hardly function. She stared at Andy's hand for a long time.

Drunk baby.

The surgery went well. The doctor said he drained a lot of fluid. He told us she would notice an immediate difference in her hearing which was really great. Ella woke up from anesthesia very peacefully which was surprising to the nurses. She was starving and drank juice and ate crackers. She hadn't had anything to eat or drink in 15 hours. They let us leave (without pain meds!) since Ella was doing so well.

When we were driving home Ella started crying. By the time we got home she was hysterical and screamed for a solid hour. She wouldn't let me near her and wouldn't even let us touch her. She laid on the floor sobbing. I eventually called CHOP back and asked what we should do. I was regretting not getting the pain medication for her before we left (they would have administered it there). The nurse reassured me that this was a normal delayed exit reaction and that she needed to just work it out. This is what she did for an hour (but without sucking her thumb for most of it).
It was so sad.

Andy came home from the pharmacy with chocolate and decided to give Ella some. I was unsure but it worked!! The nurse on the phone said, "Chocolate is good! Whatever works!" so I went with it. A small bag of Cadbury Mini Eggs later and she was happy again!

She took a short nap and awoke her happy self. We already notice that she's much steadier on her feet! Unreal! She has been a very wobbly walker for months and she's walking steady for the first time.

Lilly's first words when I picked her up from school were, "How's Ella and how are her ears?" When she got home she kissed her and looked in each ear. She saw the blood and gook and said, "Oh my poor baby." I'm so glad she has empathy!

Thank you for thinking of Ella today. We really appreciate your thoughts and prayers.