Dylan and his T&A . . . and not in a good way

So what's a parent's constant hope and prayer? That their children remain healthy so they can grow into healthy, productive citizen. So then the opposite of this is that their child has some type of health issue. While not a complete heart-stopping worrisome condition, Dylan was seen by his pediatrician during a recent appointment and I mentioned that one of his tonsils looked enlarged. Dr. Kelly checked it out and decided it would be a good idea to have him seen by an otolaryngologist (ENT - the ear, nose and throat doc) just to be sure that it wasn't anything too serious.

Now let me provide a bit of back story -

At age 6, he is now in first grade. Beginning last year (which, in fact, was his second year in school because he went to all day pre-K at our then local elementary school), both he and Drew got caught up in some county restructuring in our school system and they both began a different school than the previous year because the school boundaries were redrawn. Also last year, Dylan began exhibiting some behavioral issues in school - acting out, falling out, being disobedient, etc. And the only thing that changed in his life was a different school location which, in my opinion, should not have caused these adverse behaviors.

Okay, so we traveled to the lovely campus of the Georgetown University Hospital for his first visit to a "specialist" to see if this enlarged tonsil was causing any unseen impacts on my man Dylan. Dr. Earl Harley came in, examined Dylan (and quite honestly Dylan grilled him about a million things too so he kind of was examined by Dylan LOL) and asked me a bunch of questions. I expressed my major concern that maybe this enlarged tonsil was causing him some issues with sleep and maybe that was, in turn, causing Dylan to exhibit these behavior issues in school because maybe he wasn't sleeping as soundly or properly as he should.

Dr. Harley then ordered Dylan to participate in a sleep study to determine if my concerns could be substantiated. So on the Thursday before school started, Dylan and I headed right back over to the Sleep Center at GU hospital for an overnight stay. Our sleep technologist, Ali, got us settled into a room and we hung out for a while as he got the equipment together. Eventually he came back in after Dylan had changed into some pajamas and proceeded to attached numerous probes to Dylan's legs, chest and all over his head and face - to monitor his brain wave activity, eye and muscle movements, oxygen saturation, carbon dioxide levels, and respitory and heart rates. By the time he was all hooked up, he looked like something out of a movie.

I had taken off that day because we had a meet and greet at the boys' school to meet their new teachers and view their classrooms and then we ran the streets a bit so I could kind of tire Dylan out so he'd sleep. So it wasn't too long after Ali hooked him up and checked all of his connections that Dylan was out like the light in the room. I was assigned a fairly uncomfortable recliner until Dylan fell asleep. I wasn't able to lay in the bed with him because they film him while sleeping too. But, fortunately for me, the Sleep Center wasn't at capacity so Ali was able to allow me to sleep in another room in the suite so we both were able to sleep pretty soundly.

Ali awoke me around 6ish so that I could be back in the room when he woke Dylan up. Then Ali came into Dylan's room, woke him, and began to remove all the probes and stuff. We brushed our teeth, washed our faces and changed back into our clothes and that was it. I then took Dylan out to breakfast at McDonald's and then home. Unfortunately for me, I had to work so I showered, dressed and did my usual work routine of going to the Metro and heading downtown.

I called Dr. Harley's office about two weeks later to see what the results were from the sleep study and to see if I needed to schedule a follow-up appointment. I was trying to coincide this appointment with a day out of school because school is now in session. A few days later Dr. Harley called me back and said that the sleep study did show that Dylan has slight sleep apnea - meaning he stops breathing during his sleep (SCARY) and he recommends that Dylan have a tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy - surgery.

Now I admit I am a little nervous about my baby having to have surgery, however routine it may be and pretty noninvasive as far as being cut externally. But he will have to be anesthesized and that gives me pause. And he'll also be out of commision for about a week and now that school's in session, this can present a slight challenge. So, because I'd hate to ruin his Christmas, we're scheduled for the Friday before Thanksgiving. He'll miss about three days of school and I'll probably miss a portion of my sanity before it's all said and done.

But there are some advantages to this entire process that I'm hoping for:

• his throat will be so sore for a few days, he may actually be quiet (did I mention Dylan is the loudest of my children?)
• we may not have any more bouts of croup, not that I even know if the tonsils situation is related to him having croup, but a mom can hope can't she?
• he may lose a few pounds after his "soft" diet in recovery
• any adverse affect that this has been causing in his behavior should be long gone

Either way, keep he and I in your prayers as we deal with this procedure. I'm a bit nervous but I know that we'll be fine. I can't even think any other way - gotta keep it positive. Hopefully, he'll still be able to have some of our usual Thanksgiving regalia and enjoy recovering in his new bed and room (that's a whole other post that'll be done sooner than this surgery I hope).

Following are pics from the Sleep Center visit:

Dylan, checking in as a in-out patient

checking out the room and remote

a big bed for once

Ali getting the sensors ready

probing him up

more sensors

a few more to go

all connected

how do I look?

about to pass out

A Great Summer Deal - at the Newseum

The boys and I took advantage of a really good deal that was being offered by the Newseum http://www.blogger.com/www.newseum.org - their Family Fun Deal where up to 10 kids got free admission with each adult ticket purchase from July 1st through Labor Day for all youth visitors ages 18 and younger. This was a savings of $12.95 plus tax for both Davon and Drew (Dylan and Nic would have been free anyway because they are both 6 and under). So for about $20, the boys and I spent an afternoon at this unique and fascinating museum chronicling many historic events through the eyes of journalists.

We began on the concourse level of the museum and viewed an exhibit entitled Athlete featuring numerous photographs by famed Sports Illustrated photographer Walter Iooss. There were pics of Serena Williams, Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan, Michael Phelps, Muhammed Ali and Joe Frazier, Brett Favre and many others. Then we stopped into one of the many theaters and watched a video about the history of Sports Reporting and the emergence of ESPN as the premiere sports channel. Then we saw pieces of the Berlin Wall and a Death Tower, a three-story tall tower housing guards and search lights, one of three-hundred that bordered the Berlin Wall.

panels from the Berlin Wall

my dudes in front of the wall

Then we walked through another exhibit entitled G-Men and Journalists which excited Dylan who currently has ambitions of being an FBI agent. This was interesting and interactive and featured many of their famous cases, including FBI in popular culture like GI Joe, the X files, and cartoonish stuff. There were exhibits about the Lindberg kidnapping, Patty Hearst artifacts, gangsters, the Unabomber cabin, and a whole exhibit about the DC Sniper case, which included pictures and a mock up of the trunk of the Caprice they used to unexpectedly spread terror in the DC area.

Then we took a glass express elevator up to the sixth floor and began to work our way down.

the view from the elevator

The sixth floor also features access to the Pennsylvania Avenue Terrace, where you can walk outside and get a bird's eye breathtaking view of one of the major thoroughfares in the city. The terrace also features displays chronicling the importance and history of this historic street.

Then we walked through several other exhibits including Covering Katrina about journalism's response to the massive storm and the challenges in reporting after the storm. The exhibit included the front pages of papers from every state as well as some international papers where Katrina was the headline in the days following the storm. There were also two Pulitzer Prizes on display for articles written post-Katrina. This was an emotional exhibit to say the least. http://www.newseum.org/exhibits-and-theaters/temporary-exhibits/katrina/index.html


Then we went into yet another theater and saw video about the media's impact on the Civil Rights Movement and how media coverage helped garner support for it. We walked through the Story of News which was a huge display with newspapers and timelines. We walked through the Journalists Memorial, a beautiful etched glass wall, memorializing those who have lost their lives covering the news. We walked through the World News Gallery which showed the differences in news coverage around the world, showing how press freedom differs.


The final exhibit we got a chance to see prior to the Newseum's closing was the 9/11 exhibit. This was probably the most emotional part of our visit for me. The exhibit is centered around a damaged portion of the communications antenna that was on top of one of the fallen towers. There was also a video featuring an interview of the widow of photojournalist William Biggart who perished covering the attacks as well as some of his final photos. There was also heartbreaking video of news coverage and interviews with journalists following the terrorist attack, called "Running Toward Danger."



There were many more exhibits that we didn't get a chance to see (two entire floors - I really wanted to see Tim Russert's office and the First Dogs exhibits) and I'd definitely take advantage of a deal and visit again. Overall this was a great excuse to come into the city and if you get the chance I highly recommend it.

To see what all you've been missing, check out this link http://www.newseum.org/plan-your-visit/10-top-things-to-see/index.html and put it on your list of things to see in the DMV.