Another kid, another surgery

Alex is going to have his tonsils and adenoids removed next month. We just saw the surgeon today. (same doctor who did Ella's tubes and we LOVE HIM!)

Poor Alex has had off and on respiratory infections, plus pneumonia twice, but the major problems were his speech and his development.

Because his tonsils and adenoids are so large, he speaks like a kid with a plugged nose all the time, even though he is not congested. The surgeon told us today that Alex cannot move any air at all through his nose, and the surgery itself should help him avoid speech therapy. That's huge, because sometimes, I think I'm the only one who can understand him.

Also, at his well child visit last week, the doctor became concerned because in spite of an increase in height, Alex is still only in the 19th percentile for weight. He's been in the upper 20th percentile since he had that nasty bout of the rotovirus when he was almost 2. But now I've noticed that he won't eat anything he has to chew for very long, because he can't breathe through his nose. Laura and I noticed how LONG it takes him to eat something as simple as a peanut butter sandwich. It would take him more than an hour to finish a meal, and he just doesn't have that attention span, so he doesn't eat enough. The surgeon asked me if he steered clear of meats, chews candies, etc.. and it totally makes sense.

He snores, he's tired and still needs naps because his sleep is interrupted by his breathing the surgeon says many kids like him will be misdiagnosed with ADHD, when they're just exhausted and undernourished from this condition.

We decided to keep him out of preschool for another semester or maybe another year to get this resolved. It could be a huge life changer for him! He was a champ today when the shot a decongestant and lidocaine up his nose, then put in a scope to look at his adenoids. I was so proud of him for being such a brave little man!