After the horrors of yesterday morning, including sobs from Christopher about a headache that felt "like a machine gun in my head" and the need to hit the school nurse's office for pain medicine by 9:00 a.m., I called the surgeon's office. The nurse assured me that he should be able to eat and drink without pain or restriction at this point, and that if he wasn't yet doing that then his headaches were likely due to dehydration. Kids often try to eat and drink too early, have a bad experience, and then put it off beyond when they need to.
She suggested getting him his favorite meal, even if it's McDonald's, including a giant soda -- basically anything to get him re-hydrated and believing that he can eat again. Making it a hamburger and fries would encourage him to try to eat. The soda would get liquids -- any liquids -- into his body and solving the headache problem.
Yesterday, we did so and he was so much better after getting food and liquid in him. We're going to do the same today -- just to make sure he's in the habit of eating and drinking normal food. It will solve the issue of hydration as well as making different soft meals for him. She also suggested that we encourage that he take the narcotic at night to assure good sleep (for him, as well as us -- the rest will help him heal). She suggested we offer another soda or slurpee the next day if he took the medicine the night before.
The result? He's hydrated, has a full belly, is acting less difficult to be around, and slept through the night for the first time since surgery. Truly -- the turn around has been miraculous. So, thanks to God, thanks to the nurse in the surgeon's office, and yes, even thanks to McDonald's....
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