Tonsillectomy Recovery Must-Haves

Well, we're ending a year-long throat-infection battle with a tonsillectomy. My 4.5 year old, Jane, has been sick every 5/6 weeks for the last year. We've had 9 throat infections in the past 10 moths and countless more before that! At baseline, her tonsils were rated a 3/4 by an ENT and at our last visit, they had progressed to a 4+ and we've decided it's time to have them removed. As scared and nervous as we are to put Jane under and deal with the grueling recovery that comes along with it, we know it's what's best for her in the long run!

I'm sure I'll have many more updates through the process of surgery and recovery; but for now, I wanted to share a list of must-have items that I've prepared for Jane post-op.

Make-Shift Medicine Caddie | Humidifier | Ice Cream Maker | Motrin | Tylenol | Paw Patrol Pouches | Warmie | Capped Syringes

A cool-mist humidifier was the first thing on my list to lessen throat dryness secondary to mouth-breathing during recovery. I love this one because it's a great price for the size, run-time (25 hours!), and look.

I'm planning to make my own makeshift medicine caddie to help keep medication administration organized. I'm purchasing two of these acrylic brush holders and I'll keep one upstairs (for middle of the night) and one downstairs. The doctor wants us to rotate Tylenol and Ibuprofen every 3 hours/all day and night for 7-10 days (if it sounds exhausting, it's because it is going to be... but it's better. to stay on top of the pain!). I always get dye-free Tylenol and Ibuprofen from Amazon because they always have the best price on 8oz bottles. I plan on pre-drawing each dose into a capped syringe (Jane's does is 7.5mL, so 10mL syringes are perfect) and organizing them in the makeshift caddie.

Jane is a picky eater, but will likely try anything with paw patrol characters on the packaging. I love these paw patrol pouches because they're organic and have a variety of fruit in each pouch. Jane loves all of them, but especially likes the "Really Raspberry" flavor. Her throat will be sore for a while, so I've been planning soft, cold (and warm!), easy-to-eat foods. Santa brought Jane this homemade ice-cream maker last year and I'm so glad we have it. Not only does homemade ice cream taste better than store bought, but it also gives us a passive activity to do to pass time. It's also great because we can make non-dairy options in case her stomach is sensitive! I also am thinking about getting these unicorn popsicle molds to make our own popsicles.

Lastly, for comfort, I'm grabbing Jane this unicorn warmie. I LOVE this product because it's so easy to use and it's so comforting to her when she's sick. Pop it in the microwave for 15-30 seconds and then run it upstairs under the covers. It has a slight lavender smell, which Jane loves, and it warms her bed before hopping in!

While I'm so nervous for the next few weeks to come, I'm so glad that we're making moves to keep Jane healthy and well. Thank you in advance for all of the prayers and love... I'll be sure to update as soon as she's in recovery!