The Band Aid

Charlotte hates band aids. As in 100%,flat out REFUSAL to put one on, despite the fact that sometimes it's necessary. She'll kick, scream, cry, and whine if I even suggest putting an itty bitty little band aid on any body part. She cries when she sees someone else wearing one.

Now, I haven't the foggiest idea about where this phobia comes from, especially because it seems like every other kid on the planet loves to put a cool looking band aid on the every day scrapes and booboos that come with being a 2 year old. But, my kid's definitely one of a kind, so we just go with it.

On the flip side though, booboos are the BIGGEST deal in the world. We are dealing with a little drama queen here, so it's not surprising that even now we hear about a blister she had 3 months ago, or a scrape that's been non existant for EONS already.

Bearing this in mind, you can imagine my fear of her reaction on needing surgery to repair an umbilical hernia. After the terrible time we had holding her down for an ultrasound on her little belly,(it will forever make me laugh that the report from that ultrasound says "The baby was unco-operative"), I decided it would be best to mentally prepare myself for the screams, the tantrums, the physical flopping, flailing, and kicking that I just KNEW would take place the day of surgery.

We got to Children's hospital and began the process of trying to undress her to put her in the gown they had prepared. The nurse put numbing cream on her hands and covered it with the clear plastic tape. As she kicked and screamed because it was not her idea, I was like, "oh boy, and it starts! We're in for the worst."

But the wonderful thing at Children's is that all the staff are there because they love kids. They see these kids at their worst, and they still have so much compassion for them. And they brought bubbles. And a little hospital buddy that Charlotte got to colour. And they have video games. And tv. And crafts. After a little bit, my little monkey was so distracted that she forgot about what was on her hands, and even laughed a little when I had to don a yellow gown and hat just like her. The surgeon came to talk to us, and then the nurses brought us down the hall to the O.R. I had prepared her as much as I could for what was to come, right down to falling asleep with the mask on. And to my surprise, as I held my little girl in my arms on the OR table, kissed her, loved her, asked what flavour the mask was, and talked about that pink popsicle she would have, she looked at me with her big blue eyes. What I saw was her complete trust in me. She was not scared, upset, or worried. And I was amazed at how easily and peacefully she fell asleep.

I left the OR feeling relieved, and we patiently waited in the parents' room to be called to recovery. Again, I really need to stress how amazing the staff are! The nurse called us even before Charlotte was awake, so that we could be there when she did open her eyes. She talked us through what we could expect, and once Charlotte was fully awake, we got to wheel her to daycare, where she got her pink popsicle and a beautiful fairy wand, not to mention a visit from a volunteer who had all kinds of cool gadgets and things to show our facinated and groggy little girl. She was more than happy to comply when the nurse took out the IV, and handled everything like an absolute pro. I was even more proud when the anaesthetist came to see us, just to tell us that the OR staff wanted us to know how proud they were of Charlotte and of me too for the way we had handled everything in the OR. It was such a great feeling to know my child was safe, that her operation was a total success, and that she was being so good about the whole situation.

We got home after a very peaceful trip, and I gave her the gift we had prepared for her. She played with her new playmobile set and was the sweet, darling little girl that everyone adored at the hospital. She started running around the house as if nothing had happened to her, climbing stairs, climbing on the dresser, you know, all the stuff you feel like doing after abdominal surgery. But before every storm there is calm, is there not?

After being home for a couple of hours, the freezing started coming out and she started to whine a little about her tummy. I saw her little face scrunch up and tears fill her eyes when lifted up her shirt and discovered the BAND AID. It was that little Dora band aid that finally brought the freak attack I had been expecting. My daughter went through SURGERY like the bravest of the brave, and then all it took for her to come undone was a cute little band aid above her belly button.

And this is where we are now. While she's not in much pain at all and is pretty much her old self, there is that peskey little band aid that causes her to freak out every time she remembers its presence. There is no way she is going to keep that thing on for much longer, depite the explanations, coaxing, pleading,and promises of a treat. Then again, if that's all we need to worry about after this whole ordeal, it's a small price to pay.

But you can be sure we will hear about this band aid for years to come. And I do mean years!