Removing the Tongue Tumor/Eyeball

Ellie made it through surgery just fine last Thursday.

The surgery didn’t take as long as we were told.

Carisa and I didn’t even have time to get through 

all the latest “catch-up” in the waiting room.

I was so glad she came because as a seasoned mom of two who have had their wisdom teeth out, she had the presence of mind to video Ellie hopped up on laughing gas while I talked with the surgeon and made a follow-up appointment at the front desk.

The surgeon said the tumor was larger than he expected.

He showed it to us in a little jar.

It looked like an eyeball.

A bloody eyeball.

So Ellie had a third eye under her tongue.

That has some potential for a super hero power.

After the surgery, the surgeon told me Ellie was extremely quiet before the procedure and then as soon as the laughing gas kicked in, she got “lots of words”. 

So many that he had to tell her to be quiet so that he could 

put his hands in her mouth and do the surgery. 

Then he had to remind her of that a few more times during the surgery. 

Carisa told the surgeon Ellie got the “wordiness” from me.

I couldn’t really deny it. 

I can’t even imagine me on laughing gas. 

I could be an auctioneer. 

Or a rapper.

Ellie On Laughing Gas seemed quite fascinated by how numb her chin was and that it felt like plastic and was HUGE and HER LIP WAS NOT HER LIP ANYMORE and the surgeon was SO FAST and she couldn’t believe HOW HEAVY her tumor that looked like an eyeball was when she picked up the bottle. And she really didn’t like the color brown except in autumn. Then it was OK. And she REALLY wanted to put the surgeon’s business card in her jacket pocket if she could just. figure. out. how. to. unzip. the. zipper. And wasn’t all her pockets AMAZING?! Especially that one really HUGE one?! Wasn’t it AMAZING?! And she PROMISED to be more quiet in the loudest voice possible. And all the nurses were SO NICE. Especially the one that called her GIGGLE PANTS. “She called me GIGGLE PANTS, MOM!” And the workers outside taking care of the landscaping. They were SO NICE. So she waved at them from the car. Then she took a picture of me driving the car. In close range. With the flash on. And IT WAS ADORABLE. And SHE LOVED Taylor Swift’s song on the radio because it was HER TUNE so she decided to make her legs like butterfly wings and flap them to the beat until she told me it hurt. So I told her to stop. Then McDaniel called and asked if Ellie On Laughing Gas was still funny or if she’d missed it. I reassured her by explaining all the above.

Once Ellie On Laughing Gas became Ellie Without Laughing Gas Right After Tongue Tumor Surgery, things became less funny.

And way more painful.

Eating became nearly impossible because the swelling and pain kept her from opening her mouth very far. And the the lingering numbness made swallowing very difficult. 

McDaniel tried to feed her mashed potatoes.
Her stomach wanted it but her mouth
and tongue just couldn’t do it.

The next few days were frustrating to Ellie. She got hungry but nothing would go into her mouth but liquid.

Not even Jell-O the first day after surgery.

Two days after surgery we got her a caramel frappa-fluffy drink (without coffee) from Starbucks and that seemed to hit the spot.

Have you ever had the caramel frappa-fluffy drink from Starbucks? 

It makes a milkshake taste like Milk of Magnesia.

By that evening, she craved meat but just couldn’t chew it no matter how small of a piece we gave her.

We sent her back to school Monday with a lunch packed with soft, mushy items and she proudly announced afterwards, that she bought herself some chicken and was able to eat it.

She was quite proud of that accomplishment.

Yesterday, she came home from school in pain. It was a choir day and she said all that singing and moving her mouth just about did her in. 

I told her it would’ve been ok if she didn’t sing and she said the teacher walks around the room making sure the kids aren't “faking it”. 

Whoa. That’s intense.

We go back to the surgeon the week before Thanksgiving to make sure the stitches have completely dissolved and things are healing properly and to get the results of the pathology report.

Let’s hope she is way less loud and chatty this visit.