Tornado’s Tonsils

The other day we were talking to Arwen and she was telling us that the night before Tornado told her that his throat really hurt. After a long day at work and too long being an overworked mom, she told him that he’d be fine in the morning. Well, he wasn’t so they went to the doctor’s office and it turned out that his tonsils were bleeding. The doctor told her that he was contagious and gave her some medication that will more than likely make Tornado feel better. That is good.

Aside from the fact that she felt like the world’s worst mom, she bought him his weight in ice cream and prepared to look after him until he felt better. That is also good.

I remember back when I was his age and a similar thing happened to me. Well, I don’t know that the old tonsils were bleeding, but I did have a sore throat and our family doctor told mom and dad that the tonsils will have to come out. Back then, the doctor told them this while sitting on the edge of my bed. Yes, they made house calls back then. I don’t know how things have changed, but having a doctor come to your home just will not happen. I wonder how they managed to make a living back then. They were certainly well respected and the doctor’s word was gospel.

Anyways, I was shuttled off to the hospital and scheduled for a tonsillectomy right away. The surgeon that was to do the operation was very nice and made me feel just a little less worried. He told me that after the operation I would be able to have as much ice cream as I wanted. I wanted a lot of ice cream because my throat hurt so very much. I was wheeled into the operating room and put to sleep. I can remember the doctors and nurses in white, wearing masks, moving around putting things that I couldn’t see on trays. One guy told me that he would put me to sleep and when I woke up I wouldn’t have my sore tonsils any longer. All that I had to do was to count backwards from 100.

100…99…98…97…9……………………..

I woke up in a room and there was blood on my chest and my throat still hurt, but in a different way. A worse way if that could be possible. I was moved into a room with another little boy who was sleeping. The nurse asked if there was anything I wanted and I said “rrrr…rrr…crrr…” I didn’t say anything, I couldn’t talk. Mom and dad came in and sat with me, talking at me and keeping my mind occupied. Just about this time I realized that my throat hurt too much for me to eat ice cream and everyone lied to me. What bastards! Lying to a sick child! That was the low point of my young life.

They don’t do that operation as much any longer, I suppose there is a feeling that if it is in the body, there is probably a very good reason for it. I have made it throughout most of my life without it, but I have never been able to sing very well. I’m going to blame that lying doctor.

I have never forgotten having my tonsils out and since then and now I have eaten more than my share of ice cream. I hope that Tornado is feeling better and that he managed to scarf down his weight in frozen treats.