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We Paid Cash: Baby Boy’s Tear Duct Eye Surgery

January 15, 2016 by Lisa Park + 4 Comments

Matthew Surgery Before

My 16-month old baby boy had to have surgery on his tear duct a few months ago, and it was really difficult to go through.

Since the time my baby boy was born, his left eye has been goopy and weepy. Our pediatrician said that most children outgrow it, and we thought that’s what would happen. But his eye never got better. We finally went to see an eye doctor at Primary Children’s Hospital. At the end of the exam, the eye doctor said surgery was needed and that there was either a membrane clogging the tear duct or the tear duct was too small when he was born. After many prayers, we went ahead and scheduled the surgery.

Once the day of the surgery arrived, I was really nervous. Even though I knew this was a minor surgery and the doctor had done this type of a procedure thousands of times, I was worried about complications during the surgery or how my baby would react to the anesthesia. We arrived at the hospital early on a Thursday morning and checked in. We were taken to a room where a nurse did a health exam, and then we sat in a waiting area until the doctor came out to talk with us for a few minutes followed by the anesthesiologist talking to us.

After the anesthesiologist talked through what would happen, we followed him down a long hall way towards the operating room. He stopped a little ways from the operating room doors and said that he would take our baby boy the rest of the way with him. That was the hardest part for me–to hand my baby over to someone and walk away. I was in tears as we walked to the waiting room.

The surgery only took about 20 minutes, and then the doctor came and talked to us about the procedure. He said everything went smoothly and that he had to balloon out my boy’s tear duct because it was too small and it wasn’t allowing the eye to drain.

Matthew Surgery After Coming out of Anesthesia Final

After about 10 minutes we were called up to the post-surgery room to be with our baby. It was hard to watch him lay there as he came out of the anesthesia, and the nurse had to give him some medicine because he was in pain. I was amazed that once he woke up, he didn’t scream and cry like the other children around us. He fussed a little, but once I picked him up and held him he was fine.

After he was fully awake and the nurses felt he was ready to go home, they came and took his IV out. Unfortunately, the nurse forgot to clamp it before she pulled it out and blood ran all over my pants and my boy’s blanket. Luckily, that was the only problem we encountered.

Matthew Surgery After with Mom Final

The following day, my baby boy was back to being himself. His eye wasn’t puffy, and I didn’t need to give him any more pain medication. I am extremely grateful for the amazing doctors, anesthesiologists and nurses at Primary Children’s Hospital. And I’m so grateful that the outcome of the surgery turned out well.

This was an unexpected expense that came up this year that we didn’t know would happen. We are lucky to have insurance that covered the majority of the surgery, but we still had to pay $1,000 for the procedure and doctor’s bill. So how were we able to pay cash for the surgery? We have an emergency fund and we have savings. We don’t have nearly as much in savings as we used to since we purchased a new-to-us car with cash, so we are continually adding money to our savings account each month for the reason that if something unexpected happens, such as a surgery, doctor’s visit or something like the passing away and funeral of my father, we can pay for it.

I realize that my baby boy’s surgery was a minor surgery and that there are many people who have more complicated surgeries or are in the hospital for days or weeks. When those bills start coming it can be overwhelming, especially if the bills are thousands of dollars and you can’t afford it. So in the near future, I’ll share with you tips on how to pay off medical bills.

You might like to read these other articles:

How to Buy a Car5 Tips How to Buy a Car And How We Paid Cash for a New-to-Us Car

 

6 Ways to Save Money & Increase Savings This Year6 Ways to Save Money & Increase Your Savings This Year

Filed Under: Money-Saving Tips

Comments

  1. Melanie says

    January 17, 2016 at 3:01 am

    He looks so little sleeping there. You are so so lucky he came out of the anesthesia so well!! It can be so hard. Especially when they are younger and even nursing doesn’t calm them down. You must be so glad it’s over!

    Reply
    • Lisa @ Saving Cent by Cent says

      January 17, 2016 at 4:41 am

      Thank you for your comment. Yes, I am relieved that it’s over and that everything turned out well. Since the surgery, my little boy hasn’t had any problems with his eye, and I’m so thankful for that.

      Reply
  2. Jourdan says

    February 16, 2019 at 7:16 am

    My 16 month old son is having the same surgery next week, ironically on a Thursday as well. Glad to hear your littles went well, and he’s all fixed up now! I’m super nervous and reading this helped put me at ease a bit.

    Reply
    • Lisa Park says

      February 18, 2019 at 4:35 am

      I’m glad this helped you a little. And I hope all goes well with his surgery.

      Reply

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Hello, I'm Lisa

I enjoy teaching people how to live frugally so they can live within their means while still enjoying and doing the things in life that matter most to them. I'm here sharing tips about budgeting, saving money, meal planning, simple recipes, and more.

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Some things you could do to save this money is don’t eat out, cut your grocery bill down, don’t go to the convenience store to grab a drink, or cut out subscription services.

It’s the small changes that make a difference over time.

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Click the link below for the recipe, or message me, and I'll send you the recipe.

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For those of you in Northern Utah, if any of you want to try the Staples boxes, use the code savingcent10 to get $10 off.

Also this month, the Food and Meat Co-op is featuring convenience foods and easy meal options such as chicken nuggets, corn dogs (regular and gluten free), restaurant-quality sweet and sour pork meal kits, and orange meal kits. It’s nice to have quick and easy meals on busy days!

The pickup day for orders is between March 23-25 depending on where you live in Northern Utah.

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For more tips, visit my website.

https://savingcentbycent.com/2021/01/05/how-to-create-a-budget-free-budget-worksheet/

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To make this meal even faster, prepare the ground beef in advance by cooking it earlier in the week. You can then put the cooked meat in the fridge or freezer and pull it out when you are ready to use it.

Click the link below for the recipe, or message me, and I'll send you the recipe.

https://savingcentbycent.com/2013/10/18/oven-baked-tacos/

#tacos #bakedtacos #ovenbakedtacos #easydinneridea #easymealideas #easymealidea #easydinners #easymeals
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Use the link below or message me for the link to the Disneyland post.

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I've tried a bunch of French dip Sandwiches, and this recipe is by far my favorite. My family also loves this meal.

The link to the recipe is below or message me and I'll send you the recipe.

https://savingcentbycent.com/2015/05/29/best-slow-cooker-french-dip-sandwiches/

#frenchdip #frenchdipsandwich #easydinnerideas #easymeal #easydinners #easymeals
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Message me for the recipe or use the link below.

https://savingcentbycent.com/2018/03/09/st-patricks-day-cookies/

#stpatricksdaycookies #stpatricksday #greencookies #greentreats #stpatricks #stpatrickscookies
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For those of you in Northern Utah, if any of you want to try the Staples boxes, use the code savingcent10 to get $10 off.

Also this month, the Food and Meat Co-op is featuring convenience foods and easy meal options such as chicken nuggets, corn dogs (regular and gluten free), restaurant-quality sweet and sour pork meal kits, and orange meal kits. It’s nice to have quick and easy meals on busy days!

The pickup day for orders is between March 23-25 depending on where you live in Northern Utah.

https://foodandmeatcoop.com/tooele
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Once you determine your goal, determine how much money to save each month, then break it down to how much to save per week. You may not be able to save $500 a month, but maybe you can save $200 a month. That means you would set aside $50 a week.

Some things you could do to save this money is don’t eat out, cut your grocery bill down, don’t go to the convenience store to grab a drink, or cut out subscription services.

It’s the small changes that make a difference over time.

For more tips, visit my website.

https://savingcentbycent.com/2021/01/05/how-to-create-a-budget-free-budget-worksheet/

#budget #budgeting #financialgoal #finances
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To make this meal even faster, prepare the ground beef in advance by cooking it earlier in the week. You can then put the cooked meat in the fridge or freezer and pull it out when you are ready to use it.

Click the link below for the recipe, or message me, and I'll send you the recipe.

https://savingcentbycent.com/2013/10/18/oven-baked-tacos/

#tacos #bakedtacos #ovenbakedtacos #easydinneridea #easymealideas #easymealidea #easydinners #easymeals
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Use the link below or message me for the link to the Disneyland post.

https://savingcentbycent.com/2023/02/12/how-to-go-to-disneyland-on-a-budget/

#disneyland #disneylandtips #disneylandtipsandtricks #californiaadventure #californiaadventuretips #disneylandbudget #budgetdisneyland #savemoneyondisneyland
These slow cooker French Dip Sandwiches are on my These slow cooker French Dip Sandwiches are on my meal plan for this week. And it's so easy to make! You just need 10 minutes to put it together in the morning. Then let it cook all day.

I've tried a bunch of French dip Sandwiches, and this recipe is by far my favorite. My family also loves this meal.

The link to the recipe is below or message me and I'll send you the recipe.

https://savingcentbycent.com/2015/05/29/best-slow-cooker-french-dip-sandwiches/

#frenchdip #frenchdipsandwich #easydinnerideas #easymeal #easydinners #easymeals

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