Last month, I mentioned that Maureen had been diagnosed with strabismus, a muscular problem with her eyes, and will eventually have surgery.
She saw her eye doctor recently for a follow up, and her eyes are about the same. Yesterday, she had an MRI to rule out an underlying neurological cause before we proceed with surgery.
Although we won't have the results of the scan for a few days, she did wonderfully and I'm feeling confident that she will do just as well for her surgery.
Since she is two years old, she had to be sedated for the procedure. We arrived at the hospital and checked in, then were taken to a playroom in the Children's Diagnostic Center. I had packed a bag with her favorite book, favorite video, her Tinkerbell blanket and her Elmo doll. She was more interested in playing with the toy grocery cart in the playroom, and it kept her occupied until the anesthesia team was ready for us.
I had consent forms to sign, then held her while the doctor put a mask over her mouth and noise to deliver gas anesthesia. This was the hardest part, because she didn't like the mask or the smell of the gas and I had to hold her down. After she was asleep, it was time for me to leave, so the nurses could place an IV catheter and hook her up to monitoring equipment. The scan took about an hour, and when it was finished and she was waking up, the nurses came to get me and I sat with her. She went back to sleep for awhile, and when she finally woke up, she just opened her eyes and smiled. The nurses were charmed at how calm she was; the child that was scanned before her was inconsolable for almost an hour after his procedure.
She was a little wobbly at first, but quickly seemed back to normal. I held her while she sucked down two apple juices and crammed Cheerios into her mouth. When she was fully awake and recovered, the nurses presented her with a newborn Cabbage Patch doll and we came home. She continued to eat in the car, and had more food when we got home.
She went to bed early and slept late, but is completely back to normal today.
I'm very pleased with how everything worked out, and the staff at the hospital couldn't have done a better job.
Here are some things that are handy to know before a sedation for a child.
**Go to a facility that expressly treats children--We went to Sinai hospital and were seen by a board certified pediatric anesthesiologist. Not only are the staff members specifically trained to work with kids, the facility was decorated in a pleasing and child friendly manner. Hospitals can be scary places, and having toys and cute decorations make all the difference for a nervous kid. They had toys and stuffed animals and stickers, and the bandaid that Maureen received on her catheter site was a fun Dora one.
**Take along a comforting object--As I mentioned, I took some books and videos, which we ended up not needing, but I also took her blanket and Elmo doll. I wanted her to have something familiar from home, and it was nice to have the blanket to wrap her in when she wanted to sit on my lap.
**Dress your child in comfortable clothes--She didn't have to wear a gown, so I dressed her in cozy knit pants and knit shirt. Also, keep in mind the type of procedure your child will be having. I took along a short sleeved shirt in case the nurses needed better access to her arm veins, but they placed the catheter in her hand instead. Since she was having her head scanned, the onesie with crotch snaps wasn't a problem, but a shirt with snaps at the neck or back would have been removed. The paperwork from the hospital also recommended bringing a change of clothes because older children sometimes lose control of their bladders under anesthesia.
**Be prepared for anesthesia--When the gas anesthesia took effect, Maureen went limp in my arms. This was the hardest part of the whole day, because she looked so small and vulnerable. And while she awoke easily and calmly, it's not uncommon for kids to cry or be disoriented following sedation.
**Keep fasting and naptime in mind when scheduling your appointment--Maureen's appointment was scheduled for 145, so she couldn't have any solid food after 745AM or anything at all by mouth after 1145 AM. I was originally not sure how the fasting would go, but it worked out great. I woke her up early at 7AM to feed her breakfast, then gave her a cup of white grape juice just before putting her down for a nap at 930. She woke up just in time to get dressed and get in the car to leave at noon.
**Keep food away--When Johnny wanted to eat, I made sure Maureen was in another room. She tends to want whatever he is having, so keeping food out of her sight helped immensely because I didn't have to tell her no. I also ate my own lunch prior to waking her up from her nap.
**Bring along a distraction for yourself--You probably won't be allowed to be with your child during the procedure, so bring something to do. I used my hour to get a sandwich and read a book and the time passed quickly. Before I knew it, it was time to see her again.
Has your child had surgery or a procedure with sedation? What things would you do differently, or do you have tips to add?
She saw her eye doctor recently for a follow up, and her eyes are about the same. Yesterday, she had an MRI to rule out an underlying neurological cause before we proceed with surgery.
Although we won't have the results of the scan for a few days, she did wonderfully and I'm feeling confident that she will do just as well for her surgery.
Since she is two years old, she had to be sedated for the procedure. We arrived at the hospital and checked in, then were taken to a playroom in the Children's Diagnostic Center. I had packed a bag with her favorite book, favorite video, her Tinkerbell blanket and her Elmo doll. She was more interested in playing with the toy grocery cart in the playroom, and it kept her occupied until the anesthesia team was ready for us.
I had consent forms to sign, then held her while the doctor put a mask over her mouth and noise to deliver gas anesthesia. This was the hardest part, because she didn't like the mask or the smell of the gas and I had to hold her down. After she was asleep, it was time for me to leave, so the nurses could place an IV catheter and hook her up to monitoring equipment. The scan took about an hour, and when it was finished and she was waking up, the nurses came to get me and I sat with her. She went back to sleep for awhile, and when she finally woke up, she just opened her eyes and smiled. The nurses were charmed at how calm she was; the child that was scanned before her was inconsolable for almost an hour after his procedure.
She was a little wobbly at first, but quickly seemed back to normal. I held her while she sucked down two apple juices and crammed Cheerios into her mouth. When she was fully awake and recovered, the nurses presented her with a newborn Cabbage Patch doll and we came home. She continued to eat in the car, and had more food when we got home.
She went to bed early and slept late, but is completely back to normal today.
I'm very pleased with how everything worked out, and the staff at the hospital couldn't have done a better job.
Here are some things that are handy to know before a sedation for a child.
**Go to a facility that expressly treats children--We went to Sinai hospital and were seen by a board certified pediatric anesthesiologist. Not only are the staff members specifically trained to work with kids, the facility was decorated in a pleasing and child friendly manner. Hospitals can be scary places, and having toys and cute decorations make all the difference for a nervous kid. They had toys and stuffed animals and stickers, and the bandaid that Maureen received on her catheter site was a fun Dora one.
**Take along a comforting object--As I mentioned, I took some books and videos, which we ended up not needing, but I also took her blanket and Elmo doll. I wanted her to have something familiar from home, and it was nice to have the blanket to wrap her in when she wanted to sit on my lap.
**Dress your child in comfortable clothes--She didn't have to wear a gown, so I dressed her in cozy knit pants and knit shirt. Also, keep in mind the type of procedure your child will be having. I took along a short sleeved shirt in case the nurses needed better access to her arm veins, but they placed the catheter in her hand instead. Since she was having her head scanned, the onesie with crotch snaps wasn't a problem, but a shirt with snaps at the neck or back would have been removed. The paperwork from the hospital also recommended bringing a change of clothes because older children sometimes lose control of their bladders under anesthesia.
**Be prepared for anesthesia--When the gas anesthesia took effect, Maureen went limp in my arms. This was the hardest part of the whole day, because she looked so small and vulnerable. And while she awoke easily and calmly, it's not uncommon for kids to cry or be disoriented following sedation.
**Keep fasting and naptime in mind when scheduling your appointment--Maureen's appointment was scheduled for 145, so she couldn't have any solid food after 745AM or anything at all by mouth after 1145 AM. I was originally not sure how the fasting would go, but it worked out great. I woke her up early at 7AM to feed her breakfast, then gave her a cup of white grape juice just before putting her down for a nap at 930. She woke up just in time to get dressed and get in the car to leave at noon.
**Keep food away--When Johnny wanted to eat, I made sure Maureen was in another room. She tends to want whatever he is having, so keeping food out of her sight helped immensely because I didn't have to tell her no. I also ate my own lunch prior to waking her up from her nap.
**Bring along a distraction for yourself--You probably won't be allowed to be with your child during the procedure, so bring something to do. I used my hour to get a sandwich and read a book and the time passed quickly. Before I knew it, it was time to see her again.
Has your child had surgery or a procedure with sedation? What things would you do differently, or do you have tips to add?
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5 comments:
So glad it went so well. That must have been so hard for you!
Gabriel has had several minor surgeries, the first of which was when he was 7 months old for a hernia repair. At 1 he had to have a tear duct surgectly opened, at 2 1/2 he had tubes put in his ears and at 3 he had tonsils and adnoids removed. Plus he was sedated for a CT scan after the dog got him when he was 2. Gabriel does not handle anestesia well, this I have learned, so you were very lucky. He screams and cries and sometimes throws up. But he's usually fine once we get home. Luckily for us the fasting has not been a problem as all his surgeries were scheduled early in the morning. I have a feeling that Kylie may end up with tubes in her ears too, so me might be finding out how she does as well....
Landon has had many surgeries and procedures where he's put under. It scares me every time and I feel so bad for him but he bounces right back! Sounds like Maureen did so well!
Glad Maureen did well. I work in a surgery center where I'd say almost half of our patients are pediatric. The majority of them don't wake up like Maureen. They wake up kicking and screaming. Its amazing the strength a 2 year old has coming out of anesthesia. Most of the time, you don't get a choice about your surgery time, the hospital or surgery center assigns it based upon their schedule. At our facility, and in most places I believe, the schedule is made according to the age of the patients and the procedures being done. Children and people with conditions such as diabetes are typically done first. Some centers let one parent go back to the operating room while the child falls asleep. It can be very hard to watch your child being put to sleep. I didn't go back with either of my children. The first time I was pregnant and not allowed, the second time, I didn't because my husband handles those things better than I do. Many of the parents who come out of the OR after their child is put to sleep come out crying. You should tell your child what to expect in a way that they can understand. It's too much to tell a 2 year old all about the procedure but you can tell them that they are going to the doctor and that they are going to take a nap whie the doctor fixes whatever he's fixing. Don't tell them too far in advance so that they have time to worry about it. But also don't lie or sugar coat it. Telling your kid you're going to the mall when you're really going to surgery is a very bad idea. Bring comfort items like a stuffed animal or a pacifier and be prepared to see your child scream like you've never seen before. And if they wake up like Maureen, consider yourself very lucky.
Kayris, Chase was diagnosed with acquired strabismus today and I am FREAKING OUT about the MRI. I'm going to go back and read this once everyone's in bed but THANK YOU for writing it all down. We were referred to Sanai too. They weren't sure if our insurance would allow it. We have United Healthcare. I was curious what you have... if you don't mind sharing. Basically I was wondering if you had UHC too that would be an easy answer to the question. You can email me privately if you want. Thanks!
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