Re: Pre-Op Instructions - Pediatric (and a rant)

[Guest guest]

Thank you so mmuch for the info.

This is very helpfull

My son (3 years old) will be going for his second surgery in about 3 weeks and even we had this before i still dont know anserws for some of the questions you posted.

I will print it out and take with me!!

THanks

[Guest guest]

Sorry you had such a bad experience. My daughter has had 3 ear

surgeries at Children's Hospital in Wash., DC. We have always

received a packet of information from the surgeon which included all

the instructions and necessary phone numbers and also the pre-op

physical form that needed to be filled out by our pediatrician.

Your cheat sheet looks great.

Candy

[Guest guest]

Thanks, Candy. I'm sure the stress of the upcoming surgery makes me

more prickly than I would normally be, but gosh darn it, this is one

of the preeminent hospitals for this type of problem, so their lack

of info is stunning.

Thanks to everyone for their support!!

>

> Sorry you had such a bad experience. My daughter has had 3 ear

> surgeries at Children's Hospital in Wash., DC. We have always

> received a packet of information from the surgeon which included

all

> the instructions and necessary phone numbers and also the pre-op

> physical form that needed to be filled out by our pediatrician.

>

> Your cheat sheet looks great.

>

> Candy

[Guest guest]

thanks Carmen

Will make sure i got that too for my little one,

[Guest guest]

here is another helpful hint!

Popsicles' s

as your child's throat maybe sore from when they put the tube down there throat during the surgery. my daughter complained about her throat being sore and dry and the popsicles helped alot.

carmenajohannen <ajohannen@...> wrote:

Okay, am I crazy? I need to rant ...We are going to Mass Eye & Ear a week from tomorrow for my son's first ctoma surgery. When we left the doctor's office last Thursday, we had only the date of the surgery. Not the time, no sheet of instructions, no "who to call for a tour." Nada. They merely told me to call the Monday before surgery to get the time of the surgery. That was all. The woman was so rushed but seemed so sure there was nothing else to tell me, I figured, okay, maybe they will send us a packet.But then I got to thinking. Had we not already been through an ear tube surgery at Lowell General, I wouldn't have had any idea about things like, do we meet with the anesthesiologist ahead of time or on the day of surgery? What about any drugs he is on or that

we might give him? So I called yesterday, a full week before I was "supposed" to call. They reminded me that I was calling early (!) but gave me the time of surgery, the floor to report to, and instructions not to let my son eat anything after midnight. No mention of drug restrictions until I proactively asked -- and she said, "oh yeah, no ibuprofen for a week before surgery." Um, if I was supposed to call only 2 days before surgery, when, exactly, did they plan on telling me THAT?I have gotten so much BETTER information from all of you, and I just feel awful for the parents out there who don't know what questions to ask, or where to turn. I am just furious at this doctor's office and plan to tell them about my experience ... but not until the surgery is done. Don't want to tick them off before they operate, LOL.I'm going to e-mail an info cheat sheet for

parents to reference, and hopefully this will prove useful for others. Any parents who would like to offer more hints and tips, how to prepare for surgery, what to have on hand afterward, etc., please share so I can add it to my list, which currently looks like this (formatted better, of course, and this is what I would have wanted to get from my doctor's office):PEDIATRIC CHOLESTEATOMA SURGERY INFORMATION/INSTRUCTIONS:• Your child's surgery will be on [date]___________________ at [time]___:___ am/pm. [or: Please call the office the Monday before surgery to find out the time of the surgery.]• If your child should become ill within ___ hours of surgery, please call _______________________.• Your child may not have ibuprofen or aspirin for 1 week prior to surgery. (Tylenol only)• Your child may not have any food or drink after midnight the

night before surgery.• This procedure is considered to be a day surgery, and we expect to discharge your child to go home after he/she is fully recovered from the anesthesia. However, due to the nature of the surgery and anesthesia, your stay at the hospital could be 12+ hours from the time you arrive, so prepare for a long day and make arrangements for the care of any other children in your family. Your child will stay overnight only if he/she needs extra care. • Do bring an overnight bag for your child and yourself, just in case. Also bring for your child a pair of warm socks/slippers, a favorite stuffed animal and/or blankie, games (for pre-op entertainment), a bathrobe and anything else that might make his/her pre-op time less stressful. Make sure your child has a button-up pajama top/shirt (or a shirt with a very large opening) for going home, as the bandage is large

and his/her ear will be tender. Also, a blanket in the car is helpful, especially during cooler weather.• If you have CT scan films, please bring those with you on the day of surgery.• When you arrive for surgery, please check in at the Registration Desk, then proceed to the 10th floor.• You will meet with the anesthesiologist on the day of surgery.• You will be permitted to be in the OR with your child while he/she is receiving anesthesia, and your child may bring a favorite toy into the OR.• Your child's IV will be put in after he/she has had anesthesia through the mask.• We will send someone out periodically during surgery to let you know how things are going.• You will be permitted to be with your child in recovery when he/she wakes up.• A pain medication prescription will be given to you prior to surgery on the day of surgery

-- you should have it filled while your child is in surgery so you have it in hand when you take your child home.• Your child will need to be out of school/daycare for _______ days, and will be excused from gym and recess for _____ weeks. A doctor's note will be given to you on the day of surgery.• If you believe the pain medication is not adequately managing your child's pain, or if you believe your child is experiencing complications, call the office at __________________________.• Your post-op followup appointment will be on [date]._____________________________.• If you wish to set up a hospital tour, please call the Child Life Specialist at _______________________.Make sure you have on hand at home: Cotton balls (to protect the ear canal from water during bathing) Vaseline (to coat the cotton

balls) Bacitracin (for the stitches) Extra pillows (many children are more comfortable being propped up) Jello, clear soup, and other easily digestable foods Plenty of books, games and videos for the first couple of days