Child attending hospital - what do we take?

ganderson1804

My daughter who is 2.5 is attending hospital this month to have grommits put in and to have her adenoids removed. All i have had from the hospital is that we have to be there at 8am and she will be in as a day case and will be discharged around tea time.

I just wondered what do i need to take with my into hospital for her? Should she wear PJs or should she be dressed? Should i take her dressing gown? Or just normal clothes? Do i take any toys/books with her for after and/or before?

Also should we get her something? A wee gift or something for being brave? And would she get that before she goes in or once she's home?

Any advice would be appreciated by parents who have been through similar! Thanks x

liz-paul

Hi, my son had day surgery last year. We were told to bring a pair of pyjamas for him to change into before the surgery. We also took a few toys and books of his from home. Your child will most likely be on a children's ward which may have toys. Think we just took one over night bag with things in, you don't want to be carting a massive suitcase around. I would pack pyjamas, few toys, books, magazines (whatever your child likes), probably a spare change of clothes, nappies (if your child uses them. I would take pull ups for the journey home if your child still uses them at night). Is she getting a general anaesthetic? She might be groggy after. Also you can't eat/drink before an anaesthetic, but the hospital should have told you all of this. You might want drinks/snacks for her for after but keep them hidden until she is allowed to eat and drink again. My son really struggled with not being allowed to eat and drink before the surgery.

You might want to take a book or something for yourself to keep you occupied while you are waiting for her to come out of surgery. It's not much fun waiting.

A blanket in the car for the journey home to make her feel more secure/snug. We took our car DVD player for him to watch on the way home but he was a little older and we had a long journey home.

If your daughter is on any medications then take them with you.

Not sure what else but you should be able to ring the ward and ask any questions you have.

Oh and a word of warning - when our son was being 'put under' only one of us was allowed to be with him. It can be a bit of a shock when the anaesthetic works because they very suddenly 'conk out' and it isn't like going to sleep. I don't want to worry you about they are perfectly fine but it can be upsetting to see.

Good luck x

Alikay

If your hospital children's dept is anything like ours, there'll be plenty of toys and books there, so for a present, I'd get your DD something she can play quietly with when she gets home.

When our foster child had a similar op, she was told to wear loose fitting comfy clothes so I put her in leggings and a loose top. A nappy might be an idea too, even if she's potty trained as she may be a bit groggy for a while afterwards. Our hospital gave all the children little jazzy hospital gowns for during and post-op, so no pj's or dressing gowns were needed. One of the hardest bits was being sent off for an hour or so while the op took place, so make sure you take a book and some snacks for yourself.

Mrs_Soup

They should have given you a bit more info than that- have you had a pre-op appointment?
My youngest had tonsils and adenoids out last year which is an overnight stay so a bit different but they wanted him to wear a hospital gown for the op which he wouldn't (he got more stressed over the gown than anything else) so he would have been better in short sleeved loose top than the one he actually wore. They had a whole playroom full of toys which provide diversion but you could take a favourite especially if there is a teddy or something she likes.. We are advised to have two adults with him at least up until the point he went to theatre when only one goes and like above they do kind of flake out - its very odd. Worst bit is having canula put in- they will get magic cream on for this first though. They may want to be sure she has eaten/drunk before leaving so you might take a favourite snack as hospital offering tends to be toast which may not interest her.

michbright

When my daughter had her tonsils and adenoids out in December, we were told it might be a day case but to prepare for an overnight stay just in case.

I would pack any comforter/toy your DD likes. I found after surgery, my daughter wasn't interested in playing with toys and just wanted to cuddle me (I'm her comforter ). She also wore normal clothes to the hospital and then changed into the gown for surgery. I had 2 sets of pyjamas for her and 1 set for me, as well as a change of clothes for me. In the end, we stayed 2 nights so DH had to get more clothes for us. Going home, I just made sure she had clean pyjamas on as they are much more comfortable when you're not feeling 100% well.

Pack snacks for yourself as well as her.

She also had an overnight stay for her sleep study prior to having her tonsils out and for that I packed some books, toys, iPad and snacks.

DigForVictory

Food and drink for you. She's the patient - you are part of her baggage. [Share if the nurses say it's OK but usually Nil By Mouth means you eat in secret in the loo.] If (other than you) she has a special cuddle toy or blanket that, but you keep it tied to you so that even if she goes under clutching it, you still have it as she's wheeled away.

Watching your dear child being knocked out by science is disconcerting - you may be glad of a blankie to cuddle yourself.

If you are allowed to have your phone 'on' on the ward, brilliant - charge it to the hilt, load it with books you want to read as well as games you both play & a couple of freebies that are new & different. Then add a book for you to read as she plays the games. (If no phone, several books!)

+1 for pull ups or swim nappies Just In Case - she may be fine, but if accidents happen, it's just So Much Easier to Be Prepared.

No presents, but a special meal The Day After for everyone involved. That way the anaesthetic should have completely worn off *and* you can have a glass of something restorative yourself! However, I'd steer clear of fizzy drinks. A slightly fragile stomach can very suddenly throw up if the All You Can Drink option is taken advantage of.

Note: If that turns into an Overnight Stay, have your own bag ready to be brought. She will have clothing provided - you should get a bed but no pyjames, dressing gown, slippers or anything *You* might need. Pills, toothbrush & paste, hairbrush, clean change, perfume - if you have it packed, you are not dressed at the mercy of your household's high speed selections!

All the very best!

bestpud

They will almost certainly want to know she is drinking and weeing before they will discharge her, so unless she happily drinks any water out of any cup, I would pack her favourite drink and/or cup.

bluenoseam

A plentiful supply of ice cream, custard & such at home for when she gets out - I still can't believe they offered me toast after having my tonsils pulled out, seems absurd! (Then again, I was 25 and fully capable of shooting a look which says "are you fn crazy!")

Possibly best to consider the fact they may want her off school for a couple of weeks for infection control purposes - I had to have 2 weeks off work thanks to that!

Mrs_Soup

bluenoseam wrote: »

A plentiful supply of ice cream, custard & such at home for when she gets out - I still can't believe they offered me toast after having my tonsils pulled out, seems absurd! (Then again, I was 25 and fully capable of shooting a look which says "are you fn crazy!")

Possibly best to consider the fact they may want her off school for a couple of weeks for infection control purposes - I had to have 2 weeks off work thanks to that!

You are supposed to eat crunchy hard things after tonsils these days as it keeps the scabs down so it doesn't fall off in one go and cause you to haemorrhage. Post tonsillectomy is apparently horribly painful but I don't think the adenoids/grommits are so bad. But worth having calpol etc in stock at home. My son's voice changed to a higher pitch during the week after surgery and has stayed this way presumably as a result of the adenoids being removed.

kingfisherblue

Alder Hey have always sent me a letter detailing what to take, even though we have been in numerous times. Pyjamas without metal fastenings are advised. A teddy or comforter. Maybe something to distract her - when a young child has been nil by mouth for a few hours, and still hasn't been taken into theatre, then it can become difficult to keep their mind away from food.

My son prefers to have a few of his own books, usually ones about animals, rather than using the ones on the ward. He also likes his iPad and colouring things, but he is older.

I always take a few snacks for myself, including sweets that I can suck surreptitiously. I also take plenty of change. Not only do you need some for the carpark, but when my son is in theatre, I pop down to the canteen for a coffee and something a bit more substantial to eat. I know that sounds a bit heartless, but it is better than moping about, waiting for him to get back from surgery. My son has had general anaesthetic around ten times now, and it doesn't get any easier seeing your child go under, but you do need your own strength keeping up as well. Waiting in a hospital can be incredibly draining!

olgadapolga

liz-paul wrote: »

Oh and a word of warning - when our son was being 'put under' only one of us was allowed to be with him. It can be a bit of a shock when the anaesthetic works because they very suddenly 'conk out' and it isn't like going to sleep. I don't want to worry you about they are perfectly fine but it can be upsetting to see.

It's very upsetting; my DD was 11 when she had an operation, she understood fully what was going to happen, as did I but it was still a terrible shock. You are also rushed out of the theatre as they have to get on with the operation. It was awful, I cried until we were taken through to recovery after the (thankfully short) operation. Watching her come around again was also weird as it was like she was sobering up after being very drunk, but over the space of about 20 minutes!

Another thing, they told us that the op would take xx time but it was a lot longer (2 - 3 times as long) before they came to get us which increased the anxiety.

We were told to have two adults present, one to drive the car and one to sit with my DD on the journey home just in case things went awry on the way.

My DD was a day case but on the children's ward. There were lots of toys and activities for them to do but we still took along one or two of her favourite things. Didn't take pyjamas as they provided a gown.

We didn't get her a present for being brave but she was eleven, not two. Had she been two then I think I would have got her a present but given it to her when she got back home.

We did take an overnight bag, with stuff for her and myself as a "just in case". Luckily we didn't need it.