How to Prepare Your Child for Surgery

Surgery

Surgery is a great stress for one’s organism, especially if we talk about children. However, in most cases it is the only way out. So the task of every parent is to make the procedure as easy and stress- free for a child, as it is possible.

Why a Child May Need Surgery?

There are various reasons why doctors insist on surgery even for babies. Three groups of diseases and disorders, sorted by the time and necessity of surgery, can be singled out.

1. Emergency surgery. To this group belong such cases as strangulated hernia, penetrating wound, congenital esophageal obstruction, other congenital diseases etc.

2. Elective surgery. Here we talk about diseases that are treated only surgically, but the surgery is not urgent. Most common cases are hydrocephaly, hemangioma, polydactyly, not strangulated hernia, and so on.

3. Delayed surgery. To this third group belong diseases that have to be operated in a certain stage or certain age. Such kind of surgery is needed when a child has some kind of heart or great vessels disease, maldevelopment of urino-genital organs, cleft palate, and some other.

Preparing Your Child for Surgery

Any kind of operation is a great stress both for organism and for psychical equilibrium. Therefore, you must do everything for the comfort of your child.

First thing you should do is to consult with your child’s doctor and anesthesiologist. Children of different ages have various peculiarities of organism development. For instance, kids under 3 years are more susceptible to atelectasis and pneumonia. In addition to this, small children have slower coagulability and they are more sensitive to loss of blood.

That’s why a doctor may give you some specific recommendations on child’s nutrition and drinking before the surgery. However, your main task is to create a highly comfortable and loving atmosphere for your kid. No stress, no worrying, no uncertainty. Remember, children feel everything!

If your child can understand what will be happening, then try to explain everything to him/her. Unknown things are much more frightening then something you are expecting!

Small children are mostly afraid of new surroundings, parting with parents, strange people. Elder children are usually afraid of operation itself, pain, consequences of surgery, etc. It all means that every child needs serious pre-surgical psychological preperation. And your role as a parent is essential for a child! However, if we talk about emergency case, there is no possibility to provide due psychological preparation. In this case your task will be to talk to your child afterwards and explain everything that was happening.

How to Explain Everything to Your Child

You don’t have to explain the process of operation to your child, it’s pointless. You must describe the situation from the side of your child’s feelings. What is meant by this? Try to be very specific about what your kid will be feeling during the operation and especially after it.

The most strange and therefore frightening thing to your child may be anesthesia. Somebody makes you sleep and when you wake up you don’t remember anything, but you feel strange, uncomfortable, something hurts… Not good condition for a quick recovery, is it? That’s why you have to talk to your child about what is anesthesia and what are the consequences of it.

Child Surgery

A good thing is to introduce an anesthesiologist to your child. Well-experienced professional will tell your kid about kinds of anesthesia, about possible effects of it, about feeling of discomfort and confusion after wakening, etc. In a word, an anesthesiologist will explain to your child that everything he/she will feel is normal, nothing bad is happening.

So if you face the necessity to operate your child, don’t panic! Find reputable and experienced specialists and rely on them. Don’t forget about positive mood. Try to create favorable conditions for your child, and you will see that he or she will become healthy and strong again in no time!