Visit Janet Marshall's blog: In Moderation

- EDEL TRIPP/THE FREE LANCE-STAR View More Images from this story Visit the Photo Place

surgery preparing a child is tough

How to prepare a child for surgery

Date published: 3/4/2007

Marcia Armstrong is a former columnist and feature writer for The Free Lance-Star who now lives in Utah. Her daughter Anna's body cast will be removed in early April.

BY MARCIA ARMSTRONG

Surgery.

The very word can strike fear into a parent's heart.

Your child's operation may be scheduled or come as a complete shock. Either way, sending your offspring to the operating room is the toughest thing you'll ever do.

I knew from the moment I committed to adopt my then-3-year-old daughter, Anna, from China, that surgery was in her future. Her dislocated left hip needed to be put back into place. Surgery was the only answer.

In January, the orthopedic surgeon performed three procedures to get Anna's hip into its socket and keep it there. Then, so her bones had a chance to heal, the doctor placed Anna in a body cast for 12 weeks.

I didn't how my lively 4-year-old would cope with a cast that would render her completely immobile. I agonized over how to get her ready for the event. How much do you say? How and when do you say it?

Preparing a child for hospitalization is essential to avoid long-lasting emotional trauma, said Carolyn Bergquist, certified child-life specialist at Shriner's Hospital for Children Intermountain in Salt Lake City, where Anna had her surgery. This is especially true for kids facing more than one medical procedure.

"If they are scared during the first hospitalization, when they come back for the second time, they are highly anxious," Bergquist said.

The extent and timing of an explanation depend on a child's age, said Kathy Herring, pediatric nurse manager at Mary Washington Hospital.

Infants won't understand any clarification. Toddlers have no sense of time, so it's best to offer a short account of the event just a few days before the surgery.

"And the biggest thing a 2-year-old needs to know is that Mommy and Daddy are going to be right there with them," Herring said.

Bergquist uses dolls as well as bandages, intravenous lines, casting material, anesthesia and oxygen masks to explain medical procedures.

Some common reasons for pediatric surgery include: Gastroesophageal reflux Appendicitis Trauma Congenital lung malformations Hernias For answers to frequently asked questions about pediatric surgery, see babysurg .org/faq.html.

Follow us on

Date published: 3/4/2007