How to prepare your child for an upcoming surgery
Learning your child needs surgery can feel overwhelming. Having as much information as possible and a realistic picture of what to expect can help alleviate you and your child’s stress.
If you find yourself in a situation where your child or teen needs surgery of any kind, here are my recommendations for supporting and preparing them – and yourself:
Take it slow
The best thing you can do is take things one day at a time. Thinking about everything at once can be overwhelming, and time is an essential part of the recovery process. Our primary goal as surgeons is to bring families through this stressful situation as safely and smoothly as possible. We want to make sure you are comfortable and that we have a shared understanding of the why, what and how.
Open communication
When preparing for an upcoming surgery, keep open lines of communication with your child – if appropriate. The more open you can be with your child and the more opportunities you provide them to ask questions, think about their experience and process information, the more they will feel in control of the situation. If your child is too nervous to ask questions to their surgeon directly, help them make a list of questions and bring it to their preoperative appointment so you can get answers.
Speak up
When it’s time for surgery, be there for your child. As much as we try to minimize any pain or discomfort your child is experiencing, the comfort of a parent’s presence is irreplaceable. You know your child best – be their advocate. If there is something you feel your child needs, speak up. Nurse practitioners, anesthesiologists, pediatric teams, psychiatrists and child life specialists have a variety of tools and resources to help make the experience less stressful.
Follow recovery instructions
After surgery and your child is discharged from the hospital, they will have some activity restrictions. Do your best to maintain a calm and restful environment at home which includes limiting visitors and unnecessary outings. Your child’s care team will provide manageable home care instructions and will tell you if there are things you should call about, such as wound healing concerns or fevers. The team is always just a phone call away if other questions or concerns arise. Luckily, kids often start feeling more like themselves after leaving the hospital. They enjoy being in the comfort of their own home, seeing siblings and immediate family, and getting to play with their own toys.
It’s an honor to have a family’s trust and the opportunity to care for their child. It brings us the most joy to see a child and their family through this process and watch them grow and conquer whatever ailed them. Please know we share the same goals for your child – keeping them safe, healthy and comfortable. We will be there with you every step of the way.
Dr. Daphne Li is a pediatric neurosurgeon at Advocate Children’s Hospital.
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