Hosptial app - update had app

[justamom]

Morning all,

 

K has an app at the Rheumatologist,my dilemma is that they are probably going to either drain his knees or give him a cortisone injection. The last app he would not go into the waiting room stood outside for about 30min before i could coax him back into the department then hebecame so frightened he ran out the room.. and they were only examing him. he is not usually scared of needles or drs, he is uasually so good and he has a high pain threshold, maybe he is confused about the draining.

 

Do we tell him the procedure (i am usually honest with him about everything) or get him into the app and then tell him. Either way he is going to kick off which is fair enough because he is scared..

 

What would you do??

justamom

Edited March 16, 2006 by justamom

[JenRose]

M has an appointment this saturday with an opthamologist as he has cyst growing above his w eye, we are going to tell him on friday night so he wont be stressing all week.

[Tylers-mum]

I'd tell him before you go so that he can let out stress before he goes and calm down then in time to go, knowing that he knows whats gonne happen.

 

I had a HUGE fear of dentists as a kid and refused to go. Came home from school oneday and my Mum said 'Got a surprise for you'. Wouldn't tell me what it was so off we both go, me all excited and then we get near the dentist clinic and I asked, she smiled and I about had a panic attack. I screamed and clung onto a nearby tree for dear life.

Never would I put my child through that and it still haunts me to this day that she was sooo callass (sp?). I overcome my fear about 5yrs ago but still don't look forward to appointments.

 

Please, tell him BEFORE he goes and not on the day ok.

[jb1964]

I think I'd go with Jen-rose on this one - tell him beforehand but not until the night before - so you just have one night of anxieties.

 

My daughter went to the dentist (she's 12 and still has loads of wobbly milk teeth that hurt because the roots have disintegrated) - I had a feeling beforehand that they may take them out - but decided not to mention this.

 

On the day - she had complete meltdown in waiting room - until the nurse there told me to please leave because it was distressing all the other kids.

 

Took her outside and sat in the car - after about 1hr she calmed right down went back in and had the two teeth out. She told me afterwards that if I had told her that might happen she would have been ready for it and although she would still have been nervous and scared it wouldn't have caused the meltdown.

 

Good luck,

jb

[Brook]

I can only go by my own son, but I wouldn't tell him until nearer the time, the anxiety he would endure

leading up to the appointment would really send him over the edge.

 

Hope it goes okay whatever you decide to do. <'>

 

Brook

[DaisyProudfoot]

Ditto everyone elses' advice really. Tell him the day before so he can overcome any anxiety problems then.

 

Good Luck

[curra]

I agree, tell him the night before.

When my son was 5 he had to undergo eye laser surgery. He loved science so explaining the procedure to him in simple terms made the whole thing easier for him. Everything went fine until he saw a doctor appear with the green mask on and he had a terrible meltdown. He was terrified, not of the surgery but of the man in front of him. If your son was afraid the last time perhaps you could try to find out what exactly was he adfraid of during the last app and reassure him. Talking to the nurse about it before the procedure could also help.

 

Hope all goes well <'>

 

Curra

[justamom]

Thanks for all the advice guys and i do think that i will tell him closer to the time to reduce the anxiety.

 

justamom

[av16]

It's been really helpful to read this. We're off to hosp tomorrow for a blood test. We were asked to do this at he diagnosis appt 2 weeks ago and have been putting it off as A (8) is terrified of needles etc. I am going to tell him now rather than tomorrow. Here it goes...

[Steve_colour-se7en]

Hello everyone,

 

justamom if I were you, (which i'm not) personally I would tell him, and give him plenty of time to adjust to it. Even now if I have things told to me last moment I get so stressed out and worried and stuff, my son is just the same if we are given warning then it seems we can prepare ourselves I tend to run through the senario in my head in pictures, sometimes I even play a video like picture in my head ( visual thinker) I play it over and over again I suppose it forms part of my own personal coping strategy, it would seem preparation helps. we both still have meltdowns at last minute changes I dont suppose we are on our own either. hope this helps.

 

 

 

Steve..

[mum22boys]

Hi justamom,

 

I agree with everyone else i would tell him. i have learned from experience that even though M may get stressed just thinking about it I know it would be a lot worse if he wasn't expecting it. I find with m if i draw from an experience i have had at a hospital or doctors and tell him every little detail (over and over) it calms him. We had this when he had a cyst on his eye. I took him to A&E with a very swollen eye and he wasn't happy about it. When the nurse came out to put cream in it and put a patch on him (she thought by telling him she was going to make him look like a pirate he would be excited!!! ) Well he started screaming and i told her no chance was she getting near him. He calmed down and she told me how to do the cream and patch. All the way home he repeated over and over 'I'm not wearing the patch'. I knew he had to have it or he would be back the following week having it drained. I told M a story about a patch i had to wear when I was little. He loved the story and asked me to tell him over and over, i am sure to reassure him it was ok. When we got home it was still a struggle but he agreed to wear it. Obviously this may only work with a young child and i'm not sure how old your son is.

 

I hope the appointment goes ok, these things are never easy are they? I am sure you will be better off telling him because if he was very anxious last time he went he now knows the place and if you don't tell him and just turn up i am sure you will in trouble.

 

Good luck - Keep us informed.

 

mum22boys

[justamom]

I have always been honest with K when we have app and things so i told him yesterday that his app is tomorrow and explained what they might do.. I also told him that if he feels uncomfortable we will try a different approach to the injections.

 

He seemed ok with the explanation and i feel its the right thing to to do because i would have had a hard time getting him there if i did not.

 

thanks everyone

i will let you know how it goes

justamom

[justamom]

we had his app and all went very well i think because he knew what to expect. (thanks for the advice everyone) K was very nervous and the rheumy could tell and decided to put him on medication instead of an injection...

 

He is on some rather potent medicine that could cause all kinds of side effects (its used to reumatoid artrithis )like feeling sick and it can affect his bone marrow. He needs to have blood test done every 2weeks for 3mnths to see how the tablets are affecting his bone marrow so lets hope this works. we will only see the benefits after12 weeks.

 

thanks all

justamom

[Tez]

Glad the appointment went well today. Fingers crossed the medication solves the problem without side effects.

[justamom]

thanks tez, i also hope it does the trick!!