14mth old having GA

My friends little boy was born with a malformation in the veins in one of his arms.

The doctor finally rang yesterday to let her know when they were going to look further into it. They decided that at the end of August they are going to do an MRI.

Because he will need to be still for so long they are going to give him a general. He'll be 14 months old when this happens.

Does anyone have any advice about what to expect before, when he's going under & after? I only have a really scary experience of DD's surgery 18 months ago. She was 5, so I think my experience is a bit different.

She's scared & I want her to know what to expect iykwim.

Hi, I Don't know anyone of that particular age who's had a general but since nobody else has replied to this thread yet, I do know kids who have had general's for surgeries- it is no drama providing there is no reaction, but at that age the only thing is going to be to try and keep him calm and happy and cooperative so they can put him under and you would assume th emedical staff and anaesthathis would be used to little ones and know how to do that.

After anaesthetics people can be obviously very sleepy, some people confused (some people even say and do very odd things), maybe emotional. But as it's only an MRI and there won't be post operative pain for the little boy, I don't think it will be anything for his Mum to worry about, as you would know, the worst is the post surgery pain. But can always ask the Dr what to expect if she needs any further reassurance.

With my DD it was actually the anaesthetic we had probs with. DD didn't have the best reaction to it & I want to be able to reassure her with out terrifying her!
I had to be taken out while my DD was going under as it was so hard seeing them restraining her, then she came out screaming instead of sleepy.

bj, my dd had an MRI when she was 8 months and it was really awful seeing her being "put under". we were allowed in the room until she was under the anaesthetic and then before she came out - so we would be the first people she saw. because it is only to keep them still and for a relatively short time, they don't need to give them much so dd was perfectly fine - just a bit drowsy but back to normal in half an hour really. the anticipation of the whole thing and hanging around while she was in there was probably the worst thing. Our was at the royal childrens so they were experts.

It will be done as part of a Day Proceedure Clinic. It depends on the hospital as to what to expect before the procedure, but you could anticipate that her DS will go to an anesthetic room near the MRI, usually one parent is allowed in at this point. What happens next will depend on the anethetist. Some will give the child a little anesthetic through the mask and when the child has drifted off to sleep, the parent will be asked to leave and they will then put a cannula (needle) into the child to give them an anesthetic that way. Otherwise they might put the needle in with MUm/Dad there and then send them off to sleep before asking Mum/Dad to leave.

The Children's in Melb put emla on the child's hands at admission to reduce any pain or discomfort as they put the the needle in.

They only use a light anesthetic for this proceedure because, as the previous poster wrote, it is only used to keep the child still.

What to expect afterwards - your friend's DS will go to the recovery room. Once he is awake (depending on the hospital's policy), Mum or Dad will be allowed in to see him there. Once he is awake enough, he will go to the observation area where he will be given something to eat and drink. He won't be allowed to leave until he can tolerate something to eat or drink. He will still have the needle in his hand until just before he leaves. Most recovery centre's looking after children will actually put a bandage around the hand with the cannula to stop them from pulling it out.

It is quiet common for children to wake from anesthetic a little "hysterical". It can look just like a tantrum. Except it isn't a tantrum - this is just something that can happen to people (of all ages) when they have an anesthetic and it does stop fairly quickly. I've not seen it last longer than 15 minutes. The best thing to do is provide lots of TLC. Having said that, he is more likely to wake as he would from a normal sleep.

Also keep in mind that the child will be a little scared. They are going to sleep in a strange room with strange people and things around them, then waking up in a different room again, with a couple of things attached (O2 mask and a peg on their finger) with different people again... and it isn't their bed.

How long her DS has to stay after the MRI will depend on how he comes out of the anesthetic. But I would anticipate no less than 2 hours.

I always recomend parents take a fav toy or blankie for their child so it is there when they wake up.

HTH and pls feel free to ask any questions.

MG

Hi, just responding to this so i can come back to it in a sec. My DD has had 2 operations under a GA, and will be having a 3rd over the next few months.

Thankyou all.

My DD was actually 'hysterical' for at least half an hour. They told me she'd come out sleeping & that they'd come get me when she woke up & all that. She actually woke up still in the OR. She was screaming coming out the doors to go to recovery & was really upset for a good 30 - 40 minutes. She couldn't sit still, was in pain & screaming. It was so hard for me.
She was really fidgety & antsy for the rest of the day. Next day she was almost back to normal.

She is a single parent of 2, so she will have her mum around for support. She's planning on taking her DD as well as after the MRI they need to stay around for up to a week to see other specialists while they are all there at a conference or something at the same time.
I would offer for her DD to stay here, but I think she'll want her close to her.

I know that it'll probably be fine. Her DS will be like most other babies, but it scares me so much to think of another baby going through it the way my DD did.

I pray that I never have to go through that the way I did again. But with 3 children there's always a chance. At least I've seen it hard I spose, so I know what to expect.

Brendan was 18 months when he went under a GA. They gave him the gas mask and he fell asleep within seconds, the hard part for me was that I was holding him and he went limp and his eyes rolled back. He was then taken off me put on the bed and wheeled in as I was escorted away. He had no issues whatsoever and woke up just as if it had never happened.

Although his surgery was only about 5-10 mins (Tongue-Tie) the GA took about 30mins to wear off and for him to wake.

Thanks to you all. Its good to hear all these positive stories :)
It'll help me be a bit more positive around her when she's talking about it.

My son was two months old when he had his first GA.
He went in and out really well.
He had a CT scan and he too needed a GA cause they needed him to lay still.
He had another one at about 6-7 months and the most recent one is that he had part of his right lung removed at 12 months and he was fine through all three of them.
I hope your friends baby has the same success we have never had any problems.
They are a bit grissly throughout the day because they have been starved for so long before the GA and dont feel like eating after it and once they do they will let you know :D