Hernia surgery

DD is having her surgery on Friday
it went from the GP saying it was nothing cos she still behaved normally, to the paed refusing to see her and sending us straight to surgeon. three month wait for surgeon, then less than a month til she goes under the knife

so, i'm a little anxious - and trying to plan rather than think
and i don't know what i need to plan
i know there isn't much - but i guess i want to know - what do i need to take to the hospital? i'm under the impression it's day surgery, so what will we need for that? should i have a spare bag in the car with overnight gear just in case? should we take anything to entertain her before surgery? after?

and what about at home - we have panadol - should we get nurofen (or similar) tomorrow? will she need it?

she is mostly toilet trained, but since developing the hernia, has had some regression, so still wears nappies overnight - we use cloth nappies - should i take nappies for her for the time after she comes out of surgery

sigh - i hate being an anxious person - i've got all this stuff going through my head and i just - arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrgh! i want to be calm for her. and i guess i don't want to be flustered friday morning - i don't want to do anything that lets her feel like it's a big scary thing - and one way to do that is to have everything ready tonight and tomorrow night

any suggestions??

I'd definately take an over night bag.
As for nappies I was told when DD recently had surgery to put her in what ever she wears at night, we used a pull up rather than a nappy.
Pain relief it's up to you if you can easily access a chemist otherwise grab some pain stop night.
I'd also take a portable DVD player or tablet for entertainment (one places supply DVD players)
She might sleep heaps in recovery especially if she's had morphine, or be like my DD and not :/

Good luck darl, she will be ok

Xxxxxx

ETA its very normal to feel anxious, you also need to decide who goes in with her, maybe send DH.
DD1 is having surgery next Tuesday, so I feel for you

Huge hugs hun. I can hear your anxiety though your post.
I haven't ever had to go through anything like this with my kids, so I don't know in reality, but just being removed from the situation and the anxiety, I would say,

Yes to an overnight bag, JIC. Maybe even some clothes for you/DH too.
Yes to nappies, again, JIC. She might be in a little pain and might not want to get up to go to the loo for the day?
Yes to entertainment, something quiet, like her favourite books, maybe movies or game on an i-phone/portable DVD player or something like that, textas/paper ect...quiet activities she can do in a hospital, and while maybe she might be in recovery.
Yes to the nurofen. The doctor will probably tell you what is best to give her, but if she is in pain and really needs it, you can give her both panadol and nurofen at the same time, they act differently and have different active ingredients in them, so will help her with her pain more effectively.

Maybe bring some snacky foods/packaged drinks ect, for you and DH, but maybe for her too. Take something to keep you busy, movies on your phone/portable DVD, books, magazines, puzzles...I know you might not be able to concerntrate, but best try to keep busy while she's in surgery.

All of the above have been great suggestions and can't really add more other than favorite toy or snack for when she comes round. I know my DS was so hungry after his op. wishing dd well and a speedy recovery and that you are ok.


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Ohhh I forgot about the favourite toy Loula! DD2 took blankie in both times and DD1 took a toy in to hers lat year.
For DD2 last month they did ID braclets for her doll too!

When Bailz was in hospy last year (although a bit different) we had some of his familiar things - eg a blanket from home, a few familiar toys, and lots of change for coffee, snacks, lunch etc

Good Luck babe, I know how scary this must be, I'm certain you'll all get through it fine, sending you lots of hugs xx

was planning on taking one of her blankets, letting her choose one of her toys, maybe her magna-doodle thing. hadn't thought of portable dvd player - to be honest, i don't think there is much point - she isn't really a big tv watcher, even when unwell (unfortunately!)

i contemplated pull ups - but i have no idea on sizes, and given sensitivities that she has that are similar to mine, i'm not keen on the idea of using disposable materials now and testing whether she reacts. i'm not too phased about taking cloth nappies - we do them everywhere else.

will make sure we all have comfy clothes in case we have to stay in overnight. not that i want to! thankfully mum doesn't live too far away, so if we need extra, i know i can call on her and she'll bring anything we need (meals etc) - we'll have snacks and drinks, but anything substantial, mum will deliver (she wants to be at the hospital - i've said no she doesn't need to be there - so if we call her, she'll be there before we even hang up!)

i'm feeling a little calmer now. think fatigue has taken over - bed time for me (this is the latest i've been up since the miscarriage - i just have zero energy!)

Hugs BG will be thinking of you on Friday, it's dd2's turn next week and I am already freaking out at the thought of my baby girl having a general.

Never even thought of the blankie, a DVD player is great too.

i have a mild sore throat. i THINK it's related to general inflammation in my neck area which i'm dealing with, but there are a few sick peeps at work. DD doesn't have any signs of sickness - hoping it's not contagious - i really don't want to get to the hospital in the morning and have her surgery cancelled! i don't have a temp or any congestion, just the mild sore throat. i don't want her sick. i don't want to be sick. i don't want to have to cancel and rearrange leave (but i'll do it if i have to!)

Oh hun, ni know you've been worrying about it... massive :hug:

It can't hurt to have a spare change of clothes or an over night bag packed JIC, when Z had her nose fixed i took her in in some comfy PJ's and a dressing gown and had other clothes packed. I let her take her baby and i made sure i had some things on the iPhone to keep her occupied while we waited.
Dr's suggested alternating panadol & nurofen for the first 24hrs just to help with her comfort levels so it might be a good idea to have a back-up supply.
A portable DVD player can be a good idea for afterwards so she can just lay back & relax but sometimes they will have those in the day surgery area anyway... can you call the hospital and ask for any suggestions and see if thats an option as sometimes it's easier NOT taking a lot of things IYKWIM.
The RCH had little coloring packs & things for the kids while waiting aswell which Z loved.

Miss E is a very strong little girl and it will break your heart to see her go off to surgery and come back again (as it does for every mum) and it's ok to be nervous, hell i wanted to vomit the whole time we were in the waiting room, you know i am here and you can text me a million times that day if you need me.
Sometimes knowing the ins & outs can make you feel worse so get the information you NEED and then just go with the flow on the rest, but just letitng her pick things that make her comfortable will help you guys a lot more too.. she's a clever girl and she's a strong girl (just like her mum) and she will come out of this prefectly surrounded by love and comfort :hug:

we bought a new coloring book today. will let her take some cars (cos, being my kidlet, she can't do the girly girl thing and take a DOLL!). will throw her tinks jim jams in the car with some other overnight stuff. i don't want to lug too much stuff - it's supposed to only be day surgery, done in the morning.

i'm in a pretty good calm headspace now. was working this morning (paying back flex) and my stomach was churning with anxiety. i can cope with most of the thoughts. her going in, coming out, being groggy, sad, pain - i know we can deal with that. i get a horrible churning and nearly cry every time i think of her having the gas mask. thinking of it from HER point of view. i don't want this to be something that scares her long term. she's not a great lover of medical peeps anyway (ok, she's a bit shy with everyone lol) - i don't want this to be a moment that sticks in her head as something that will upset her and scar her long term

sigh - hopefully she will forget it very quickly and bounce back easily. we've got DVD's stacked up in the bedroom so E and Mummy or Daddy can snuggle. i suspect she'll say no to that pretty quickly so the mattress may end up being dragged from her bed to the floor in the lounge so she can play, then lay down, and won't miss out on anything.

oh, we've organised food and drinks for us for at the hospital - and bought extra soup today for the poppet. no matter how under the weather she is, she will eat tomato soup! so if we can't encourage anything else, hopefully we'll get that into her!

Thinking of you tomorrow BG. Try not to worry about you being sick - when DD had her surgery I was chock full of a head cold I could barely see straight, but it didn't have any impact on whether the surgery happened or not. I was just worried about breathing all over her while b/f (she was just shy of 4mo).

Sounds like you've got lots of things to keep E occupied, but don't forget about you too. If she ends up in overnight, then you probably will too, so make sure you pack pjs, toiletries and a pillow for yourself. And take something that will keep you occupied while she's in theatre - the waiting is horrible. :hug: :hug:

i've already packed two books - the one i was reading at work, the one i'm reading at home - will choose which one seems to appeal the most tomorrow
i've worked out clothes i can wear that will be comfy enough to sleep in - will throw some toiletries in just in case. we don't live far from the hospital (less than 10 minutes) so if she is in overnight, i'll send DH home and he can grab anything extra we might need. dinner is organised, so we can grab that and reheat it anywhere we can find a micro
oh, mum has a key at the moment, and has to drop dad at work a couple of k's from home tomorrow night (she drives almost past our house) so i can get her to grab anything too - she drives back past the hospy to get home

have to remember to pack phone charger - if i've got that, i'm set :)

oh yeah, my worry is breathing germs on her while i'm BF her too!

and the fact that she insists on kissing LOTS around sleep times - mummy, then daddy, now daddy has to kiss mummy, then we have to kiss her again, then cuddles, more kisses, goodnight, sweet dreams, love you moon and back, MUMMY you have to say it too, one more kiss, then boob and bed lol

Sigh - i HATE having anxiety issues at the best of times
this most certainly isn't the best of times. Nearly fell apart with DH earlier - things we'd discussed yesterday, and he asked me the same stuff again - i just asked him how the hell he could forget from yesterday, i was barely holding it together, i didn't care what he did, just let me focus on breathing - and making sure i don't fall apart for Miss E.

The little girl that ALWAYS wakes up when i'm getting ready for work decided today was the day she wasn't going to wake up! It took aaaaaaaaaaages. but she's now up and showered and watching TV (a concession seeing she can't eat or drink - any distraction at the point!)

my stomach is one huuuuuuuuuuuuuuge knot and i feel like i want to hurl. anti up-chuck drugs have been moved from work bag to handbag just in case. wish i could tolerate anti anxiety meds so this sort of stuff didn't defeat me like this

on the upside, E is completely unaware of my anxiety today. i've managed to cover it pretty well.

:hug: hun, my anxiety was at its peak with miss z, I did everything to stay calm for z all while wanting to vomit :wall:

Thinking of you hun!


Sent from my iPhone, more than likely while I should be doing something else!

Thinking of you BG :hug:

Have been thinking of you and E today BG. Hope it went well.

we are home. will debrief soon

Was just wondering how it went - and saw this.

Hope you are both ok.

My dd had hernia surgery when she was 4.
Really not scary for her at all. Other than being a little hungry before her surgery she was fine and handled it with grace and calmness.
Her surgery was done at the Royal Childrens in Melbourne and they really do make a huge effort for the surgery to not be scary for the little people. And come to think of it for the big ones as well. Were happy to answer as many questions as we had.
We had to administer her with pain relief once she was home it was called "Painstop" available at chemist but had to ask for it we couldn't see it on the shelf.
I see you are now home so it may be a little late but a nighty is the best bet for the first few days after surgery. or even her Jamie top only providing she's not too hot or cold. If you normally cloth nappy her continue to do that it will mean that everything is still normal for her and not scary even though she is going to be a bit sore for a few days normal is good and conforting for her.
Yes mine does remember the run up to the surgery but not in a scarey way....she remembers all the colouring pages they had at the hospital for her to do while she was waiting, and the cool tv show, and even how the (person who put her to sleep) tricked her into smelling the chocolate smell inside the mask (it didn't smell like chocolate) but she laughs about it. We were able to go with her right up to the operating room doors where they gave her the mask (sleeping gas) which put her to sleep. I'm sure it didn't put her into a deep surgery type sleep but she did fall asleep. and only remembers being awoken in recovery which she is dark about cause she was tired aparantly! And then all the treats in the ward where she was for a good couple of hours. She liked all the ice cream and icypoles and stuff she's not normally allowed to eat. and The best bit she was able to take the photos I took of all the things that happened to her to kinder and show the other kids. She was really chuffed about that! Nothing scary, photo of the deadening cream on her hand, and she took in the pictures she couloured in and a photo of her in the ward after the surgery and one of her new belly button. She was so funny.

Now it's all over I hope you coped well with it all in the end....There will be a few sore days for your dd ,but we did a lot of activities that involved sitting quietly like craft kits available at K-mart and the like most are not age appropreate but as long as your sitting with her they'll be ok for you to do together.
I'm sure your dd will be fine! Love to you both.

thanks for the posts ladies
anyone that has me on FB will have likely seen pics of DD - she is doing pretty well

there is lots i will write up here later (mostly so that i have it - given i have taken photos to do a scrapbook page for her) - she seems to be doing pretty well - she had a cordal (sp) local anesthetic which has left her with minimal pain so far

me - not so great. lack of sleep over the past few weeks, and some anxiety - and pushing to get through miscarriage the other day and now this - i have crashed. hard. started to get some tummy cramps while feeding DD earlier in bed, then very upset tum, and all of a sudden very tired and dizzy. tried to have a nap, but the dizzy feeling made it difficult, so i'm just doing whatever i can to keep putting one foot in front of another until we've had dinner and can go to bed tonight

i wonder if the pain is starting for DD - she's got early signs of the miseries/whinges - "i don't want dinner - i can't like it!" just asked and she said nothing hurts though...

Huge hugs hun. I'm glad MissE still seems to be fine. I hope it stays that way. I'm sorry you're feeling yuck. Take care of you too. :hug:

BG, the anaesthetic could me making her feel crappy and not feel like eating. DD2 had her tonsils out last week and she had no appetite at all afterwards even though she was dosed to the eyeballs on painkillers. Just follow her cues on this one :hug:

And I'm so sorry to hear about your loss - I had no idea :hug:

Hope she recovers quickly hun.

And go gently too. I'm sorry for your loss :hug:

We ended up making an offer of three things for dinner. She had a bit if all three. Definitely normal appetite! I knew we could get soup into her, then offered leftovers plus what DH was having for dinner (I was just having leftovers). She had a decent amount of each

We went to bed around half seven for cuddles and boob/sleep. Apart from some whimpering in her sleep we didn't hear a peep til 645 this morning. She just sung out "daaaaad I'm awake" then snuggled and had boib again. Said her tummy hurt a bit and could she gave panadol but it hasn't impacted her at all. Still her usual cheeky IMO self. We are planning a few quiet data at home now

Me. Meh I couldn't sleep last night. Listening for her I guess. Woke at 520 (for about the hundredth time) and coukdnt hear her breathing over hubby snoring so got up to checking her then couldn't sleep again til about 6. DH has taken E to the lounge now so I'm going to try for more sleep. Try being the operative word!

Huge :hug: hun, i hope you get some rest today.
Miss E seems to be taking it all in her stride, as i thought she would, she's such a curious, clever litlte girl.

Hi BG, have seen on FB your updates re E but just haven't had a chance to post. Glad to hear that it all went so well. I do think that we mothers do tend to over think things, and plan for every possible worst case scenario (just cos we can) I know when Lewis had his day surgery to have the wires removed from his leg I was all worked up in a knot he came home and only needed panadol for a day and then he was back to normal. Kids are so resiliant and thankfully don't carry the anxieties and fears that creep up on you in adult life.

Sorry to hear about what you personally have been dealing with at the moment, when I hear you had lost another precious angel I just wished I could be there for you in person. Take care of yourself BG and I hope you can have a restful and quiet weekend.

ok – writing this mostly for E – for her photo book – so it has background in it – figure i may as well post the full thing as a debrief - feel free to comment on any spelling/grammar errors. I will do a proper edit later - have a poppet trying to help me type at the moment so can't do it now!

In November of 2011, when you were just shy of 2.5years old, you fell over one afternoon and came to us, screaming about the pain in your groin. we looked, but couldn’t see any scratches or bruises, and thought it was maybe a strained muscle or something. A couple of weeks later, Mummy was changing your clothes, and found a golf-ball sized lump in your groin. I showed Daddy, and we both knew something wasn’t right. Mummy assumed it was a hernia, and Mrs Smith had a quick look at the photo we’d taken, and agreed. She said to get it checked as soon as we could, and to keep an eye on you for signs of strangulation.
A few days later, we got you in to see the GP, who said he couldn’t see anything, but the photo we’d taken showed him something was not right. He sent you for an x-ray to make sure there was nothing else wrong, and then back for results. You were an absolute gem at the radiology place. they were very worried you’d get the wriggles given your age, or that we’d have to pin you down – but Mummy asked you to lay still, and you did. Perfect film first go! Back to the GP, who said you seemed like a happy, healthy two year old, but he’d refer us to a paediatrician just to be sure.
Dropped the referral in for the paediatrician to check, and she said straight away that she didn’t want to see you, so referred us to the surgeon. We had a three month wait to see him and were pretty certain that it would end in surgery, given the referral. We assumed it would be a fair wait on the public list, given your situation didn’t seem to be all that urgent – but the surgeon didn’t agree. He labelled your surgery semi-urgent, and you were going in to have your operation less than four weeks later!

On the big day, you weren’t really impressed with being woken up – but hey, none of us were! We’d spent some time explaining about the hospital and some of the things they’d do, to try and prepare you as best we could. We didn’t go into detail that would scare you, just told you about the doctors and nurses, that you’d go off to sleep and they’d fix your tummy, and then you’d have to have some quiet time to recover. You’d been to Emergency with Mummy a few months before, so I think you had a vague idea of it all.
We arrived at the hospital 7.30am, and were sent around to the children’s ward (Tarra) to be checked in. After waiting a little while, the nurse started to admit you, then went to check your bed – only to come back and say they had no beds available, so you’d have to be processed through the Day Surgery Unit – alongside all the adults. Hmmm, not what we’d prepared you for, but Mummy had been through there not so long ago, so we knew what to expect.
The staff were pretty good, given they’d had a bunch of paediatric cases dumped on them unexpectedly. You were the youngest, and were to be first up for surgery. The anaethetist came in to speak with us first. He was lovely – talked to you as well as us, explained everything that would happen, and put us at ease (as much as he could anyway!). He recognised that you weren’t particularly keen on him being near you, so arranged a pre-operative sedative. He told Daddy what to expect when he took you in for surgery, what you’d likely do as you were given the gas etc, so that he was prepared and didn’t freak out at all. He’d also explained they’d put a local anaesthetic in the very lowest part of your spine to stop you from waking in pain – the caudal block was to be used instead of loading you up with morphine, as so many little tackers react badly to morphine. After that, the nurse came in to put your hospital tags on and to explain what we could expect after the surgery as well.
We were taken through to get you ready after that. Off with your clothes, and on with the hospital gown. Then in to the waiting area for your sedative drink and to get you all organised. You drank the drink down, we met with the surgeon to confirm the details of your hernia, met with nurses who would be in theatre etc. You were starting to be impacted by the sedative, although the anaesthetist didn’t think you were. He was expecting a drowsy little poppet, not a bright eyed little girl asking to go home! We had to explain to him that you are one of those kids that goes hyper when you’re tired! You were definitely being affected by it! You were then wheeled down for your surgery, with Daddy holding your hand, while Mummy went back to the waiting room, fighting back tears.
Daddy says you got a bit upset after Mummy left. Asking to go home, and generally just not wanting to be there. You were sleepy, and crying a little when they put the gas mask on you, but went off to sleep and Daddy was sent out to join Mummy to wait
And wait
And wait some more
After you, there were several more children go in for surgery. Three more had gone in for their operations, and two of them had come out to the point their parents could join them, but there had been no word on you. Needless to say, Mummy and Daddy were getting a little bit worried. We’d been told you’d be gone about 40minutes, and when it hit 100minutes, Mummy in particular was getting very stressed! We were contemplating asking where our baby had disappeared to when Mummy was called in to the recovery room to be there – you’d JUST woken up. The nurse that was with you said you’d just kept sleeping a lot longer than they thought – the sedative had worked really well – but you had just opened your eyes and they thought you’d want a familiar face there as you came too.
You didn’t seem to care that Mummy was there though – you were curious about the pulse monitor on your finger, why the oxygen mask was beside you, what the nurse was doing when she walked away. You didn’t cry even a peep. You talked to Mummy and asked what was going on, coughed a few times, and just looked around. Mummy had a major flash back to the morning you were born – you did the same thing then too – just looked around trying to work out what was going on! You were doing so well, they moved you back to the Day Procedure Unit straight away.
You got a bit upset when you got moved – you were thirsty and wanted snuggles with mum, but couldn’t move. The bung in your arm was hurting too. You were getting quite distressed, and when Mummy asked what was wrong, you kept saying it was your arm. Both Mummy and the nurse checked, and you said your tummy was fine, but your arm was getting to you. The nurse got Daddy to come in to recovery too, and between us, we got you all snuggled up to Mum so you could have a feed. And that’s when we realised a lot of your problem was a dry yucky throat. You’d fill your mouth with milk, but couldn’t seem to swallow! The nurse came to the rescue with an icy pole, that you scoffed down, and from then on, you were awake and mostly content!
And really inquisitive!
You had a proper feed from Mummy, then wanted to get back on the bed. As we got the bed tilted up for you, the nurse asked if you’d like a sandwich. Obviously fasting for 14 hours (it was now about 11.30) was way too long for you, and you asked for a ham sandwich. And then you asked every couple of minutes. And when you weren’t asking for your sandwich you were asking what was happening around you. Nothing could happen without you asking – and expecting a proper reply. We couldn’t just say “because” – if we did, you asked why – again and again and again. So we had to keep up a running commentary. Mummy wondered a few times what people thought, but figured an ongoing conversation was better than a toddler in meltdown, so who cares!
When you’d been waiting about 20 minutes for your sandwich, it got to be too much. You’d found a bandaid on your hand that you wanted to take off, and when Mummy asked you not to, you asked again for your sandwich. When it wasn’t ready, you melted down. In a big way. Thankfully the sandwich was delivered within about 30 seconds, and you calmed down. You even asked the nurse nice for juice when she asked if you’d like juice or water with your sandwich.
After juice and sandwich, you were in a chipper mood – ready to go home. And you made us well aware of that fact! We got you dressed and took you out to the lounge area for last observations and things by the nurses. We’d put you in a nappy, just in case, and you refused to use it, demanding to go to the toilet while we waited to go home. You had a big cuddle with Mummy, and a feed, while waiting. You got bored and impatient, so we entertained you with games on Daddy’s phone until it was time for the bung to come out of your arm.
And then all hell broke loose! The tape had stuck to your little arm in a big way, and you were so distressed having it taken off. You screamed like your heart was broken. The poor nurse looked devastated having to hurt you, so offered you another icy pole when it was all done! You scoffed that, giving the nurse the evil eye the whole time, and then we got to come home. It was about 12.30 – so only five hours all up – but it felt like a lot longer for Mummy and Daddy! We’d not had anything to eat or drink for the morning cos we didn’t want to eat in front of you!
Back at home, we expected the pain to kick in or the after affects of the general to at least slow you down a little bit, but apparently not. We had to spend a lot of time encouraging you to calm down and stop running around. It didn’t work though! You just took the day as if it was any other day! First night home, you slept for nearly 11 hours without waking. You stirred a few times and made whimpering noises over night, so Mummy didn’t sleep well, but you were fine. You woke and called for Daddy, asking him to put you in bed with Mummy for a snuggle and feed. You finally said you had a bit of a sore tummy, and could you have Panadol – and from there on, you were back to normal. No change in appetite, no change in activity level. Just you being you – a perfect little princess!

sounds like all went well with the surgery.
Sorry to hear about your loss (((Hugs))) must be a very difficult time for you trying to take care of youreslf and your dd.