Nicole Goes For Surgery
Exceptional People, Exceptional Care!
Hi, my name is Nicole. This is my mom and I am carrying my dog
“Sammy”. They are coming with me while I have my surgery today.
Please Clean Your Hands
First we stop at the hand washing station and wash our hands,
it feels kind of weird… but we are sure to rub it in well!
Registration
Next we go to the second floor reception area to give them my information.
Here the receptionist asks my name, when I was born and if I have any allergies.
I answer the questions I can and then my mom answers the rest.
She gives me a card with a number on it and the nurse will call me in by that
number when it is my turn to go in to get ready.
The Waiting Area
We sit in the waiting area until the nurse calls our number.
It’s a nice area that even has a tv if you would like to watch it.
This is one of my nurses
A nurse is someone who takes care of you before,
during and after your surgery. It can be a woman or a man.
The operating room nurse wears a hat and a mask to keep everything
clean in the operating room for you.
My Number is Called
The nurse calls our number and we walk down the hall to the next area.
Time to Get Changed
She gives me a gown and hat to get changed into for my surgery.
Vital Signs
How do you like my hat?? It is kind of fun to get dressed up. The nurse then asks us more questions and
takes something called my vital signs. My blood pressure is taken by a sleeve put on my arm. It gives my
arm a hug and if I stay really still it doesn’t take too long. She also puts a clip on my finger.
It has a cool red light and it doesn’t hurt. It measures my oxygen level. Finally she takes my temperature
she does this by putting it in my ear. It kind of tickles and is really quick!
Waiting To Go To The OR
While we wait for our turn to go in the operating room I can read, colour, play my DS or
bring in my iPad or portable DVD player to watch some movies.
It makes the time go by a little quicker.
My Surgeon
While I am waiting, my surgeon will visit my mom and I.
A surgeon is the doctor that will perform the surgery you are coming in for.
The surgeon may be a man or woman and is a doctor you would have seen in their
office before your surgery
My Anesthetist
He is the doctor that will help me go to sleep and make sure
I am comfortable during my surgery.
This type of doctor is an anesthetist.
My Anesthetist
The Anesthetist comes to meet my mom and I. He is really friendly, and
asks us some more questions before I go into the operating room.
On Our Way To The OR
Then we all walk down to the operating room.
If I was younger than I may have rode in a crib down to the operating room.
The Operating Room
Once we are in the operating room it gets kind of busy. There are nurses on either side of
me helping me get ready to go to sleep. The nurses and the doctor hook me up to monitors
like the blood pressure cuff and the clip to measure my oxygen just like I had on in the day
surgery area.
The Operating Room
Here I am in the operating room. On the left there is a blue cuff on my arm. This
is a blood pressure cuff. It gives my arm a little hug. The stickers on my chest
connect with those wires and are for the doctor to see what my heart is doing.
You can see Sammy with me. It is nice that he can stay with me it makes me feel
more at home.
The Operating Room
When I look up in the operating room there are really cool lights they are really
bright and colourful so I shut my eyes a little to make it seem less bright.
The Operating Room
When I was getting ready in the operating room they played a clip of a movie for
me. I picked Bugs Bunny. It was fun watching tv and it helped me get my mind
off of the surgery. When you come in you can ask them to play a show you like!
Anesthesia
Then the anesthetist put a mask on my face like what pilots wear. It smelt kind of
funny, but the bigger breaths I took the faster the smell went away. It wasn’t long
until I fell asleep. Even though, they said I didn’t have to count, I still tried but I
only got to 3!
The Recovery Room
When I woke up I was in the recovery room. The nurse was there when I woke
up and she told me the surgery was done. I was still hooked up to the monitors
and I now had a clear mask on my face. This was the oxygen mask to help me
breathe easier. I was still really sleepy and she told me I could rest and when I
was a bit more awake she would let my mom come in.
The Recovery Room
My mom came and sat with me for a bit and it felt good to have her with me.
My Porter
A porter can be a woman or man. They help patients like me get from the recovery
room to my room. They will also take patients to different appointments in the
hospital if they need to go.
My Porter
After a little while the porter came and pushed my bed to the pediatric wing.
It’s a place in the hospital where the kids stay.
I will stay there until I feel better to go home.
My Nurse Takes Care of Me
When I arrived to my room, the nurse hooked me up to the monitors again and listened to
my chest. She brought me any medicine I needed for when I had pain and checked on me
often to make sure I was okay. My mom came in and stayed with me.
Feeling Better
When I was feeling a bit better and I was more awake the nurse brought me a
popsicle and a drink while I was watching one of my favorite shows.
Taking Out My IV
Once I was feeling good, drinking and eating popsicles, the nurse came in and took out my
IV. This is the tubing that was putting fluid into my hand. The tape is pretty sticky, but once
it is lifted the tubing came out really quick! I totally thought there was a needle in my hand,
but the nurse showed me it was just a small piece of plastic that wasn’t even sharp!
I was totally surprised!
Finding Nemo & Going Home
When it was time for me to go home, mom and I stopped by the fish tank to try and find
Dory and Nemo before we went home.
Everyone was really nice and I am glad I could share my day with you!
Special Thanks To...
All the participants for their time and energy and the
Huron Perth Healthcare Alliance - Stratford General Hospital
for the use of their facility
Created by: Christina St.Pierre RPN
Copyright April 2013