Basic Training Hospital Style

This is a great link for kids about what a pediatric hospital stay will be like.

Bandaides Hospital Information

It's interesting for adults too! It gave me more ideas of things we need to talk about beforehand. Today she asked about the liquid diet...we had talked before about needing to be on a liquid diet after surgery and she wanted to know if it would be forever. It's funny what kids think and understand. I told her no, it would only be for a day or so and then she would have to start trying more and more solid foods....somehow she never got past the liquids yesterday, is it possible to be stuck on popsicles?

Today we also talked about needing to work hard to get out of the hospital. That the doctors will want her to do some things that might hurt, but it would be important to do exactly what they tell us to do and it might be hard work. We talked about what she would need to be able to do in order to go home: eat solid food, use the bathroom, and walk for a little distance. Sounds easy, unless you have a giant hole in your middle, which makes things just a little tricky.

We practiced how to sit up and get out of bed with an incision in your tummy, (roll on your side, push up with your arm that's against the bed while moving your legs over the edge of the bed) we'll do that some more, it doesn't feel natural to her yet. It's no fun to forget and feel the stab of pain from moving wrong once you have the incision...better to learn beforehand and avoid the pain.

She said she wanted to try to do the things the doctor asked, but she either works hard or hates things and wants to throw them....I can relate! I have moments myself where I would like to throw things...I hope she will choose hard work over giving up.

Never, never, never give up. (and throw things) -Winston Churchill