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.

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! Please Clean Your Hands!

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. Registration

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. The Waiting Area

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.

The nurse calls our number and we walk down the hall to the next area. My Number is Called

She gives me a gown and hat to get changed into for my surgery. Time to Get Changed

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! Vital Signs

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. Waiting To Go To The OR

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 Surgeon!

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. My Anesthetist!

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. On Our Way To The OR

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! The Operating Room

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! Anesthesia

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. The Recovery Room

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 Porter!

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. My Nurse Takes Care of Me

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. Feeling Better!

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! Taking Out My IV

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! Finding Nemo & Going Home!

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 Special Thanks To...