MY BIG DAYWHAT TO EXPECT FROM YOUR TONSILLECTOMY

Today I am visiting West Lakes Surgery Center because my doctor is going to take my tonsils out. My tonsils keep making me sick. Taking them out will help me feel better and not get sick so much.

The first thing I will do when I get there is walk up to the front desk. A nice person will

be there who will ask the adult with me some questions and to sign a few papers.

When that is all done, I can sit in one of the chairs or play in the toy area. When it is my turn, a nurse will call my name. I will bring all of my things with

me, and the adult with me can come, too.

We will go to an area called pre-op. This is where I will get ready for my surgery.

The nurse will show me which room is mine. Each room has a bed, chairs and a few monitors. The bed even has wheels on it like a race car! Instead of a door, this room has a

giant curtain. I can keep it open or closed.

The nurse will take my temperature. She will use a thermometer that will roll across my forehead. It won’t hurt,

and I will sit still like a statue.

The nurse will also want to measure how well I am breathing. She will put a special clip on my finger that has a light on it. It will look like my finger is glowing!

She will watch the numbers on the monitor. When she is done, I can take it off.

Next, the nurse will put a bracelet on my

ankle or my wrist. This bracelet is just for me and has my

name and birthday on it. The bracelet tells everyone who I am!

The last thing I do to get ready for my surgery is put on a cool shirt. This shirt has ties in the back. I can keep my underwear and pants or shorts on.

The nurse will also bring me fuzzy socks that I can wear and even take home!

When I am all ready, I will have time to watch cartoons or play with toys! Sometimes the child life specialist will be there to do fun things with me, like play games or color. She will also tell me what my special job is, and I can ask her a

lot of questions so I don’t feel scared.

When it is time for my surgery, a new nurse will come to my room and tell me. We will have to go to a different

room, and I can decide how I want to get there!

I can ride on my racecar bed, walk or ride in the wagon. This is when I tell the adult with me I will see them in a little bit when my surgery is all done. If I am feeling

scared, the child life specialist can go with me.

We will then go to the operating room. This is a special room that only people wearing special clothes can go in—this is so they don’t bring germs into the room.

They want to keep it nice and clean for me.

I might laugh when I see their blue clothes and silly looking hats! Some of them might have a funny mask

over their faces so they don’t spread any germs.

The operating room will have a special bed in it that looks a lot like my bed with wheels. My job is to lie on

the bed while the nurses bring me a warm blanket.

The nurses are all really nice and love to hear stories about me. There will also be monitors in this room, too, so I might hear different beeping sounds. Those

sounds mean that the monitors are working.

I might start to feel a little sleepy, because the mask has

special medicine in it that helps me take a nap. This is so I don’t feel anything during my

surgery. I will only be asleep for about 30 minutes. That’s about as long as one episode

of my favorite TV show.

Next it will be time for my special job. My room will have a balloon in it. This

balloon will get bigger when I take big, deep breaths into a space mask that covers my nose and mouth. The mask will smell like bubble gum!

I’ll also have a bandage on one of my hands. This is because during my surgery, the doctors put a tiny

straw in my hand so I can get medicine when I wake up. The nurses will take it out before I go home.

When my surgery is over, I will wake up in a different area called the recovery room. I might still feel sleepy, and that

is OK. My throat might be a little sore from the surgery, but the nurses will give me medicine to make me feel better.

When I feel awake enough, the nurses will

take me to see the adult who came with me. We will sit in a room full of chairs, and I can even

watch TV and drink juice if I want! After I rest for a little bit, I will go home.

After a few weeks, it will be time for my check-up. I will go to see my doctor at Iowa ENT Center.

The doctor will look at my mouth with a flashlight to make sure everything looks good.

I will sit still like a statue. When I am done, I will get a sticker for being so brave.

105 Valley West Drive • West Des Moines, IA 50265 PH [515] 223-4368 • FAX [515] 453-2368

IowaENTCenter.com