You have come to the hospital today because you need an operation. Are you a little nervous? That is normal! Check out what it is like to be admitted to hospital? You’ll see, you don’t have to worry about it.
You follow 'route 56' to the fifth floor. This is where all the children who are ill or who need surgery are.
Together with your mum or dad you go to the nurses' office. You will find it if you follow the green frog legs on the floor.
Your mum or dad will then give the stickers with your name to the nurse.
Then, a nurse will take you to your room. Every room here is a country, so you might be staying in Italy or Spain.
You get two bracelets with your name and date of birth on them, so everyone can see who you are. If one of the straps were to be cut off, everyone would still know your name.
You will also get a sticker on the place where you need to be operated. For example, on your hand. The nurse then asks a few questions. For example: ‘Did you eat or drink anything this morning?’
Now you can have a look at the photo book with all the explanations, together with the play assistant or nurse, so that you know exactly what to expect.
Before you go to the operating theatre, there is a lot to do! First of all, you will change your clothes. You will get a nice apron.
Then you go to the toilet and afterwards you get a syrup or pill to make you calm down. The syrup can make you a bit dizzy or tired. You are no longer allowed to walk around in your room.
If you have to take a pill, drink it with just a little water, because your stomach has to be as empty as possible for the operation. This means that you may not eat or drink before the operation.
Now you are finally ready to go to the operating theatre. The assistant will accompany you downstairs together with your mum or dad. You can take your favourite cuddly toy into the operating theatre.
Your bed goes in the lift to the operating theatre. You don't see such a big lift every day!
On the second floor, we get out of the lift and go through a large door to the operating theatre.
In the waiting room you can wait in the children's corner. There are beautiful drawings on the curtain and on the walls! You are not alone here, because your mum or dad can stay with you.
While you wait, you can have a chat with the assistant and he or she will explain what will happen next.
There is the nurse from the operating theatre!
Now you can say goodbye to mum or dad. But don't worry, the assistant will stay with you until you are asleep. Give your mum or dad a big hug.
When you arrive in the operating theatre, the assistant will put you on another bed. You can have your favourite cuddly toy with you until you are asleep.
The nurses in the operating theatre will place three stickers on your body. One on your right shoulder, one on your left shoulder and one in your side.
There are cables attached to the stickers that are connected to a large computer screen. This is necessary to measure your heart rate and breathing during the operation. The beeping you hear is your heartbeat.
A kind of 'clothes peg' is placed on your finger or toe. This does not hurt. This clothes peg measures the oxygen in your blood.
The sleep doctor will make you sleep with a mask. A balloon hangs from the mask. The longer you breathe into the mask, the larger the balloon gets.
After a while, a funny smell will come into the mask, but you can just quietly blow this bad smell away. Sometimes the sleep doctor tells a story and before you know it, you will be fast asleep!
Only after you are asleep will the nurse insert your drip. You won't feel a thing, because you are already sleeping.
For older children, however, an infusion can be placed beforehand. The anaesthesia will be administered as a medicine via the infusion instead of with a mask. The sleep doctor will decide this.
Once you are asleep, the doctor starts the operation. After the operation, the assistant will tell your mum or dad how it went.
When you enter the recovery room, the paediatric nurse will be notified. She will get your mum or dad to be with you. They may look a little funny, as they have to put on a long yellow apron.
If you are well awake, you may return to your room. You may still feel a little tired, but you can rest and sleep until you feel completely fit again. Then you can play some more in the playroom or get some toys in your room.
Only when you can drink, eat, urinate and walk in the corridor and the doctor has visited, are you ready to go home. The nurse will let you know when you can go home.
