7yr old echo issues

[Oysterbabe]

My DD was born with a heart condition and had open heart surgery when she was 2. She has to have regular echos and she absolutely HATES them, has done since she was a tiny baby. She's had to have a few under sedation because she was crying too much for them to get clear images. I think it's partly sensory, she doesnt like having the jelly on her. She had her last one when she was 4 and they decided she now only needed them every 2 years. Because of waiting lists and covid backlogs, it's actually been 3 years but it's happening soon. She's very different now than when she was 4. She's a fairly shy and reserved child anyway, but over the last few months she's naturally started to seek a bit more privacy, she closes her door when she changes, prefers to be left alone on the bath etc. So added to the problem with the jelly, I can imagine her just flatly refusing to take her tshirt off for the consultant.

Does anyone have any suggestions? It's just going to get worse as she grows into a teen. I was thinking maybe a crop top might help her feel more comfortable but she's young for one and I'm not sure whether they'll be able to do the echo properly if she's in it anyway.

I’m afraid I don’t have any solutions but I feel your pain, as we have the same problem with DD(9) and echoes and ECGs. I don’t think a crop top would work as it would be directly over where they’d need to put the gel and the wand.
Might something like a short kimono work, so she’s still a bit covered up but the cardiologist can have it open enough to scan the chest.

Maybe a shirt would help her feel less exposed.

Bless her.
Shes not too young for a crop top. Tesco etc sell them from age 6. For about 5 quid for 2

Yeah a shirt shpikd be ok. Have you spoken to her about it? Explained what happens during the test? Watched some videos? 7 is a big difference from age 4 she needs preparation before you go.

Can she have a hospital gown? I'm an adult with a congenital heart condition and I'm given a gown for cover-up for my echos. (They weren't a thing when I was a child; first portable echo machine I saw was when I was 17). The echo technician does need to put the probe around the chest but they barely actually need to look except just to put it in the right place. Otherwise their eyes are fixed on the screen. The gown is open at the front but can be placed so no one can see much. (I have big boobs that can escape but this won't be a problem for girls of your daughter's age)

An issue can be that the echo gel is a bit cold on the skin. If this is something that bothers your daughter then it might be possible to have it warmed up a bit (rubbing tube or even jelly between hands, say).

At the end it's good to have an opportunity to wipe the jelly off thoroughly so the skin doesn't feel sticky and weird. This might be important to her.

I have had ECGs all my life and there used to be the fun of the popper-type "stick-ons" and keeping still so they didn't fall off - which was a good distraction. However they use stickers these days so that fun is no more! At the moment my ECGs immediately follow my echos so I have a gown for cover-up. I would have thought a crop top would be ok for an ECG as it could be just lifted if necessary to place a sticker under, but most of the stickers aren't over the chest/heart area.

Over the many years I've had these tests I've found that different operators have varying levels of sensitivity to exposing the patient's chest. I certainly had ECGs in my teens (when I was most sensitive) with everything hanging out - but at least they don't last very long! If any exposure is necessary then access to a quick cover-up afterwards would be great.

The other thing is that if you grow up with a heart condition you do get used to check-ups involving taking clothes off and people being able to see. It's important to understand as the patient that they aren't looking "at you", just at your chest to understand how the heart is doing. Sometimes it's not that comfortable (though people are generally pretty good) but it's in the interest of keeping her well.

My consultant now doesn't have me strip to bra for my examination: I can go down to T-shirt or vest top, so if that is something that would help they can hopefully accommodate it.