Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Protection built in.

Meet the Other Phone.
Protection built in.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To ask for advice about ct scans for children?

12 replies

elliejjtiny · 11/07/2019 12:50

Shamelessly posting here for traffic as I have less than 24 hours and I'm used to doing things like this with 2-3 months to prepare. Ds is 6 but has learning difficulties so his development is about 2.5-3 years behind his actual age. His consultant wants him to have a ct scan tomorrow. He has had Mri scans before but always under general anaesthetic. Ct scans are quicker and so we are planning for him to have it done while awake but if he won't do it or won't keep still we will have to wait and have it done under general anaesthetic which I would rather avoid. Does anyone have any tips or experience? I don't know anything about ct scans and the practicalities, what to bring with us etc. Normally we would get leaflets and I would have time to search for books with titles like "Jake has a ct scan" on Amazon but there is no time for that.

OP posts:
Vole3 · 11/07/2019 12:58

m.youtube.com/watch?v=m2fKj1Vnmig

Hope this helps

LoubyLou1234 · 11/07/2019 13:07

"What? Why? children in hospital" Have a Facebook page with great child friendly videos and work with HCP and hospitals . I'll try and link the ct video

www.whatwhychildreninhospital.org.uk/video-happens-in-ct
Practice being still if needed.

Also when at reception or before the scan give the radiographers heads up about learning difficulties they may give a little more time to get on the scanner and adjust expectations.
Good thing is that a CT is pretty quick in relation to other scans.

Original poster
elliejjtiny · 11/07/2019 14:01

Thankyou both, that's really great advice.

OP posts:
Original poster
elliejjtiny · 12/07/2019 19:59

Unfortunately none of this worked and he refused to go in the scanner. We spent all day on the children's ward today and now we have to go back into hospital on Monday to try it again with sedation.

OP posts:
opinionatedfreak · 12/07/2019 20:06

That's a pain.

Our (children's hospital) newest CT scanner is super quick.

If I take a GA patient (we try really hard not to GA for CT but sometimes it is unavoidable). The scan is usually finished by the time I've walked from the control room door to the viewing window (about 3 steps). They start scanning as soon as I close the door.

BarbariansMum · 12/07/2019 20:23

Ah that's a shame but I'm not surprised. We managed it at 6 months with ds2 (my hand and arm hand to go through too as he was falling asleep sucking my finger) but wed never have managed it at 3 or 4 (which is your child's current developmental age after all) - he'd have screamed the place down.

You'll probably find it works fine with sedation though. Good luck for Monday.

Original poster
elliejjtiny · 12/07/2019 22:44

Thankyou. He willingly let the nurses do his obs which he wouldn't let them do a year ago. So he is doing really well. When he was 18 months he would start screaming as soon as we went onto the ward. Hopefully it will go ok on Monday. They have booked him in for an mri under general anaesthetic on Wednesday as well just in case the ct under sedation doesn't work.

OP posts:
BarbariansMum · 12/07/2019 23:35

Sounds like a good plan. Mri scanners are noisy and claustrophobic (ds2 had one as well) so a general is def needed for little ones.

LoubyLou1234 · 14/07/2019 08:15

Sorry to hear this. Depending on the type of sedation it doesn't always work on children over 5. But your hospital may use a different one.

Also if he has a lot of hospital intervention it may be worse contacting the Play Specialists or learning disabilities team ( if one available) to do some work with him regarding hospitals.

Sirzy · 14/07/2019 08:20

Play specialists all the way!

That said for ds the only option for the CT scan was general (he isn’t medically able to be sedated so we couldn’t try that)

Hope it goes well

Original poster
elliejjtiny · 15/07/2019 01:03

Thankyou. The play specialists have been great with him, pretending that the mri scanner was a space rocket etc. A couple of years ago they took him on a tour of the anaesthetic rooms and he "helped" the theatre staff test the equipment and he got his own surgical hat. Then when it was time for him to go under he was kicking and screaming.

He has made a lot of progress though. When he was 18 months old he would start screaming as soon as we got through the door of the children's ward and it's only been in the last year that he's allowed the nurses to weigh and measure him without a fight.

OP posts:
Original poster
elliejjtiny · 15/07/2019 22:12

Just updating to say that it didn't work and he is now booked in for an mri scan under general anaesthetic on Wednesday afternoon.

OP posts:
New posts on this thread. Refresh page