Son needing op

[trevthecat]

Hello! My 10 year old is having an op in a few weeks on one eye due to a squint and double vision. I have been fortunate to have never been in this situation before. What should we bring to make his day a little better? It's actually his birthday the following day too! He should be home same day. He is mildly autistic but we cope well although he will obviously be anxious. Anything that might just make his day a little more tolerable! Thank you

Will post again as I’m on my way out .... first thing is to make sure ALL staff are aware he’s autistic (no such thing as ‘mildly’ btw). Ring before hand to let them know.

I’m fed up of having to explain at every new medical appointment about this. In my mind it should be on referral letters etc, but no. So it means staff expect dc to behave/react/interact in the way a NT child does.

Ds was 6yo when he had his last grommets.

I gave him some options.
He was nil by mouth from 2am, so I asked him if he wanted a midnight feast, or to have a huge dinner at 10pm.
He chose a midnight feast, so I asked what he wanted to eat.
What we did in the end (all his choice) was I woke him at midnight. He went out on his scooter round the block, then he came back for hot chocolate and marmalade sandwiches.
He chooses what to take (pyjamas, and soft toy)

I told them he was nervous when we arrived and they asked the play therapist to come and talk to him.

One thing that I found is they don't want you to be there as the child wakes, I assume because of complications. They also don't go back to the same room they went to sleep in. So an earlier operation he woke in a strange room without mummy, and was very frightened. When he was 6yo, I was able to make him understand that when he came round he could ask for me and then they'd get me.

You need to check what the covid regulations are as last June (when he had appendicitis!) they weren't letting anyone else in recovery, so I was told he'd be brought back to me. In the end his op took so long, and there was no one else in recovery, and he always takes ages to come round, so they did fetch me, but I was told not to expect that.

I normally take a little present for him to open when he's recovering. In all fairness he's usually fairly out of it for 2-3 hours (he doesn't recover well) afterwards, so I'm not sure whether he really appreciates it!

@blindstupid I know mildly isn't the right wording but it often works better than high functioning! I will make sure everyone is aware, thank you and yes it should be noted but I know too well that it isn't. It's hard because people assume he is coping with things, he is always compliant. He never breaks rules or goes against anything he is asked. That doesn't mean he wants to though!

I might get him some new fluffy pjs then and a treat for after. He would love a midnight feast! Food is his number one love!

I will be able to be in recovery, my sister will be nurse in charge on the day. Know special treatment can be frowned upon but at that moment, I'll take it!

Take any special treatment you can 😉
We used to describe our dd as mildly autistic. We changed the wording as she got older and was unable to cope with increasing demands of school and life in general 😔 She too is very compliant and absolutely does not show her thoughts/feelings/anxieties ... it makes it so much harder to deal with and to get help for her.

He is definitely finding life harder as he gets older. And lockdown hasn't been fun for him. Yes I will take it all, most of the staff I will of met before, and at least 2 my son has met so that will help him to adjust.
Just need to find a good treat for a nearly 11 year old ww2 lover 🤣

I had eye surgery as an adult which will have been a different experience I know but the main things i wanted to say are that there was no pain afterwards, I had mine while awake but assume he will be under GA. I had to wear a plastic shield overnight which was annoying as you have to be careful how you lay so it doesn't press into your face which is uncomfortable.

Also lots of drops in the week afterwards so you may want to do some prep with him about how important it is not to rub his eye and about the need for the drops. A tip for drops is to get him to tilt his head up and look down to the floor while you come in from above, that way he won't see them coming as you put them in.

My dd had a very minor eye op ... when she came round she had an eye patch bandage taped to her eye ... I chatted with her but she was very subdued, pretty normal for her though really so I didn’t think anything of it. A couple of hours later I asked her if she had any questions ... her reply was “what’s this on my eye?” ... it didn’t occur to me that I’d have to explain something as simple as a bandage covering the eye - it made me realise just how differently autism makes you think and react.