General anaesthetic for children for a minor prodecdure

[TurkeyGang]

Dd needs to have micro-suctioning on her ears.

It's quite a minor procedure in the scheme of things, but her hearing is not 100pc because her ears are blocked and need clearing. Her teacher has mentioned a few times that she's not sure dd is hearing her, so I'm concerned she could be missing out at school etc and it can't be nice for her in any event.

She had it done once in March but found it almost unbearable and said she couldn't face it again. We had to go back recently for another session but she couldn't let them do anything at all. She's had her ears prodded and poked over the years and now can't stand anything near them. She knows it's for the good and isn't being naughty, but despite lots of reassurance from us and everyone, just can't bear it and I do sympathise.

I asked the consultant for advice and he suggested we could think about a short general anaesthetic and they would be able do a really good job of it whilst she's under.

It sounds the perfect answer, but I feel worried about electing to put her out as anaesthetics are not risk free. If it was something that was presented as 'no option' I would be ok with it, but as it's us who have to make the decision to use it, I feel a bit more worried about saying yes.

Any wise words?

I would ask for them to sedate her insetad rather than a GA.

when my ds's were circumcised, we elected to have them put under general anesthesia.
i didnt want them to have the trauma of someone fiddling withtheir bits. and surgeons tend to be more relaxed whenthe person is out as they can get on with theire job without worrying about the patient as it was.
it cost us about five times as much as a local anesthetic would have, but my feeling is that my kids are simply too precious . iyswim

I'm with maddie, why not sedate her, give gas + air, or some sort of child equivalent of valium?

I know GAs have improved of late, but still, they have risks, and you feel like rubbish when you wake.

How old is your DD? Have you tried lots of distractions when they do things with her, like having a movie to watch, or reading her a book, or giving her a lollypop to eat?

I did ask about a sedative but the consultant said he suggests this instead to enable a thourogh job to be done and lessen the need for another session so soon.

Good point about paying - he didn't mention that, but I guess it's a possibility.

I just want this sorted out for her with the minimum of worry for her - she gets very distressed at the mere mention of it now

Don't think the consultant would suggest it if he didn't think the pros outweighed the cons.

Awful to have to choose. Fwiw, ds had a GA this year and was fine. I was a total wreck though.

My friends DD was put under GA when she had a steroid injection in a cyst above her eye, as due to the location of the cyst, it's a tricky procedure and toddlers (as she was then) have a habit of wriggling! She was under, I believe, for no longer than about 20 mins, and was absolutely fine afterwards. It is, of course, your choice.

It almost sounds like she's got a phobia about having her ears touched? Which is understandable, but a bit of a hassle ... any chance of slowly getting her used to having her ears touched, etc? There's a whole desensitization method for getting rid of phobias, which you do by taking baby steps, talking about the fear/discomfort etc etc ...

She 7. She's always had minor problems with her ears as they block so easily because they are very tiny inside. There's nothing fundamentally wrong with her hearing and it's hoped as she grows bigger the problem will resolve itself.

I've tried every sort of distraction/bribery etc. Dd a very co-operative sort of soul usually, but this is unbearable to her even though she wants it done iyswim.

I still don't see why sedation can't be used.

My ds has had cathethers removed under sedation. You do have to find the right sedative for the child, my ds was once given one which made hime hyper. The surgeon tried a different one whcih zonked him out.
I wonder if your Dr is being a bit rushed, a GA takes effect at once and therefore the job can be done quickly, a sedative requires time to work and cosequently more waiting around for Dr.

I know the risks of GA are very small but my ds was one of the unlucky ones who developed breathing problems under GA. The risk is tiny but that was little comfort when it happened to us. Ds has since had a GA{emergency op) with no ill effects.

If you feel uneasy opt for sedation first.

I would have preferred sedation, it's true.

I wrote to suggest it and the reply said they didn't like to do it in an 'outpatient environment' as the child can become 'distressed and confused'. Then he went on to say that quite often when this situation arises they do a short GA which also allows them to do a good assessment of the ears. So it seems to be the next step for them when this situation arises.

I wonder if it is a 'time pressure' thing as you say. How on earth can I subtley suggest that to them though and re-push for a sedative? I've not had much experience with hospital etiquette, and feel unsure how to condradict them now they've given the advice I asked for. God what a minefield.

I can see Maddie's point about having a sedative to reduce risks as well as a GA to do a thorough job and not leave any more psychological scars for dd. Tough one, sorry, but just wanted to say my dd had a looong GA at 4 months and was fine. hope it goes well for dd - it is so hard for you when dd is distressed

My son was taken onto childrens ward and given bed there for his sedatives.

Perhaps you could ask for this. I get the feeling it will dependm on hospital and consultant though.

It is very hard to know what to do.

Have no experience of sedatives in children, but DS1 (also 7) has had 2 short GAs this year for minor procedures - one to remove a cyst from his cheek (about 20 minutes) and one to drain and repair a hydrocele (fluid on testicle)- again, about 20 minutes. He was absolutely fine, although a bit grotty afterwards for a couple of hours - after the face op, he was back at school the next day full of energy. He had a couple of days off after the groin op because of pain around the scar. If it really distresses your daughter, and the consultant would like to have a good look at what's going on inside her ears, I would take the chance, TBH.

no experience but I think I would like a GA for my child

I had sedation when I had my wisdom teeth out and it was horrible! very confusing and disorientating

For the chance to hopefully sort it out good and proper I would go for the GA. DS1 has ear probs and has had 2 lots of grommets as well as a dental procedure under GA, for the 1st one he was very sick and since then I have asked the anaethetist to use an anti sickness medication, the most recent GA he was at school in the morning op at lunch time and back to school the next day, when the GA is short they get over it very quickly.

Thanks everyone - any evening mums with experience of this?