3 yr old due to be circumcised tomorrow - very anxious, any advice?

[nicand2]

I am worried about the build up and the anestehic and dh is worried about the aftermath so we have agreed to support each other through our weak bits!

Just wondered id anyone had any advice on things to take or how it is afterwards??

He is also autistic so we haven't explained it to him as he wouldn't understand but his autism means he is very good with pain and can be side tracke from it.....usually!

DS1 had this op last year when he was 13. Wasn't as straightforward as we'd hoped because it turned out that the "magic cream" didn't work on him, so he felt it when they put in the canula. Plus there were complications afterwards but these stemmed from inadequate aftercare instructions.

They will apply a dressing after the op which is supposed to come away by itself. With DS1 it didn't and we hadn't been advised how soon this should happen. So, by the time we realised that it hadn't done what it should have done, it was well and truly stuck to the wound. So, ensure that the dressing comes away after about 24-48 hours - no longer than that. If it doesn't come away by itself, contact the hospital and ask them to deal with it.

Apart from that, the operation itself was very straightforward and was well done.

Nic,can you go into the anaesthetic room with him?
Most hospitals allow this now and it does help parents,but be prepared to feel very tearful when he falls asleep and you have to leave him!
He should be in theatre an hour or so;allow time for the recovery room as well. A nurse from your ward(hopefully one you and he have met) will tell you when he is ready to come back and you should both be able to go to theatre with her to collect him.
Be prepared for him to br irritable and crying when you see him,this is very common after an anaesthetic and once he has slept a bit more on the ward he should be fine.
The usual length of stay is 4 hours post op; they will check his dressing for fresh leakage and his blood pressure etc.Once they are happy,he has eaten and drunk and not vomited profusely(a lot of children are sick once or twice,that is normal),you should be able to take him home. They should give you a contact number for problems overnight,and we then do a visit the following day at home and for a few days after.
Opinion varies as to whether boys should wear underpants in bed afterwards or not: you can get trouble with pants sticking to the wound,but this could happen with sheets as well so go with whatever your hospital recommends.
Hope that helps,I am a paediatric nurse on a day surgical ward and did a circumcision list only yeasterday!
One last thing,have plenty of calpol and nurofen in and give it regularly for a couple of days post op!
Best wishes!

Thanks to both of you for your advice, a lot of good info there. I think I will feel better when we are actually at the hospital as the staff will take over and guide us through everything,

Hiya
My son had this done last year.

The magic cream must have worked because we went into theatre with him (he skipped there {hmm} ) and when the anaesthetist put the cannula in his hand, he was asking about it, he didn't feel a think and was out straight away. I gave him a kiss and went back to his bed.

The consultant came to see me as soon as the op was over to tell me it had been fine and he was just in recovery.

About 15 mins later we got a call to go down and we woke him up ourself. He was smiling and saying he was starving! He didn't have a dressing on it, just a pad placed over it.

He went home about 3 hours later after eating enough food for a week, he wasn't sick or miserable or anything. Only prob was it was very heavy snow and it took us 5 hours to get home

He was a bit miserable the next couple of days. We had cream to put on and he hated us doing it. We dressed him in long T-shirts and no pants, at his request. When he was in bed we put a pile of pillows underneath each side of the duvet so nothing was touching him.

Good luck, I know how you feel.

My son has had a few ops around this age - it is really hard on you, but they deal with it and recover fantastically well. DS was up and about within minutes of waking up after his second op.

I really feel for you, but once its over its an enormous relief and you can concentrate on getting him better, comfortable and home.

I took mini-cereal boxes, milk and bowl for when he woke up (didn't want to rely on hospital food and timings) and cartons of cold juice in a cool bag. He'll probably be thirsty when he wakes up, although don't let him have too much initially as he might be sick. Childrens magazines are good as they have toys and you can read them.

Have a clean pjs to bring him home in. You might on this occasion need to forego his usual car seat if it is a 3-point seat-belt and use a booster seat.

Don't forget his favourite toy. They will probably take this in with him and put it on his bed for when he wakes up. Make sure they know you want to be in the recovery room for when he wakes.

Ask as many questions as you like and make sure you feel comfortable dealing with any aftercare before you leave - although you can call the ward with any questions afterwards.

I esplained to DS that yep, its not nice, so lets balance up the bad with the good. And spoilt him rotten. Good luck

sleepycat - our consultant advised us it was better to have it done sooner rather than later as he had already been in some pain and scar tissue was forming. He is autistic so there was no guarantee that if we'd waited a few years he would be able to understand any better.

Second Sleepy in hoping it all goes to plan tomorrow for you and your son nic!

My son had his done when he was 3,his first time in hospital and he was very clingy (understandably).It all went well,apart from the fact he didn't wake up very quickily-he was down in recovery for a 1hr after the op.
He was very teary after and was glad to come home.He spent about 3 days on the sofa with no pj bottoms/pants on because he complained about the pain and irritation- we just put a nice soft towel around him loosely and spoilt him.

Thinking of you for tomorrow!

Thanks poshwellies.

Just wondering how your little chap got on Nic?

Hope all is well!