Preparing for hospital –
It doesn’t have to be horrible and traumatic for you or your child
The week between coming back from holiday and going into hospital tomorrow has been a busy one. I had lots of work to do and so did Simon, but I also made sure that I made some time to spend with Hannah. She’s old enough, at nearly 15, not to want me all the time as she’s quite happy spending time with her friends or reading or spending time on the computer or watching TV. But we spent one afternoon together and went to the cinema, which made her very happy.
Hannah knows she’s getting lots of treats because of her impending hospital stay and is milking it somewhat, but not too much…and given that she’s going to have major heart surgery, she’s allowed to milk it a little bit 🙂
So, today, we went into town to buy her some front-fastening pyjamas (much easier with heart monitor wires etc once she’s back on the ward and can put PJs on than trying to grapple with getting stuff over her head, disconnecting all the monitor wires for a few moments, dealing with all the beeping etc!), some slippers, some loomband supplies and some DVDs, as well as some essential toiletries etc. We had a great time in town – everything went our way…from special offers and discounts on much of the stuff we needed, to generally walking around with big smiles on our faces and having a giggle with friendly shop assistants.
When we got home, more of Hannah’s friends turned up with presents and she went out to play while I went and made the most of the sun and warm weather (we’ll be spending a lot of time cooped up indoors from tomorrow, so I wanted not only to top up my tan but also to soak up as much fresh air and sun as I could, while I could!) while Simon had a bit of a snooze.
Now we’ve just had a lovely dinner that was a bit of a treat and we’ll shortly go and pack.
Tomorrow, we’re setting off early so we can go for a cup of tea with my sister-in-law and nieces & nephew as they all want to see Hannah before her surgery. Then we’re taking Hannah for lunch at TGI Friday’s (pre-surgery lunches at TGI Friday’s in Birmingham seem to have become a bit of a family tradition!) before getting her admitted to the Ward just before 2pm.
Of course we’re worried and we’re not trying to pretend it’s not happening, but it won’t do Hannah or us any good to be complete nervous wrecks once we get there. We might as well enjoy the enjoyable bits – the time together, the meals out, looking forward to seeing nurses and other Ward staff that have known Hannah since she was a baby, etc.
There’ll be plenty of time for tears and worrying on Monday…
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