My trip to hospital for children aged 9 to 11 years
Dear Carer, This book is designed for children aged between 9 and 11 years. Our aim is to help you and your child get ready for your child s upcoming hospital stay. Coming into hospital can be stressful. If you are even slightly worried about this hospital visit, it is highly likely that your child will sense this and be anxious as well. Please read this book with your child. This book, together with the My Trip to Hospital DVD, will show you and your child what to expect here at The Royal Children s Hospital in Brisbane. But what if you think your child is too young or too old for this book? We have a range of books for different developmental levels. Please ring the hospital to organise another version to be sent to you. For now, please read this book yourself. If you know what to expect and are relaxed, your child will benefi t! See you soon at the Royal Children s Hospital, Brisbane. Author: Lynnelle Frame Illustrator: Anna Godwin Editor: Angela Vernon We gratefully acknowledge the Royal Children s Hospital Foundation for funding this project, and also wish to thank Pippa Van Wijk, Michelle Bond, Cathy Richards, Maggie Jacobs, Annette and Timothy Moes, and the Royal Children s Hospital staff who assisted with this publication. The State of Queensland, Queensland Health, 2007 ISBN: 9781921021749 Printed in Brisbane, Australia.
My trip to hospital My name is:. I m years old. My doctor s name is:. My nurses names are:. My pet s name is:. My carers /parents names are:. I have brothers and sisters. Their names are:. My favourite movie is:. The first thing I m going to do when I get out of hospital is:. 1
Royal Children s Hospital in Brisbane This is the Hospital. I m going there, so that I can be helped to feel better and go home again. I won t be there for long, but while I m there I ll have some important jobs to do. What do I take to the hospital with me? My first job starts before I even go to the hospital. I ve got to decide what I need to take with me. Circle the things that you need to pack for the hospital. (Hint: you can bring everything on the page if you want to.) 2
Almost ready for hospital. Just got to have a shower! The operating room is very, very clean. I need to be as clean as possible before I go in there. On the morning of my operation I need to have a shower or bath and wash my hair I ll have to use lots of soap. I can do this at home, before I go to the hospital. I can wear my own pyjamas to the operating room, as long as they are clean. I can wear my own clothes and pyjamas all the time I am at the hospital. When it is time for me to get changed or have a shower at the hospital, I can do it all by myself if I want to. No-one else has to be in the room with me. My most important job My most important job starts the day I go to the hospital. If I am going to have an operation or procedure, I can t eat or drink for 6 hours beforehand. This is really important, because the doctors can t do my operation safely if I have food in my stomach. My parents will get a letter from the hospital telling them what time I have to stop eating and drinking. So I have to remember not to eat or drink anything from the time they tell me. 3
Why am I in the hospital? Kids come to hospital for many different reasons. - Some kids have accidents and get hurt. - Some kids having been feeling sick for a while, and need some special medicine to help them feel better. - Some kids need to have an operation to help their body get better. All kids are in hospital because they need help getting their body to feel better so that they can go home soon. I am in hospital because: The nurses and doctors are helping me get better by: I can help myself get better by:... 4
This is the first place I will come to at the hospital. There are lots of people here, all waiting to check into the hospital. We re not here for too long (maybe half an hour), just long enough for my family to go through some paperwork. When the paperwork is finished one of the volunteers will take me and my family to the ward. Admissions desk My ward This is where we wait until I go to the operating room. Sometimes it is a long wait here (more than 2 hours). If I remember to pack a book or a game I won t get too bored. (Please remind your family to bring something for them to do as well.) 5
It s not all waiting though How is my body going? One of the first things that the nurse will do is weigh me. Then the nurse will check my temperature. The thermometer goes in my ear and makes a beep, beep, beep noise when it knows my temperature. Having my temperature taken in my ear feels a bit like when I put my finger in my ear. 6
Next the nurse will check how fast my heart is going and how well I am breathing. They check both of these with a machine called an oximeter. It s pretty clever! The little clip thing slides onto my finger, and makes my finger glow red. It doesn t hurt at all. When the nurse is doing this I have a job to do as well hold still. If I hold very still the nurse can get the number quickly and take the clip off. The nurse might also need to check my blood pressure. This tells the nurses and doctors how well my heart is working. The nurse checks my blood pressure by putting a Velcro cuff around my arm. The machine then blows air into the cuff so that it gets really tight on my arm. The machine only works when I hold really still. So if I hold still, the tight feeling on my arm won t last long. 7
My operation When it is time for my operation I will give my family a big kiss and hug and go with the nurse into the operating room. This is the operating room. There are lots of machines to keep me safe while I am asleep. Inside the operating room will be the sleepy-air doctor (called an anaesthetist), the surgeon and a few nurses. They all look the same because they all have funny blue clothes on. It looks like they forgot to get out of their pyjamas this morning. Now it is time for me to do another job. The sleepy-air doctor will give me a mask that looks like a fireman s mask. I will blow into it, just like I am trying to blow up a balloon. While I m blowing the balloon up, the sleepy-air which smells funny, will come through the mask and help me go off to sleep. 8
Some kids need to have their sleepy-medicine through a drip. A drip is a tiny plastic straw that the doctor puts in my arm. This little straw lets my body get the drink and medicine it needs. The doctor uses a needle to put it in, but then takes the needle out and throws the needle away, leaving just the plastic straw in my arm. Once the drip is in, the sleepy-air doctor will put the sleepy-medicine into my drip, but I will only remember a few seconds before I will be asleep. The sleepy-air doctor makes sure I don t feel any pain while I m asleep. The doctors will keep putting the sleepy-air though the mask until the operation is over and it s time for me to wake-up. Wake up! My operation is over! This is the room I will wake up in when my operation is over. The first thing I will notice is the wake up air. This will be coming from another mask, and will feel cold on my face. I m probably going to feel pretty sleepy here. It s really important to tell the nurse if I am feeling sick or hurt, so that the nurse can give me some medicine to make it better. Some kids will need to drink their medicine. Other kids will have medicine through their drip. 9
My family has been waiting for my operation to finish. They have been waiting in the parents lounge. As soon as I am awake enough to go back to the ward I will get to see them again. Where are my family? Back on the ward Some kids need to stay overnight and some kids get to go home later the same day. My doctor will make the decision, about whether I stay in hospital or go home the same day. It s OK though, because if I stay, one of my special grown-ups can stay with me. They ll sleep in a fold-up bed, right next to my hospital bed. Now I get to return to my hospital bed. The nurse will still need to check my temperature, and how well my heart is working. But that s easy because I know none of that hurts. I just have to hold still again! If I haven t eaten in ages, it won t be much longer now that my operation is over. My nurse will let me know when it is alright to eat again. It s even OK for my family to bring food that I like from home. 10
Now I can have some fun! Hospital can be a fun place too. Here is the Wonder Factory. It is a big play room with lots of toys and games. It even has its own TV station. There is always someone to play with. It s open every day. If I don t feel like getting out of bed, one of the volunteers will bring the fun to me. They can bring toys, games, arts and crafts. Home When my doctor says so, I can pack up all of my things and go home with my family. Before I go home the nurse will give my family an appointment to come back and see the doctor. 11
Who helps me while I m in hospital? Doctors Our job is to find out why you are hurting or feeling sick, and to make sure you get the right medicine or treatment to make you feel better again. We will usually visit you once a day while you are in hospital. Surgeons We are doctors who have the job of doing an operation to make you feel better. When you see us in the operating room we will have special gowns, hats and masks on. Anaesthetists We are the sleepy-air doctors. We look after you during your operation. We give you the sleepy-air until the operation is over, then we give you the wake-up air. Nurses Our job is to look after you when you are hurting or feeling sick. One of us will be there all the time, even while you are asleep in the middle of the night. There will always be a nurse there looking after you while you are in hospital. Radiographers Our job is to take special photographs of your body. We need you to hold really still, so that the picture is perfect! Physiotherapists Our job is to help children, through exercises and games, to move and breathe better during or after illnesses or accidents. Occupational Therapists Our job is to help children get back to how they were before they got hurt or sick. We teach you things that will help you get back to normal. Wardspersons Our job is to look after the hospital. We make sure that all the rooms and floors are clean. We also bring your meals to you. Pharmacists Our job is to supply the medicine to help make you better. Receptionists Our job is to make sure the computer has all the right information about you. We also answer the phones and welcome you and your family when you arrive on the ward. Blood Collectors Our job is to get a little sample of your blood, so that the doctors can learn more about your body. Dieticians Our job is to teach you and your family what foods will keep you healthy. Social Workers Our job is to talk to, support and help you and your family with any worries you might have. 12
What do they use this for? THERMOMETER This measures my temperature. The nurse will put the thermometer in my ear. When it has finished, the thermometer makes a beep, beep, beep noise, and my temperature shows on the screen. OXIMETER This measures 2 things how fast my heart is going, and how much oxygen is in my body. It s pretty clever! The little clip slides onto my finger. There is a red light inside the clip that makes my finger look red, but it doesn t hurt at all. BLOOD PRESSURE MACHINE This measures how well my heart is working. The nurse will put the blood pressure cuff around my arm. The machine then blows air into the cuff so that it gets really tight on my arm. The machine only works when I hold still. So if I hold really still, the tight feeling on my arm won t last long. It feels a bit like a balloon getting tighter and tighter around my arm. OXYGEN MASK This helps give me more air, when I need some help breathing. It feels really cold on my face and makes a funny noise DRIP This is a tiny plastic straw that the doctor puts in my arm. This little straw lets my body get the drink and medicine it needs. The doctor uses a needle to put it in, but then takes the needle out and throws it away, leaving just the plastic straw in my arm. Before the doctor can do that, they put the magic cream on my hand. It s magic because it stops me feeling the needle going in. 13
IV MACHINE This is my hospital robot. It has to go everywhere I go. It lets the special drink go into my drip. My IV machine will stay with me until I m nearly all better and ready to go home. STETHOSCOPE This is what the doctors, nurses and physiotherapists use to listen to my heart and lungs. My heart makes a thumpthump noise. SLEEPY-AIR This funny-smelling air helps me go to sleep for my operation. The sleepy-air doctor will give me a special mask. The sleepy-air comes through the mask and helps me go to sleep. The doctor will keep putting the sleepy-air though the mask until the operation is over and it s time for me to wake up. WAKE-UP AIR This is probably the first thing I will notice when I start waking up after my operation. As soon as the operation is finished, the doctor stops putting the sleepy-air through the mask and changes it to the wake-up air. It feels cold on my face. SYRINGE This is a special container that the nurses use to measure my medicine, so that I get the right amount to make me better. BANDAGE This is just like a band aid. The doctor or nurse will put it over my sore bits to help them get better. The bandage will stay on for a few days, or maybe till I come back to see the doctor again. 14
How do I feel? All kids feel differently about coming to hospital and doing the things that help to make them better. Draw your face.. When I was coming to hospital. Before I have the treatment that will make me better. After I have the treatment that will make me better. When I am ready to go home. 15
Jokes Why didn t the skeleton cross the road? He had no guts. Why didn t the skeleton go to the movies? He had nobody to go with. What do you give to birds when they are ill? A tweetment. What s in the middle of a jellyfish? A jellybutton. What do you give sick lemons? Lemonade! Why did the banana go to see a doctor? Because it wasn t peeling well. Why did the cookie go to the doctor? Because he was feeling crummy. What has a head and a foot but no arms? A bed! What do you get if an axe hits your head? A splitting headache. What did one tonsil say to the other tonsil? Get dressed up, the doctor is taking us out! When they take out an appendix, it s an appendectomy; when they remove your tonsils, it s a tonsillectomy. What is it when they remove a growth from your head? A haircut. Where do sick steamships go? To the dock (doc). What did the farmer use to cure his sick pig? Oinkment (ointment). 16
How do I get to the operating room? Help the nurse find her way to the operating room with her patient. 17
Find the words O P C X T U K L N E S S Y T N G U Z E N P I T A L W S O H I Q Y Z A I B I T E M P E R A T U R E L M A D P E O E N I L B R E A T H I N G M A P O D E U L J E W A R S M R D V F T N G E A Q Y Z A I U W S O H I H L B N J P E U O K C X P A I N T O G U K A P R S O E C X T U K T M M I S R P D L S P U L S E N G U F E O L U N I B R A P N I M B L R Q Y U E Z A D I B I A L M A D P T O E Z E N I R L M A I P O D E W L E U A P R S I M R D R V F T N E E X R A Y Q Y P A I U Z W S O H I B N J E A U O P C X T U K A R S G P C X T I U K L M R D V F T N G H F U N B R A L I C E S O H I Q Y T A TEMPERATURE WEIGHT PULSE BREATHING PAIN WAKEUP AIR SLEEPY AIR DRIP XRAY HOME 18
What do I take with me to hospital? 1. 2 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. Across Down 2. something to play with 1. something to read(5,4) 4. something to wear to bed 3. hand-held game 5. something to wash yourself with 6. use these to colour in 7. use with toothpaste 19
Secret code While I m in Hospital I will always remember.. 20
Cross out Cross out any letters that appear 5 or more times to find out the secret to staying in hospital. w p h s n k c i d f c d s l v v b c t t k d r v d i c d p s v d g v t s d c v s s k p t k o p p d g d p o d s k h k p o d m c d The secret is: 21
First letter game Write the first letter of each picture to find the answer. What does the sleepy-air smell like? 22
How do they know it s me? Pick a word from the circle to fit each clue. Then write the first letter of each word in order on the dotted lines below. Then write the last letter of each word on the remaining dotted lines to get the answer. 1. a plant grown for use in cooking. 2. can be used to row a boat. 3. old-fashioned name for a soft drink. 4. lunch in a park. 5. frozen water. 6. opposite of short. 7. where your foot and leg join. 8. lets you see in a dark room. 23
Where is all the fun? Pick the odd word out on each line. Write the first letter of each word in order on the lines provided. The letters will spell the answer to the question: Where is all the fun? cow pig platypus horse door window wall lamp carrot apple potato corn yellow dog cat goldfish desert sand dry rain octopus horse rabbit mouse young new old little father grandfather mum uncle 24
Games for two Noughts and crosses Each player chooses either X or O. Take turns drawing an X or O in each square. Try to line three of your symbols in a row horizontally, vertically or diagonally. Whoever gets three in a row first wins. O X O X O X O X O X X X O 25
Dot game Each player takes turns drawing a vertical or horizontal line between two dots. Whoever completes a square gets to write their initial in the box. Whoever gets the most boxes wins! 26
I m feeling better. It s time to go home!!! Can you find your way through the maze from the hospital to home? 27
Answers Page 17 Page 19 S T O Y O R P P Y J A M A S B P S O A P O E K N C I L T O O T H B R U S H Page 18 Page 20 O P C X T U K L N E S S Y T N G U Z E N P I T A L W S O H I Q Y Z A I B I T E M P E R A T U R E L M A D P E O E N I L B R E A T H I N G M A P O D E U L J E W A R S M R D V F T N G E A Q Y Z A I U W S O H I H L B N J P E U O K C X P A I N T O G U K A P R S O E C X T U K T M M I S R P D L S P U L S E N G U F E O L U N I B R A P N I M B L R Q Y U E Z A D I B I A L M A D P T O E Z E N I R L M A I P O D E W L E U A P R S I M R D R V F T N E E X R A Y Q Y P A I U Z W S O H I B N J E A U O P C X T U K A R S G P C X T I U K L M R D V F T N G H F U N B R A L I C E S O H I Q Y T A this will help me get well = this will help me get well it will soon be over = it will soon be over 28
Page 21 w h n i f l b t t r i g t t o g o h o m when I feel better I g e t t o g o h o m e!! Page 22 funny Page 23 Hospital bracelet Page 24 playroom Page 27 29
30 Autographs
Make Your Own Chatterbox Blue 2 1 Green 5 8 Yellow 4 3 Red How to Make 1. Cut out the square. Lie paper face down. 2. Fold all 4 corners to the centre along the dotted line, then turn over Fold all 4 corners to the centre. 3. Lift the number flaps & write on underside 4. Fold square in half-both directions (to form crease only) 5. Put your pointer fingers and thumbs up under the colour flaps, to make the numbers touch. How to Play 1. Let a partner choose a colour from the outside of the chatterbox. 2. Move the chatterbox one position for each letter as you spell the word. End with the numbers showing. 3. After your partner chooses a number, move the chatterbox as you count up to that number. 4. Your partner then picks another number. Read the statement under that number. 31
WHAT TO BRING For You change of clothes toiletries food for yourself For Your Child change of pyjamas casual clothes toothbrush and toothpaste favourite toy, storybook, colouring pencils or games any special dietary formula list of medications and puffers that your child is taking any relevant letters from the doctor relevant X-ray/pathology results your child s Medicare card your child s health insurance card your child s health record book DO NOT BRING valuables electrical equipment (anything that plugs into a power point)
This book can be used along with the My trip to hospital DVD to show you what happens when you need to come into the hospital: from when you first get to the hospital, until its time for you to go home again. Remember to take this book to the Wonder Factory to get your name entered into a monthly prize draw.