Amelia has completed her pre-surgery check up at Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children on 11.06.2009 for her second open heart surgery to relieve her right ventricular outflow obstruction in her heart. The check up includes the following:
ECG or Electrocardiography
Amelia has 10 sticky patches spread around her body - on her legs, chest and arms. These sticky patches are connected to the ECG machine which takes the reading of Amelia's heart beat. The test was very quick – only a few minutes and it were painless.
X-ray
After the ECG, Amelia was sent to X-ray department. The doctor asked her to stand in front of the X-ray machine and stand still for a few seconds. She was moving about so mummy was asked to hold on to her shoulders. The doctor was pleased that she managed to take the X-Ray and gave Amelia, a pink sticker read “Very Good”.
The doctor asked mummy whether by any change she is pregnant before the X-ray.
Blood Sample
The nurse put a magic cream on Amelia’s hands half an hour before taking her blood sample. The magic cream makes the process of taking blood from Amelia’s hand painless. There were three nurses involved in this process; one was distracting her by doing interactive story telling. One was holding on to her hand and the other was taking the blood sample.
Amelia did not even realize the nurses have taken her blood and she was so happy when the nurse put a cartoon plaster on her hand and she was being given another sticker it said – excellent!
Height and Weight
Amelia’s height was 96.1cm and weight was 14.5kgs.
Saturation and blood pressure
Amelia saturation was 100% and her blood pressure was normal.
ECO or Echocardiogram
Amelia was not required to do her ECO scan because her last ECO scan was done within the last three months so GOSH can use the last scan. The last scan was done in March 2009.
Questions and Answers Time
The nurses asked daddy and mummy of Amelia’s health in the past a few weeks whether she has been well, is she is on any medication or any kind of sickness should be made known to them.
They also briefly explained the process after her surgery such as Amelia will be given morphine to take the pain off her and be sedated for a few days.
Mummy was asked to bring Amelia’s favorite toys and things she likes to play with to the hospital. Amelia likes her DVDs and her favorite movies are Alvin and Chipmunks, Underdog, Transformers, Spiderman, Kung Fu Panda etc.
Surgery Consent
The Surgeon explained Amelia’s surgery procedures to both daddy and mummy. The objective of the forthcoming surgery is to remove the outflow tract obstruction developed underneath the valve of Amelia’s heart. The surgeon explained the risks involved and other possibility that may happened.
Amelia last ECO scan showed that the possibility of Amelia having to have her valve replaced is low and the surgeon will do whatever necessary to fix Amelia’s heart.
Mummy signed the consent form for the surgery.
Operation Fix-it
Amelia was given a book titled Operation to fix it. The story is about a little boy named Tom who has to have an open heart surgery to fix his heart when he was a teenager and his life before the surgery and friends he made in the hospital.
The nurse encouraged mummy to read the story and explain to Amelia nearer to the surgery date about what is going to happen to her and why and the benefits of getting her heart fixed.
Surgery Date
Amelia's operation is scheduled on 26.06.2009. Daddy and mummy are advised to be at the hospital with Amelia at 7.30am. The hospital will confirm the timing of the surgery whether it willl be in the morning or afternoon on 25.06.2009.
A nurse from the hospital will contact Amelia's parents a day before the surgery to go through the fasting procedure for Amelia.
