Hi, I’m Rees
Last week I had an anaesthetic at the hospital.
An anaesthetic is when a doctor gives you medicine so that you don’t feel, hear or see anything during a test or operation. It’s a bit like a really deep sleep.
The doctor gives you the anaesthetic for as long as you need it and when they stop the anaesthetic you wake up.
Shall I tell you what it was like for me?
Getting ready
It’s best if you take a few things with you to the hospital. I packed some pyjamas, my toothbrush, a book and my favourite toy.
No eating
You must not have any food in your tummy when you have an anaesthetic, so I couldn’t have anything to eat. I had a drink of water so that I wouldn’t feel too thirsty.
Meeting the nurse
At the hospital, a nurse weighed me on the scales so the doctors would know how much medicine to give me later.
The nurse checked my temperature and gave me a name band for my wrist to tell everyone I was Rees Bear.
Different kinds of anaesthetic
I met my anaesthetist. That’s the doctor who looked after me during my anaesthetic. Anaesthetics can be started with a tiny tube in your hand or with a mask. We talked about the best way for me.
You can have cream on your hands to stop the tiny tube from feeling too sore. The anaesthetic medicine goes into the tiny tube and works very fast indeed.
The mask smells like felt-tip pens and takes a bit longer to work. You still need a tiny tube in your hand after the mask in case you need more medicines later, but you can’t feel anything after the mask.
Nearly time for the operation
I had a bit of time to play before my operation. My nurse asked me to put on a hospital gown. Some children were wearing pyjamas instead.
You might be given some medicine on the ward. This could be to stop you from feeling sore after the operation or to help you feel sleepy before it.
The anaesthetic room
In the anaesthetic room there were machines called monitors to help look after me all the time. My mum came with me into the room.
Then when I was asleep she went to wait for me. I knew she wasn’t far away.
During my operation
I don’t remember anything, but my anaesthetist stayed with me all the time. They looked after me and gave me the anaesthetic.
The recovery room
When my operation was finished, the anaesthetist turned off the anaesthetic medicine so I could wake up. A nurse looked after me in the recovery room until my mum could be with me.
I felt a bit sore and sick at first. The nurse gave me some medicine straight away, and soon I felt better.
Feeling hungry
When I started to feel hungry again, the nurse let me have something to eat and drink.
That felt better.
Staying in hospital
I needed to stay in hospital for one night. My mum stayed with me.
Time to go home
Everyone at the hospital was very kind, but I was glad when it was time to go home.
Bye bye!
Who’s who and what’s what
Anaesthetist
The doctor who gives you the anaesthetic medicine, and then looks after you until it’s time to wake up again.
Nurses
People who look after you when you don’t feel well.
Play specialist
Someone in hospital who helps you play and understand what is happening to you. Not all hospitals have play specialists.
Operating department practitioners (ODPs) and theatre nurses
People who help the anaesthetist to look after you while you have your anaesthetic.
Theatre
A room in a hospital where operations are done. Everything is very clean and the people working there wear clothes like pyjamas and hats to keep their hair tidy.
Monitor
A machine the anaesthetist uses to keep a close eye on you while you have your anaesthetic. It uses some stickers on your chest and a peg on your finger to check how fast your heart is beating and how well you are breathing.
Recovery room or post-anaesthetic care unit (PACU)
The room where patients wake up after anaesthetics.
How to use this page
Information for parents
We have designed this leaflet for you to read with your child and to help them to prepare for their anaesthetic. It will introduce some of the people they may meet and some of the things which might happen.
Explain to your child why you are reading them this story. It is
important to find out what the story means to them and see if they have any questions.
It can help to allow your child to play out the story and deal with any worries they may have using a familiar toy. Some children may choose to draw or paint about their feelings.
If your child is over the age of three, we suggest you prepare them during the week before their anaesthetic.
For children under three, we suggest you prepare them the day before coming to the hospital. However, please take your own child’s understanding into consideration.
Source: Royal College of Anaesthetists