MY HOSPITAL STAY BY SARENA DALE AGED 8YRS OLD

My name is Sarena Dale and I have a condition called Idiopathic Coxa Vara, to my left hip. This is making my left leg shorter than my right leg.  This is my third operation to correct this condition, but my first time at the Birmingham Royal Orthopaedic Hospital.

On the 2nd November I went to the Birmingham R.O.H for my operation.  The first thing I did was go the playroom and play with the Play leader Pat.  Soon the doctor came and told my Mum and Dad what they were going to do while I was in theatre.  The doctor said that he had to take my blood; he asked me if I wanted magic cream on or just take my blood.  I had the magic cream.  It came to that time when he had to take my blood.  The doctor said that if it hurts I could thump him.  It did hurt, and I thumped him about five times.  I also had to have a finger prick to draw more blood.  Pat the play leader went first to show me that it did not hurt.  It did.

On Wednesday it was time to go to theatre.  I was really scared.  I left the ward and they wheeled me outside in the cold and took me to the theatre.  When I got into the anaesthetic room they put the canon in my hand.  The man that did it said that the medicine he put in my hand came from the drowsy cow.  It put me straight to sleep.

When I woke up I went to the HD Unit.  I thought I was going back to the ward.  They put the blood pressure pump on my arm and I could not sleep because it kept pumping up!!!!!! AND THE MACHINES KEPT BEEPING ALL NIGHT.

The next day I went back to the ward.  By Friday Physio had me up walking with the frame and on Saturday I got crutches.  My Mum, Dad and myself were really surprised that I was up on my feet already.

On Monday I was waiting for the nurse to say I am allowed to go home.  Finally they told me yes.

MY THERAPY AFTER MY OPERATION

The exercises that I had to do, to get mobile while I was still in bed was, bring my leg out to the side, lift my leg up and also squeeze my bum cheeks together (that bit was funny). I did these about every hour.  My leg hurt a lot, but after a while it soon felt better. I was back walking without crutches by the end of the second week after my op, and with the help of swimming I am feeling a lot better.

MY DOCTORS AND NURSES

The nurses were really nice, they would chat to you.  The nurse that came to take the canon out of my hand told me what she was doing the whole time, and when she was about to pull out the needle.  This helped because I am scared of needles. The doctors were nice too, because one of them let me punch him in the arm.  They were also very pleased with the out come of my surgery.  They said they fixed my hip/leg just the way they needed.

THE HOSPITAL

I liked the hospital.  I liked the playroom and the hospital dinners.  What I did not like was that you had to be wheeled outside to go to theatre, and that I had to do schoolwork, but the schoolwork did make my hospital stay go faster.

THE END.