It can be hard for a teenager when her peers move from the
excitement of “can I sign your cast” to “it’s really going to hurt when they
take it off”?
Fresh out of a visit to hospital with my daughter yesterday,
I’m reminded of the importance of feelings. It seems all too obvious, that a
trip to hospital will result in feelings of anxiety and fear.
Photo from: http://www.clipartpanda.com
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Yet my thirteen year old had shown stoicism from the outset
of breaking her arm. She picked herself up and trudged across the sporting
field asking for her water bottle. Meanwhile I hastened to keep up, asking her
to slow down. Over the weeks she coped with waits at two hospital emergency
departments, an adult’s hospital and a children’s hospital, then repeated
waiting at orthopaedic and x-ray clinic queues. She had it down pat and knew
where to go and what to do, seeing herself as one of the many other children
waiting for treatment.
There were certainly challenges along the way, worst being
no food or drink and for me watching the pain under gas as her arm was
manipulated and put back into shape. Once again I had to hasten to keep up as
she jumped up after the procedure to head off to make an appointment at the
orthopaedic clinic. The only sign of something being wrong was the cast from
wrist and over bent elbow.
Later that night the pain and challenge of sleeping with a
heavy bent elbow came. This was followed by challenges of dressing, washing,
undertaking school work with her weak arm and carrying a heavy bag which included books and a laptop.
Transport on the bus with kids pushing and pulling also led to pain and
concern. Despite all this she managed to walk, run and dance her way through
the weeks.
Photo from:
http://www.kleurplaten.nl/kleurplaten/12308.gif |
So where in all this resiliency do fearful feelings occur?
It can be hard for a teenager when her peers move from the excitement of “can I
sign your cast” to “it’s really going to hurt when they take it off” and so the
stories begin.
I wasn’t prepared for my daughter’s sleepless night that preceded
the day when the cast came off or for the impact of some of the
“kid-fabricated” stories. As we waited
one last time in the waiting room she was distracted by the funny things around
her, a parent talking to their young child about what was on TV, “look there’s
a penguin with a rainbow coloured beak”, no it’s a puffin she thought! Just
when things weren’t looking good she was called up. One boy had cheered earlier
when his name was called, adults chuckled, a moment of relief.
Photo from:
http://www.123rf.com/clipart-vector/zombie_arm.html |
Being “armed” with information makes all the difference. The
first test of this was as she reluctantly passed by the swings on our way to
the car. It was great to know that she understood and can resist the temptation
to hop on a swing, bike or other moving object.
How can books and
resources help?
As parents, we won’t always know what our children are
feeling. The AWCH
library holds books to help adolescents and children understand what they
are feeling. There are books written to help children identify and manage how
they are feeling so they can develop self-esteem and coping skills.
A book to help adolescents is the Stress
reduction workbook for teens: mindfulness skills to help you deal with stress.
Teenagers can use this easy to read workbook with activities to develop an
understanding of what stress is and how to live in the present moment,
“mindfulness”. They will gain a sense of control over stressful situations and
develop resilience.
There are books too for school children such as Relax,
which teaches relaxation techniques or Be the boss of your stress : self-care for
kids and Be the boss of your pain: self-care for kids.
Nowadays there are
plenty of online resources to help children and families prepare for hospital
experiences, an example for young children is the child-friendly free app Okee
in medical imaging. This fun
app will help young children learn all about medical imaging and feel relaxed
and supported.
Help! My Child’s in Hospital has practical advice for parents on
preparing their child for hospital. Visit the website to find out
about other families experiences.
Everybody stay calm: how to support your
young child through medical tests and procedures will also help families prepare. These books
will help parents with practical skills to support their children through
stressful times, so they gain confidence and better health.
So I invite you to
borrow a book and be well prepared for that next encounter with the doctor,
dentist or hospital.
Jillian
Rattray
AWCH librarian
April 2015
Nice information...Thanks
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