Tips for Preparing for Open Heart
Remain calm and keep things as normal as possible in preparation. Our child had absolutely no fear or anxiety about the surgery. In turn, that kept us calm and helped us remain that way throughout the process leading up to the surgery.
Research everything. We spent a lot of time understanding all the medical procedures in advance and asked tons of questions of many people along the way.
Meet families who have been through this. Even though we had done exhaustive research, there were many questions that went unanswered such as what kind of clothes can they wear after surgery, how active will they be? Meeting with families from the local chapter of It's My Heart was invaluable.
Be prepared for anything. There are a wide range of variables and every child is different. The length of stay in the ICU, the length of stay in the intermediate care ward, the recovery period, can vary widely and doctors give you their best estimate based on experience.
A great pediatric hospital makes things easy. From giving kids a Popsicle after a blood draw, to pick-your-flavor oxygen masks, to wheeling them into the OR in a red wagon, little things like this reduce stress for everyone and create a positive experience such as at Dell Children's Medical Center.
Be prepared for going home with lots of activities, attention and fun. While they can't be as physically active as they were in the past, our son was bouncing off the walls with energy after two weeks. Keeping him busy and interested was a challenge.
Realize that open heart surgery can actually be an entirely positive experience for the whole family if you make it that way.