My 5 year old daughter needs a Foley catheter, due to her urinary tract surgery. She is nervous and afraid. She cries, and she is afraid of what her peers will say. What should I do? How should I take care of her catheter after the insertion?
Hold her, soothe her as you would with any other fears. Empathize. Say this is scary. Let her have her feelings while you are the strong mom who will be with her all the way. Be confident that she will be OK, that you'll help her to manage anything that might happen.
Talk to her Dr about aftercare instructions and do her peers even have to know? Are they going to be seeing her private area? If she goes to school the school nurse will probably be the one to handle any thing your child will need pertaining to medical issues while she is at school. And dress her appropriately and keep it covered, the teacher will know about it. The teacher can also discuss the child's fears about peers knowing and will know how to handle it if the peers find out and ask questions about it.
You should be consulting with the Dr about this.
What does your doctor say?
Didn't they give you any information on how to care for her before and after her surgery?
seriously? you want strangers on the internet to give you advice on how to take care of a medical device?
this does not bode well for your daughter.
khairete
S.
I've read both your questions.
I noticed your wrote this one, then your daughter must have gone into surgery I take it and you wrote the next one.
I wish this site told new members/moms that we can't give medical advice. I think it does a disservice - your medical professionals treating your daughter can much better help you. I'm just a mom having my morning coffee :)
I've had a catheter. It's unpleasant but necessary. I'm guessing your daughter will need it in place for several days? You don't say how long it needs to be in place. Why would she be back at school while healing? I don't follow. Why would her peers be aware?
Surely a 5 year old cannot be expected to handle a catheter. Keep her home.
If you have her friend(s) over, just use lingo they can understand. It's a bag to collect her pee. My kids would understand. I've been in hospital and they haven't been weirded out by it.
I would talk to the medical professionals there (are you at hospital?) or have you left at this point? There should be a clinic number on the pamphlet they provided. Or call her pediatrician and talk to the nurse if you have follow up questions.
First of all, please edit your question immediately to delete your daughter's first name. This is an anonymous internet site and if you've given your real name and city, you absolutely cannot have a minor's name "out there" in cyber space!
Second, your child's pediatrician or the urologist should be giving you this info. You'll get it afterwards as par of he usual discharge and after care info, but it's fine to hear it twice. You sound nervous, and I'm wondering if your daughter is picking up on that and it's increasing her nerousness and her crying.
Third, I would tell her that quite a few kids in her school have something going on - a catheter, an insulin pump, a brace, etc. Just put it in her terms. The point is to let her know that she's not noticing stuff about other kids, and most won't notice anything about her. More kids are thinking about themselves than others. One of the advantages to talking to the staff now is to get some answers to reassure your child and answer her questions. You can also have them talk to her if you think they have a good bedside manner.
I had a catheter for 10 days. After 3 days a nurse came to my home and showed me how to insert it so I didn't have to wear the leg bag. That worked much better for me.
Any time I’ve had a catheter, I’ve gotten a UTI and needed antibiotics.
Good luck!
Talk to the hospital’s social worker about your concerns in regards to her home care. You need home support after you leave the hospital. She can help you.
Most young children would naturally be nervous about hospitalizations, surgeries, medical equipment, etc. What's important is how you act. If you wince, flinch, act disgusted or grossed out, a child will pick up on that. If you convey that you trust the doctors and that this procedure or this surgery is going to make your child feel a lot better, and if you project an air of calmness and reassurance and trust, your child will pick up on that as well. That goes for anything - a vaccination, a tonsillectomy, a broken arm, or just a routine physical exam. You can't control how a child reacts, but you can control how you react.
It would be irresponsible for any of us here to give any type of medical advice or advice about how to deal with any issues of the medical kind.
But, there are some basic guidelines for helping a child who has had to have a medical procedure. If it's a one-time deal, like having tonsils removed, there's usually no harm in letting the child have a few treats or indulgences. Ice cream for lunch, watching fun videos during the day, etc. If your daughter has the catheter for a short time, say a few days post-surgery, you might consider asking her teacher for some simple worksheets to do at home. Besides the care for the catheter, she may be tired from surgery and anesthesia, and some rest at home might be nice. But again, make sure your attitude is positive.
If your child is going to need long-term care, or if whatever her medical condition is will likely be chronic, then perhaps she (and you) will benefit from help from a professional. Certainly your hospital/medical team can steer you in the right direction. Most hospitals have a team that can give support when a life-altering disease or condition is diagnosed.
Don't search the internet for medical care advice. Every situation is different. One person with a catheter can have a very different situation from every other person with a catheter. Ask your doctor, and if you're not clear on instructions, be honest.
