Cameron's Operation - Sam's Story
By InSITE Contributor Sam
When Cameron was about 2 months old we were told he would need 2 operations. One for a hole in his heart and another minor one. We had to travel up to the Princess Diana Children’s hospital in Birmingham on a regular basis for appointments with consultants.
When Cameron was about 14 months old we got the date for the minor operation. We drove all the way up but they couldn’t operate because he had a cold. The next appointment arrived and I had to cancel again because he had chicken pox. We finally got another date through and went up again. We had to be there by 8am and I couldn’t give Cam any milk after 10pm the night before. We were waiting with lots of other people on the day case ward and one lady had to calmed down by nurses because she was shouting at the rest of us and telling us to get out of her way.
I was hysterical as I didn’t want to leave Cameron
Two anaesthetists and two consultants came and told us Cam would be having both his operations that day. We were left on our own for about an hour. When they put Cam under the anaesthetic he made gasping noises, which they said was normal. It was horrible though and my mum sent me out the room and stayed with him until he was asleep. We were told it would be about 2 hrs so we went for a walk around the corner to the shop. When we got back we were taken to a side room on the Cardiac ward.
We could see a young boy hooked up to loads of monitors with a bandage around his chest where he had just had open-heart surgery. My mum and I both told the nurse I couldn’t cope in that room and we were moved to an open ward where we would be staying over night. We were told we could go and collect Cameron and bring him down to the ward. We got him settled and waited about ten minutes then went outside for a cigarette. On the way back in the fire alarm sounded and we were told to exit the building.
I was hysterical as I didn’t want to leave Cameron. Five minutes later we were allowed back in and I didn’t leave him again until the next day. The transport to the hospital was arranged through sure start in Leominster and it was Community wheels that took us up there. The day after the operation I spent an hour on the phone ringing everyone to keep them updated. Cameron had to go back 6 months later to re-do his minor operation but all is well now and our traumas are over.
