Remembering something from 18 months old?

[EmmaReed84]

My son was born with hypospadias http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypospadias

Anyway he had a op when he was 18months old to correct it, he had a cather fitted and we had to use two nappies one was cut down the middle so the cather tube could fit through and a second one... so basically you generally only had to change the top nappy for wee and the bottom nappy when soiled. He had this special dressing on. He was allowed home and we were told to keep it all clean and go back in a week for the removal. Well after 3 days of no soiling and being on anti-biotics, he went for england and it went inside the dressing. I called the hospital where he had it done in London and they said to take him to the GP to change it, the GP sad they couldn't so I had to take him to the a&e.

It was a horrific experience, my poor baby screamed blue murder, I had to pin him down while he tried to take the dressing off, it was so traumatic they said they wanted to wait to put a dressing on because they were getting concerned about how stressed he was getting.

After that we went back to have the cather removed we went in the room (different room, different hospital, differnt people) Caiden took one look and went in to one... I had to leave and DH had to deal with it. I was in bits myself. For a while after changing his nappy was hard, but he has become so much better. We have been to the doctors for various different things... not about his op and he was fine... no problems at all.

Now he cannot potty train, he is ready, but just can't do it so he has now been referred back to urology...

The reason I am posting is because our last time at the doctors was to see the nurse for his weight and height, we went in the room and he saw the bed (which he has seen loads since) and he went in to one again, screaming, trying to run out... it took us ages to get him to realise we were not going to do anything... The nurse had to pull the curtain across so he couldn't see it.

Could it be that he "knows" what is going on he is 3... could he really remember? It broke my heart seeing him like that again. Now he panics whenever we mention hospital or doctors, which in my house is alot!

[nipper]

Just wanted to say poor little fella. Yes i would say he can certainly remember what he went through, hence his behaviour at the doctors. My own son was bluelighted into hospital when he was 15months old, having had a very bad asthma attack. He had to have blood taken, but to get a vein they prodded and poked the backs of both hands as well as his feet. Before this though they put numbing cream and on top of that a plaster...but he was allergic to the plasters they used (we didn't know). So now when he has a cut, he chooses not to have a plaster (with no reminding from me, I think he can remember what it was like).

The hospital staff were great, don't get me wrong though.

[WibbleWobble]

aw poor little lad....

I can remember stuff from about 12 months. I can tell you what my pram looked like, smelt like and felt like. I can still remember being in it and my mum looking down on me. I have described my old house and what colour the rooms were....we left it when i was 18 months old.....and before any of you say "well there may have been photos"....this was over 40 years ago- all the world was in black and white!

I had a little swing which we had to leave - i can describe it in detail...even down to the bar which went across to keep me in...there were beads of different colours and i loved pushing them along.


Its amazing what we remember....

mandy xxx

[EmmaReed84]

Just been talking to Caiden before bed and talking about the doctors and he asked will he need to go on the bed so I said maybe and he said "No, Mummy I don't want to, there is a hand dryer"... he has a fear of hand dryers and the baby changing tables... not sure where it came from so I thought that was it...

Then he said "I don't want to go to the hospital, they put stickers on my eyes" I asked what he meant and he said "They put stickers on my eyes so they don't open and down my neck and then I wake up and can't walk"

After his op I went to recovery where he was screaming trying to get down to run off but they wouldn't let him so I had to carry him and he kept asking to walk, but he had just had an op so couldn't...

[CH1957]

Poor little thing. They definately remember things that young. My daughter had a cleft palate repair operation when she was 13 months old. Every other child came down from the operating room asleep on the trolley but she was fully awake and screaming in the nurses arms! I couldnt get near her with scissors to cut her nails, hair etc until she was at least 5 years old, she was literally petrified.

[Two Princesses]

Just wanted to say poor little lad :( If he is remembering I would just keep talking to him about it and explaining how it was horrible but it made him better.
My nephew has also had the op but when they scanned him at 10 months old (to check all internal organs were present) they found a tumor on his right kidney so all his ops were postponed while he had his kidney removed and chemo. He's a cracker now though :)