Extended well-child and well teen physicals

Girl, 11yo, Australia, health and development assessment with a pelvic focus during tonsil surgey

About an 11 years old Girl. It happened in Australia, 1990-1999. Answering as a parent, hope that is ok.

She was due to have tonsils removed for repeated tonsillitis. However we could have the procedure and aftercare free of charge in exchange for enrolling onto some medical study which we understood was essentially studying normal anatomy and measurements. We agreed and went to the local hospital for the operation. We obviously let her know about the operation, and she had suffered with her tonsils so was happy.

We drove her to the procedure at a regular hospital.

OVERVIEW OF PREPARTIONS AND ARRANGEMENTS

She was not allowed to eat some time before the exam. She got laxatives to clean out my stomach at the place where the exam took place. They washed her body before the exam. She got a traditional enema before the exam to clean out her stomach.

She mostly only had her underwear on the time she stayed awake. They placed her upon a simple examination table. They placed her upon an advanced surgical table. She was placed to lay on her back with my flexed up, spread and mounted upon two devices. She was placed to lay on my left side.

She got IV tubes into blood vessels, in an arm, a device on a finger or a toe to measure pulse and oxygen in her blood. She got electrodes on her cheast.

Parts of my body got numbed by a shot with a syringe. She got anesthesia through tubes into blood vessels. She got anesthesia gas to breath in through a mask. She got some numbing and lubricating cream injected into her urinary opening, vagina and anus. The anesthesia made her sleep mostly, but she woke up occationally.

PREPARATIONS AS OBSERVED DIRECTLY BY PARENTS

Well we went to a small presurgical ward where she was stripped off to knickers only but had a bed and blanket. The surgeon came to see us first, put our mind at rest, about the tonsillectomy etc. This was followed by the anesthetic team who cannulated arm and weighted her. Finally the dr from the research people came as explained to us that they would take their samples and measurements once she was asleep and prior to the actual surgery.

Was taken to theatres some time later on the bed and transferred over. She had some injection through the cannula and gas and air over her nose. A nurse then took off knickers and then she was pretty much bathed in iodine type solution all over from her naval down and parted labia bottom cheeks etc. She was then positioned in stirrups.

OVERVIEW OF EXAMINATIONS DONE WITH EXTERNAL EQUIPMENT:

They performed an ECG, functional test of the heart function, with electrodes on her chest and other body areas. They examined her upper body with an ultrasound device or something similar. They examined her hip area with an ultrasound device or something similar. They took chest x-ray pictures. They took x-ray pictures of her hip area.

OVERVIEW OF INTERNAL INSPECTIONS:

They inspected the inside of her urethra and bladder with a scope. They took specimens from her urethra with a tube. They took specimens from her bladder with a tube.

They used a speculum in her vagina. They took specimens from her vagina with a tube. They inspected her vagina with a scope. They inspected through her vagina with an ultrasound probe. The doctor explored her vagina with a finger.

They inspected her anus with a speculum. They took specimens from her anus with a tube. They inspected her through her anus with a rigid scope.

They made an opening in my belly button or just under it and inspected the inside of her belly with a scope.

THE EXAMINATIONS AS OBSERVED BY THE PARENTS:

We were only allowed on during the induction then we left but watched from a window. They measured her limbs, head circumference, measured her nipples and areola, hips and waist. Ultrasound of hip joint. Measures her labia and lots of other measurements of vulva but don't know exactly what.

Again measurements of opening were taken and speculum and various objects were inserted. I don't know precisely to what purpose or recording was for. Long rigid scope was passed into back passage

Once they were finished the ENT surgeon did the operation to remove tonsils.

ARRANGEMENTS AFTER THE PROCEDURE

She had catheter into her bladder. She just lay some time in a bed to recover. She lay naked under a blanket after the exam.

she stayed over night to make sure she could eat and drink and then we went home. We Drove home together.

THE SCHOOL SHE ATTENDED

She attended public boarding school. Normal school no relation to operation.

COMMENTS

Wgat is descreibed here is a standardized procedure subjected to children worldwide. The main purpose seems to be collection of data about health and development of children and teens and for general surveillance about the health of young persons in the populations. The procedure has been going on for several decades, and is still going on more than ever in a modernized version.

Some societies seem to have made the procedure mandatory as health and development screening at certain ages, of which 11-12 seems to be a peak age. Often the procedure is done when the child is under anesthesia for some other purpose, and often secretly, but it was not held secret in this case.

Knut Holt

http://www.abicana.com/health_information.htm