As someone performing infant neurosurgery, we understand what a difficult decision surgery is. For anyone to receive surgery, there are multiple things that one must consider, including what needs to be done and the likelihood of a successful procedure. When it comes to small children, it is even more difficult to make this important decision.
Young children can escalate health concerns due to their small size and still being in the developmental stages. Another concern is with the child’s ability to recover from a procedure. Fortunately, we can address all of these concerns.
Consider the risk of having surgery compared to not having it
Parents need to consider the risks of a procedure with the risk of a child not seeking infant neurosurgery. By speaking with us, we can help determine if the procedure will be beneficial for the child’s health or put the child at a greater risk. In many cases, having the surgery is likely to be the best solution.
Another reason for electing to have infant neurosurgery is that infants typically will not remember the pain from the recovery process. While the child will be asleep during the surgery, there will be a recovery process from surgery where they will need to be on precise pain medication. Even with the medication, recovering from surgery for anyone can be slightly traumatic. Thus, having the surgery when they are too young to remember what it was like can be beneficial instead of waiting until a child is older.
By performing the surgery when the child is younger than school-age, there is no risk of disruption to the child’s education or development. These are just a few of the reasons why scheduling infant neurosurgery can be beneficial for the child as opposed to waiting until they are older to have the procedure completed.
We are here to provide support
Parents are not in this alone. We consider ourselves to be a partner in the child’s health. We work with parents from the very beginning to ensure that surgery is the right option and the child is set up to succeed and to recover.
Know that this can be a process. After a child has surgery, they will need to take it easy and we will carefully monitor their healing process. Sometimes, another surgery is going to be necessary. Though we hope that one surgery will be all the child needs, we are fully aware that the ultimate goal is for them to reach a full or maximum level of recovery. To that point, there is a necessary level of flexibility when creating treatment plans.
Our goal though is to ensure that we are highly communicative with parents throughout the entire process and provide the support they need so that a child can recover as much comfort as possible and that everyone remains on the same page regarding what is necessary to do so.
Make an appointment to discuss surgical options and timing
We understand that each of our patients and their health situation is unique so it is important for us to complete a careful and thorough examination, coordinate care with a family practitioner and discuss all options with parents prior to making a final decision. To begin that process, call and schedule an appointment with our clinic today.