What to Expect: Sedation Download PDF version For tips on how to use this picture story, please review our picture story instructions. Welcome! What to expect during my special visit. I am going to Connecticut Children’s Medical Center for a special test. I have to go to Sedation so that I can be asleep for my test. I can bring my blanket and a special toy with me. We will leave our car with the valet or in the parking garage. First, we will go to the front desk. We will get stickers with our names to put on our clothes. I will put the sticker on my shirt. My Mom will get a sticker too! Then we will walk down the hallway to Sedation. We are at Sedation! We will go to the check-in window. My Mom will tell the receptionist that I am ready for the test. She will give me a bracelet to put on my wrist. The bracelet will have my name! I can watch TV or play with some toys while I am waiting to go in. Here is the nurse. She will take us inside. First, I will stand on the scale to check my weight. I will sit or lie down on the bed. The bed feels soft and comfortable. My mom will be right next to me. She will be with me the whole time! I can watch TV or play a game on an iPad if I want. The nurse will talk to us. She will listen to my chest with a stethoscope. She will take my temperature by moving the thermometer across my forehead… …ending below my ear! This might tickle, but it will not hurt. She will put a sticker with a red light on my finger. This will not hurt. She will check my blood pressure by putting a cuff on my arm. It will feel like a tight hug. The nurse does this to keep me safe. I need to be still and keep my hands on my own body. Everyone will be happy if I follow directions. A doctor will come to speak to us. The doctor will listen to my chest with a stethoscope and look into my mouth with a light. This will not hurt. The nurse may use a syringe with a soft, white tip to put some medicine in my nose. This will not hurt. It is okay to spit if I don’t like how it tastes. The doctor may give me a mask that has the medicine in it. I can choose a special smell if I want to. The mask feels soft on my face and it smells good! All I need to do is breathe and I will feel relaxed. Next, my nurse may put an IV in my arm or my hand. It will feel like a quick pinch. She will use special tape to keep the IV in place. The doctor needs the IV to give me medicine that will make me sleepy. When my special test is over, I will wake up. I may feel sleepy and tired. This is okay. When I am ready I will drink some juice, or I can get a slushy if I want one. It tastes great! Now it is time to go home. Everyone is happy that I did such a great job in Sedation! Going to Sedation is not so hard. Now I know just what to do. The Sedation Story was developed by Kalyani Raghavan, MBBS, MD, DCH, FAAP and Jennifer Twachtman-Bassett, MS, CCC-SLP with a grant from Autism Speaks.
