I Had a Mr. Potato Head

When I had my tonsils removed at age 8 or 10 or something like that, I had a Mr. Potato Head to play with before and after the surgery. But now it looks like hospitals will start loading up on Game Boys and other handheld gadgets. According to a recent study, letting children play video games in the operating room before undergoing surgery can help relax them better than tranquilizers or holding a parent's hand ... Now that I think of it, my mother was there when my tonsils were removed. And it did help me relax. In fact, she actually performed most of my IV insertions and such during my hospital stay. Of course, back then, she was an ER nurse -- and, no, it's not like the TV show, which greatly annoyed her (er, the actual show annoyed her; not the fact that her job was not like the TV portrayal) -- so she was pretty well versed with those tasks. And on top of that, my surgery was actually in "her" hospital. And that is still my only surgery to date. (Ack! Need to knock on wood now ... nothing but manufactured surfaces all around me in my cubicle...). Story: Video games calm kids before surgery http://www.cnn.com/2004/HEALTH/12/09/hospitals.gaming.ap/index.html