Walter's story DMSA

Walter’s Adventure
Walter lives in Antarctica with his friends.
He loves playing with them in the snow.
One day, Walter had to go to the doctors.
The doctor said that he wanted Walter to have a special scan.
The scan would be in Withybush hospital.
Walter was scared, he had never been to Withybush hospital before.
Walter had to leave Antarctica and say goodbye to his friends for a whole day.
Withybush hospital was a very long way away!
He took some snacks with him for the journey.
Some of Walter's family came with him.
Walter also brought his favourite teddy Seal for company.
Withybush hospital was very different to Antarctica.
Walter held Seal’s hand very tightly.
Walter and Seal walked down the long corridors to the X-ray department.
They gave their names to the lady behind the desk and sat in the waiting room.
A lady called Walter’s name and asked him to follow her.
Seal was allowed to come too.
The lady was very smiley, and this made Walter feel a bit less scared.
They went into a very small room.
It had lots of green things.
It reminded Walter of the seaweed at home!
It even had purple flowers on the wall.
Purple was Walter’s favourite colour!
The lady told Walter that he was going to have special medicine.
This would let the doctors see his kidneys on a special picture.
Walter did not like medicine very much, he started to get a bit worried.
A man came in to help the lady.
He told Walter that he did not have to drink the medicine.
He would put the medicine in a special tube that went into Walter’s arm.
Walter was glad he did not have to drink any medicine.
He was still a bit scared though.
The man put a tight bracelet around Walter’s arm, so that he could have a look at where the medicine needed to go.
The lady said that Walter’s arm might feel a bit cold, and it may even feel a bit pinchy!
Walter held on tight to Seal and closed his eyes…
Walter felt the cold, and he felt a tiny little pinch. Then nothing.
Walter opened his eyes; it was all over!
When Walter looked down, the lady was holding a piece of tissue on his arm.
She said that all he needed now was a plaster.
The medicine had gone into Walter’s arm, and now all he had to do was wait for it to work.
Wow, that was easier than he thought it would be!
Walter was glad he brought snacks, as he had to wait for three whole hours!
Walter and Seal decided to go for a walk.
After three hours had gone by, Walter had to go back and have some pictures taken.
This time he went to a much bigger room.
There was a different man and another lady there.
Walter did not really like new people.
But they did both smile at him, and they were nice to Seal.
He thought he would try to be brave and see what they wanted him to do.
The man told Walter all about how the camera worked.
It wasn’t like a normal camera.
It had a big bed you had to lie on, and the camera was in two big boxes!
Walter felt scared again, but the lady said that he could take Seal on the scanner with him.
He felt a lot braver with Seal by his side.
Walter watched as the big box came closer to him.
The man and the lady told him not to worry.
The camera was just taking pictures, it would not hurt him.
The man said Walter had to stay very still, like a statue.
This was really hard to do as Walter was used to playing in the snow and swimming in the sea!
Seal told Walter that she would try and stay still too.
This gave Walter courage and he felt brave.
As Walter lay there, he could see different colours on the wall - he could even see some fish!
This made Walter feel like he was back home with his friends.
Walter had to stay still for a very long time.
He could choose a DVD to listen to.
Walter closed his eyes and relaxed.
Walter opened his eyes, and the camera was moving.
The lady and the man were there.
They were saying “well done Walter, that’s all finished now”.
Walter couldn’t believe it; it was all over! Wow!!
Seal told Walter that he was really proud of him.
Walter felt quite proud of himself too.
The lady and the man told Walter that he had been a really good boy, and that they had some lovely pictures that they could give to the doctor.
They let Walter choose a sticker and gave him a certificate too!
Walter couldn’t wait to tell his friends about how brave he had been.
When Walter got back to Antarctica, he showed his friends the sticker and his new certificate.
They all listened to Walter as he told them about his adventure at Withybush hospital.
Now Walter knows that going to the hospital is nothing to worry about.
He actually quite enjoyed it!
Here are some of the people that Walter met at Withybush Hospital.