Super Sensory Neurons Operation Ouch!

-He's Dr Chris.

-He's Dr Xand.

Yes, he's still got his beard.

We're still identical twins!

Your body's amazing and we're going to show you why.

We're head-to-head in Operation Takeover.

I can't see a thing!

-BOTH:

-Man overboard!

Ouch And About hits the wards.

That might be the squishiest nose I've ever seen.

First Aid is back.

So we do need to get Xand to hospital.

Meet our brilliant new Ouch-patients.

So we're back from the hospital.

And our lab experiments...

-BANG!

-Argh!

..will blow...

..your...mind.

That is an amazing view.

Are you ready to join us?

You're crazy!

Woohoo!

I can't see a thing.

Coming up today on...

..on...

..Operation Ouch!

It's time for a dip.

It's freezing!

Meet new Ouch-patients Bolu and Millie.

Hello.

And we get into another fine mess.

This is very, very hard.

But first, in the Accident & Emergency Department,

the team never know what's going to happen next.

Xand. Xand! Be careful, you could cause an injury.

Exactly, just like our first patient.

Over in Accident & Emergency,

ten-year-old Isobel is with her mum and dad.

What's happened?

I've hurt my wrist/arm.

Well, how did you do that?

The sun was shining and Isobel was playing in her garden,

on the trampoline.

And who's that over there?

Ah, that's Sven the Guinea pig.

..and Benji the bunny.

Whoa, dude! Cool moves.

Isobel was having a whale of a time.

She has a whale, too?

-Yippee!

-No, Xand,

she was having loads of fun until she lost her footing

and landed on her arm.

-BOTH:

-Ouch!

Meet Mr Assad Qureshi.

And your qualifications?

BSc, MBBS, MRCS, MSc and soon to be PhD.

What a smarty pants! You're in safe hands, Isobel.

Do they feel OK, or do they feel tingly?

-Them ones feel tingly.

-So these two?

-Yeah.

-And these ones feel normal?

-Yeah.

Isobel is struggling to move her third and little fingers,

plus there's a wound on her arm.

Time to get into X-ray and see what's going on.

That's perfect.

Whoa!

That's quite a break. Let's see a close-up.

It's a double break.

This fracture is significantly displaced,

which is why we need to proceed with an operation to fix it.

One of the broken bones also pushed through Isobel's skin,

which leaves her open to infection.

We need to give you some antibiotics and we need to do an operation.

So we're just going to pop this on, OK?

Isobel's op is booked for first thing in the morning,

so she needs a temporary cast to make her more comfortable.

And she'll stay overnight in hospital.

Night-night, Operation Ouch.

Night-night!

Find out how Isobel's operation goes later on.

Now, did you know your brain never turns off or rests?

Even when you're asleep, it's active,

especially when you're dreaming.

And now to our lab.

It's time for some big body experiments.

Some of them gory.

This is not for the squeamish.

Some extreme.

Do you like my new look?

So are you ready?

ARGH!

Just don't try anything you see here at home.

Today, we're looking at your sensory neurons.

Chris...

Yes, Xand?

I've got someone for you to meet.

I don't want to meet anyone, Xand, I'm preparing for an experiment.

Yes, but you are REALLY going to want to meet this person.

Why?

Because he's a lot like you.

A lot like me? Well, in that case...

ARGH!

Xand, this is not in any way like me.

I mean, I don't have that enormous tongue,

or these huge hands or those ridiculous feet.

Chris, meet your homunculus or, as I like to call him,

homuncu-Chris!

That is quite a good name.

This is a homunculus.

It's my body but it highlights the places

where I have the most sensory neurons,

by making those areas humungous.

All over your body, you have sensory neurons

which enable you to feel things. They give you your sense of touch.

But there are more of them in some parts of your body than in others.

And this homunculus...

Homuncu-Chris!

Yes. ..shows that you have more sensory neurons in your hands, feet,

lips and tongue, than you do in the rest of your body.

And because there are more sensory neurons in these places,

it makes them much more sensitive.

Think about how it feels to have a piece of fluff in your mouth,

it's intolerable.

But if you have a piece of fluff in your belly button,

you probably don't even notice!

To prove which parts of the body have the most sensory neurons,

here's an experiment you can try at home.

You just need another human and a blindfold.

Right, Chris, put this on and lie face-down on the bench.

Now I need Chris to be blindfolded while I prod him with my fingers.

-Prod me?!

-I said lie down!

I'm going to prod him, and then I'm going to ask him

how many fingers I'm using and I'm going to start with his hand.

-OK, Chris, are you ready?

-Yes.

Chris, tell me how many fingers I'm touching your hand with.

Two.

Four.

-One.

-Well done, but I expected Chris to get all that right,

because his hands are loaded with sensory neurons

and the bit of his brain that gets information from his hands

is very large.

So your hands are very accurate at detecting what they're touching.

But now we're going to move to his back.

One.

Maybe two.

-One.

-That was much less successful, Chris.

That's because you have far fewer sensory neurons there.

Which makes sense if you think about it -

you don't need your back to be as sensitive as your hands.

That's very true, and your sensory neurons

aren't just for testing how many fingers are prodding your back.

Your millions of sensory neurons get loads of information

about the world around you,

telling you if things are sharp, soft, hot or cold.

But, how do they do it? Well, we're going to show you by heading to...

..the beach!

WURLITZER PLAYS: I Do Like To Be Beside The Seaside

To show you how your sensory neurons

detect the difference between hot and cold,

Xand and I are going for a swim.

Now because the sea is cold, I've decided to pre-acclimatise,

and I'm already pretty cold myself.

Xand on the other hand, has taken a different strategy. Xand?

My strategy is to get as warm as possible

before I get in the freezing ocean.

Come on, you've had enough time in there, let's get going.

Five more minutes, Christ -

there's still a little warmth left in the hottie.

You've had quite enough time. You've been in there an hour-and-a-half.

Give me that. Come on.

It's freezing out here!

OK. Are you ready, Xand?

I'm boiling, I can't wait to get in.

All right, last one in is a rotten egg.

Three, two, one!

Ow!

-Ow!

-Ooh!

-Ow!

-Argh!

Well, this is embarrassing.

Ah, lovely.

Argh!

Oh, oh, oh! It's freezing!

It's absolutely tropical.

Why is your bit of ocean warmer than my bit of ocean?

Have you peed there?

No! Don't be absurd!

Sensory neurons work by detecting the difference in temperature

between the water and your skin.

There's hardly any difference between my cold skin

and the cold water, so I feel fine.

But for Xand, there's a big difference between his warm skin

and the cold water, so he feels extremely chilly.

Once his skin temperature drops, he'll start to feel OK too.

I must say now, it's absolutely lovely.

So we've shown you a homunculus,

which reveals you have more sensory neurons in your mouth,

hands and feet than anywhere else.

And we've shown you that your sensory neurons are vital

in detecting hot and cold things by comparing their temperatures

with that of your skin.

Well, Xand, that was a great success.

Would you like an ice cream?

Ooh, I'd love an ice cream. Just give me a second, and I can get on

my hat, my hoodie, my dressing gown, my blankie...

Good luck finding your blankie. Bye!

Chris!

Meet Caden, Maisie, Bolu and Millie.

We'll be following them across the series,

as they let us know what it's like to be a regular hospital outpatient.

They invite us into their lives, at home, and as they undergo treatment.

Meet 12-year-old Bolu.

Hello!

I have sickle-cell anaemia.

Everyone has red blood cells but with sickle-cell patients,

we have red blood cells and sickle blood cells.

Normally, red blood cells are shaped like round discs.

They can squish up and slide down a blood vessel,

carrying oxygen with them.

But with sickle-cell anaemia,

some cells are shaped like crescent moons or sickles.

They're not very good at carrying oxygen,

so Bolu gets tired and short of breath.

Plus they often get stuck, causing problems like pain and clotting.

When I'm doing activities like my friends do, I can get tired easily.

But cooking is one thing that doesn't tire Bolu out.

Urgh!

If you have a condition and you can't really do something as well

as the other kids, you know that if you can cook,

you just feel that you're the best at something for once.

Thumbs up!

Can you guess what Bolu's favourite colour is?

My room is literally pink.

Look, everything is pink.

When you're sick and you don't feel well

and you feel all gloomy and down and miserable,

when you think about the colour pink,

you just forget everything and you want to dance all day.

Find out how I get on next time. Bye!

Back in the emergency department, Isobel is having surgery on her arm.

Do you think it would be OK if we went and saw her?

Absolutely!

Where's the 'ARM in that?

Earlier, Isobel came in to the emergency department

with a double break in her arm.

Isobel was jumping on her trampoline,

under the watchful eye of Sven the Guinea pig and Benji the bunny.

Unfortunately, she slipped and landed on her arm.

-BOTH:

-Ouch!

X-rays revealed that Isobel needs surgery.

She's been give an anaesthetic so she'll be asleep for the operation

and won't feel any pain.

Surgeon Jim Brousil is a man with a plan.

First on the list is giving Isobel's arm a good scrub.

Here come a Gross Alert.

Even the inside of her arm needs a good wash.

Next step is to realign her broken bones and this is the clever bit.

We're going to fix them by passing wires down the middle of the bones

so that they line up and they'll heal properly.

This is a flexible nail.

It's a long piece of bendy wire.

Gross Alert time!

Dr James puts the flexible nail into the middle of Isobel's radius bone.

He then pushes it down through the break

to reconnect the two halves of the bone.

Fix a bone yourself, in our Snot Apocalypse game.

This is then repeated with Isobel's ulna bone,

bringing both bones into line.

Here are the flexible nails inside Isobel's arm.

Now her bones are straight and in the perfect position to heal.

These nails will stay in her arm for a few months,

and she'll have a plaster cast for six weeks.

How are you feeling, Isobel?

I'm feeling a bit better.

And what about that trampoline?

I'm going to keep trampolining.

Well, there's no 'ARM in it, if you're careful!

Not that joke again!

-ALL:

-Bye!

Still to come...

Chris gets groggy on the green.

Argh!

And we go back to Accident & Emergency.

My thumb's been bent back.

But first...

Amazing people do lots of important jobs

inside and outside hospitals that help to keep you safe.

But what will happen when we have a go?

I feel a bit silly.

This is Operation Takeover.

Can you guess who today's heroes are?

Well, I'll give you a clue -

lots of them are volunteers and they rescue people

who get stuck in this stuff.

Ooh! Is it the chocolate pudding rescue team?

What? SQUELCHING

No, Xand, that's mud!

Argh!

-Did you guess it?

-We're about to take over the job of today's hero,

coastguard Richard.

There are over 11,000 miles of coastline in the UK.

The coastguard can give you medical care

in places no other emergency service can reach.

Richard is one of 3,500 volunteer coastguards

and is a member of the Medway Mud Rescue Team.

I think of the dangerous bit as out there in the water.

-Yeah.

-What's the issue with mud?

If you're going to walk on this mud, for example, it's wet and sludgy.

It's like a type of quick sand,

where the more you walk and move around, you're going to go down.

-You also may have to do some first aid on the spot?

-Yes, you will.

Obviously, if somebody's been out there for a long while,

they could have hypothermia.

If it's a sunny day like today, they might be dehydrated.

Richard runs us through the equipment used,

like the special shoes called mud pans.

As we walk out, they spread out to ease us through the mud

-and stop us sinking.

-So it's like a snow shoe for mud?

Exactly. Also we use these two stretchers.

We will drag this behind us to assist the person

that we're going to rescue out of the mud.

If someone's stuck in the mud, do you just pull them out?

No. We've got three ways of releasing them -

either physically digging them out with one of those trenching tools

or with this lance.

The lance fires out water or air to loosen the mud

and free the person who's stuck.

-Are you ready?

-Yep.

-Three, two, one!

Argh!

We've seen just how important the work of the coastguard is

in rescuing people from danger around Britain's coasts.

But when it comes to us having a go at the job,

will it all be plain sailing or will we be a couple of stick in the muds?

Get it? Like we're stuck... in the mud?

That's the... OK.

It's time for us to take over as coastguards.

So your challenge today is you're actually going to go on the mud,

get dirty and do a proper mud rescue.

You're going to go with one of our other team members, Scott,

and we're going to go and rescue another team member, Sophie.

What are you going to judge us on?

The first one is how well you go across the mud.

Hopefully not falling over into the mud.

How you get them out, using the equipment

and reassuring them as you come back, making sure they're OK.

I think the hardest bit is going to be not getting at all muddy

and, fortunately, I have a secret weapon.

Baby wipes!

No time for your beauty regime now, Xand!

This is an emergency situation.

We're coming, Sophie!

Off you go, then, Chris.

Don't get stuck in the mud!

-Oh!

-His walking technique's fine.

The thing is to keep moving but keep at a steady pace.

It's not a race.

Are you OK?

I'm OK.

Got out there nice and quickly.

-How are you feeling?

-Let's see how well they dig Sophie out.

It's really thick and sticky.

Phew!

Come on, Chris! Get your hands dirty.

Let's see how Chris does using the lance.

You got one leg out.

They're doing really well.

I'll give you a hand there.

Once on the stretcher, Sophie can be winched to safety.

But, Chris, don't forget to keep her calm.

Oh, this is exhausting.

Er, Chris?

I should really be talking to Sophie.

-Sophie, how are you doing?

-I'm feeling OK, thanks.

Better late than never.

Now she's safely on the shore, it's my turn.

Here we go.

Come on then, Xandy, let's see what you're made of.

This is very, very hard.

Told you.

How are you doing? Are you OK?

Are you injured at all?

Good reassurance, Xand, she knows you're coming to help.

I'm completely out of breath.

Oh, he is moaning a little bit, isn't he? Let's just see.

You're completely stuck, aren't you?

-Completely stuck.

-All right, we'll get you out.

HE PUFFS

Tired already, Xand?

That's not good.

There we go. Wow!

Oh, brilliant.

Xand's doing really well, actually.

You feeling good?

He's making her feel safe.

OK. Now my problem now is that I'm stuck.

Oh, dear, Xand, have you got a sinking feeling?

Argh!

So we almost had two casualties then - Sophie and Xand.

You all right, Doc?

-Yeah, I'm all right.

-Right.

-I'm all right, just about.

It's good you're keeping an eye on me as well.

Xand, they're not supposed to be looking after you too.

Are you going to make it back to shore?

That is the hardest walking I have ever done.

It's time for the verdict.

Sophie, patient care, how did we do?

I think it has to go to Xand.

-Yes!

-What?

-Really, I'm very reassuring.

Scott, in terms of patient extraction, how did we do?

I think it was definitely Chris.

Now, now, hang on.

Chris didn't get stuck.

So it's 1-1. Richard, how was our technique on the mud?

Both keeping at a steady pace, until unfortunately, you got stuck.

So my final vote has to go with Chris.

-Oh!

-Yes!

Well, Xand, I may have won but I think what we've really learned

today is just how important and challenging the work

of Her Majesty's Coastguard Mud Rescue Team really is.

And it's definitely a job that is best left to the professionals.

Richard, have our hats back.

Thanks, guys.

Hi, my name's Millie and I have polyarticular arthritis.

Nice to meet you.

Millie's condition means she has inflammation of her joints

and she experiences stiffness and pain.

I have it in my ankle, my hand, my jaws,

in my left hip and then I also have it in my knees.

The tough thing about arthritis is say,

when I'm trying to play It with all my friends

and I just can't get them because my ankle's in pain.

To help her manage her pain, Millie keeps a special diary.

I write the date and I highlight how my pain's been.

So 10 means, like, the worst pain in the world.

I have had that before.

There are some really brilliant days where I've had no pain,

and these are one of my favourite days.

Arthritis also makes my joints really stiff.

Millie is given regular exercises to help with this.

This is my therapy putty and I do this to strengthen my hand,

so when I come to writing,

I can handle the pain instead of having to stop.

This is my chunky chalk and it also helps my hand.

Some of these letters I find a bit harder to write than others

and I practice them.

Bye! See you next time.

No, catch me next time.

Can't catch me!

One of our favourite hobbies is golf.

And I must say, Chris, we're getting pretty good at it.

But, like all outdoor sports arenas,

the golf course can be a place of danger!

You could forget to tie your shoe laces and trip over them...

You could hurt your back carrying my clubs around.

Or you could be hit on the head by a rogue golf ball.

Xand! Duck!

Argh!

Right, it's my turn to tee off.

And just to be safe, I'm going to get well back.

There's no need to go THAT far away.

Argh!

Chris? Chris?!

Uh-oh. Dr Chris has collapsed and he's not responding.

Injury Alert!

So what should you do if someone is unresponsive and not breathing?

The correct answer is C...

But will this lot get it right with no training?

-Are you ready? ALL:

-Yeah!

Off you go.

Ajay and Haneeta are both pretending that they've had an accident

and are unresponsive and not breathing.

Quick, guys - they need your help.

-You've got a phone?

-No, no.

You need to come to this location straight away.

Calling an ambulance is a great start.

I can't feel it. Start the compressions.

-One, two...

-They've got into doing chest impressions

but, actually, they're just squishing his stomach -

they're not doing them in the right place at all.

Our teams didn't quite get this right.

Some ideas were spot on, like Farooq's...

I searched to see if she had a phone on her

so we could call the ambulance.

-Others just missed the mark.

-Tell me about the chest compressions?

I don't think I did it next to his chest,

I was doing it near his stomach.

Let's show you how it should be done with the help of Geoff,

our first aid dummy.

Right, can you see if he's responsive?

Jeff?

Remember, we're showing you what to do in an emergency

but it's always best to get an adult.

I'm shaking him gently but he's not saying anything.

-What should I do next?

-Can you check if he's breathing?

Put your ear down next to his mouth.

Tilt his head back. Can you feel any breaths at all on your ear?

No, I can't feel any and I can't hear anything.

We need to call 999.

OK. I've got a phone here.

So you call 999, give the patient's problem, give your location,

and the Ambulance Service will tell you

to start doing chest compressions.

Put the heel of your hand in the middle of his chest

and start pushing down at that speed, twice every second.

To do chest compressions,

you need a grown-up because it's hard work

and requires the stronger power of an adult for it to be effective.

So Chris is now doing chest compressions,

I need to go and find an AED or defibrillator.

An AED or automated external defibrillator can be spotted

in schools and public places, like sports centres.

Now, all AEDs have instructions on them.

It's a machine which delivers an electric shock to the heart.

-AED:

-Pull green tab to remove pads.

There are the pads.

Peel pads from liner.

Press pads firmly to patient's bare skin.

OK, and now you need to move back cos I'm going to give a shock.

Can you stand back?

Geoff isn't responding because he's a dummy.

But, at the touch of a button,

the defibrillator tries to give the heart a kick-start.

This machine will talk you through everything you need to do,

so the most important thing is to stay calm

and listen to the instructions.

-Do you want to have a go?

-ALL:

-Yeah!

Brilliant.

So if you see someone who's unresponsive and not breathing,

call 999 -

remember you'll need to know your location.

Then tell an adult how to do chest compressions.

And, finally, if available,

find a defibrillator and follow its voice prompts.

Good work, guys.

Chris! Are you breathing?

Oh, yes, I am. I just winded myself.

You winded yourself? Is that it?

Yes, but it was quite a shock at the time.

I thought it was some kind of emergency.

Well, it's always better to check.

I wonder if we should play something else.

I've got this basketball with me.

OK. All right. Ready? One, two, three.

Oof!

-WEAKLY:

-Winded again!

In the emergency department,

there's another patient that needs a helping hand.

Well, come on, let's see what's wrong with them.

Over in the emergency department,

nine-year-old Emmanuel is waiting with his dad.

What's with the sling, Emmanuel?

My thumb's been bent back and it's swollen.

How did it happen?

It was lunch time at Emmanuel's school,

and he was out playing football with loads of his mates.

Oh, look, there he is. What position does he play?

Well, he's in the goal, Chris, so I'd say he's the goalie!

Got ya. Wow. He's got his eye on the ball.

-Look at him go.

-But then one of the strikers came out of nowhere,

got through on goal and struck the ball.

Emmanuel stretched to make the save...

Go, Emmanuel, you can do it!

Whoa!

He did it all right, but the ball bounced off his thumb

-and bent it right back. BOTH:

-Ouch!

How's it feeling now?

Really painful.

Uh-oh. Doctor!

Here he is, Dr Abdul Aziz.

How back do you think it went?

-Really back.

-Really back?!

First, the doc checks Emmanuel's hand.

Because it's really swollen, we're going to do an X-ray.

We just want to make sure you've not done anything to the bone here.

Radiographer Andrew Strong takes two X-rays from different angles

of Emmanuel's thumb.

That's brill.

What's the news, then, Doc?

Everything looks OK to me.

Well, that's great news.

So you've just stretched the tissues inside,

and that's what's causing the pain. What we'll do,

we'll put a bandage on the thumb to help with the pain relief.

Nurse Becky Saunders bandages up Emmanuel's thumb.

When will it be back to normal, Doc?

Anything between two to four weeks.

So no goalie action for a while, then.

-Still want to be a goalkeeper?

-Yeah.

-OK.

Good on you, Emmanuel.

-ALL:

-Bye!

Next time on Operation Ouch...

We get a lungful of air.

It's one of my favourite experiments, ever, I think.

Xand's let loose in the kitchen.

Be helpful if you kept it in the bowl!

And Chris stumbles on to a crime scene.

What on earth has happened here?!

So we'll see you next time for more Operation Ouch.

Oh, no, have we missed the end?

Thought so.

So, um... So, so, um...

Why can't...? So...

If someone's... Shut up!

Shut up! Shut up!

You shut up too! The...

-Sorry. Will you just get on with it, just ask the question?

-Shush!