Mayhem Mania: Patient Care

Sunday, October 05, 2008

Patient Care

Last night it was time to tackle removing Michael's sling and changing his bandages. I joked with the nurses when I watched them do it that I was going to take pictures before I attempted doing it myself as I was not sure I would ever get everything back where it needed to be. Luckily, I really did take several pictures before removing the sling. Otherwise I'm not sure I would have ever gotten it back on.

I am squeamish to say the least. I was fine getting the sling off and the polar care pad but when I got to the actual bandage I had that "can I really do this?" thought. Then when I got the covering off and got to the gauze I thought "I'm not so sure about this" and by the time I got to the not stick pad that was stuck to the incisions I was thinking very ugly things about the surgeon who sent Michael home for me to deal with this.

I am proud to report I got the wounds cleaned, plastic wrapped so Michael could shower and re-bandaged without throwing up or passing out or injuring the patient!

Getting the sling back on proved a bit more challenging - the polar care contraption was easy but the sling was not. I thought I knew what I was doing. It came off easily but the stupid wedge made it almost impossible to get it back on as Michael can not raise his arm - his upper arm and shoulder are supposed to stay stationary. After working several minutes working on the wedge, I got to the straps and realized that I didn't know where one of them was suppose to go. So I whipped out the camera and looked at the pictures I took before taking the sling off. I didn't think I would really need the pictures but without them I think we would have ended up having to call someone to walk us through where everything went.

The picture that saved the day

From the time we started the process to finish (which included a shower) it only took one hour and 15 minutes to accomplish! I'm hoping it gets faster with practice or it is going to be a long six weeks!

No worries that I'll decide to go back to school for a nursing degree.
Jenn

3 comments:

Phyllis said...: I am proud of you...don't know that Michael could have gotten you off the floor with only one are!

Hope he is seeing improvement.; 6:34 PM
Phyllis said...: forget this does not do spell-check; 6:35 PM
Jenn said...: Yes, 9 years of playing the role of Mom really helps out when it comes to taking care of other people's booboos.; 9:40 AM

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Our Cast

This is what happens when two math geeks marry and have four kids!

Jenn
I work part time at my church as an Interim Office Assistant. I am having weight loss surgery on 12/31/18 (gastric sleeve). I love to quilt, sew, craft, blog and read. Sometimes I love to cook, sometimes I hate it. I hate doing laundry and dishes. I love a good novel, but am not much of a non-fiction or literature reader . I love animals and rescue. In addition to our four two-legged kids, we also have three four-legged kids. Having a foster dog or two is not that unusual for us as I am a sucker for an animal in need. I love my kids and being a mom, except for when I want to run away from it all. In my next life I would like a clean house.

Michael
Our crazy leader. He loves all things Texas A&M (whoop!), college football, good beer, coaching kids sports, and his family. He even loves his wife enough to put up with all her crazy ideas, pets, and foster pets.

Sam-I-Am
Our firstborn Samuel Frank who died at birth in 1999. He was our gorgeous, curly, red-headed baby boy. He may not be with us on earth but he is still a big part of our family. We miss every day and love him very much.

Le President
Our oldest son Rehm. He is my walking encyclopedia. He loves politics, band, scouts, friends, school, learning, debating, leadership, and being right about everything, even when he's not. We affectionately call him Captain Oblivious because if there is something happening that he is not the center of he is completely clueless. He is currently waiting for college acceptances and planning the next step in his life. He only likes to read non-fiction, which I really don't understand.

Latte
Our oldest daughter. She is the most empathetic girl I know. She loves school, dancing, performing, and all things social. She is loud and dramatic, mostly in a good way. She is rocking her first year of high school and learning to drive. She hates riding long distances in the car. She is as stubborn as her mother, especially when dealing with her mother.

Rubylicious
Our feisty second daughter. She is very dramatic. Her world is one of extremes. There is never any doubt about how Ruby feels about something or someone. She loves cheerleading at her middle school, tumbling, reading, friends, arts and crafts, making a mess, and her pets.

Dirt
Our cautious third daughter. She is very sensitive and likes to do things in her own way and own time. She loves to play sports. She is currently playing softball with an American Freedom Team and basketball at her middle school. She dislikes change of any kind for any reason.

Updated December 2018