[Blindtlk] Two questions about administerring medicine.

[Diane Vlasoff]

I raised 3children as My vision deteriorated.  As to the first question,  I got a teaspoon sized eyedropper from the pharmacist.  No spills and a full dose of med.  I have never given a shot but my aunts were both RNs.  I remember one of them telling me they first learned by injecting water into oranges.  Practice seems a good thing.  Then I am sure they used normal saliene and used each other as guinea pigs.  Good luck!

Diane Vlasoff

On May 21, 2015, at 5:19 PM, Christopher-Mark Gilland via blindtlk <blindtlk at nfbnet.org> wrote:

I have two questions.  Again, now, I'm the one who probably is askking admittedly a very valid question, but yet a somewhat awquard question.

I often have to babysit a little girl.  She's the  sweetest little thing at 4 years old, but blesser heart, she has two medications she has to take on a regular basis.  Usually, her mom gives them to her before leaving her for the evening in my care, but the mom has expressed that she really would like for me to learn to do this myself for her.  It's not a matter of her being lazy and not wanting to take care of her child.  Don't even go there!  It's just she is in her words, trying to prove to me that I can! do this, and that just because I am blind, doesn't mean anything in context of the action at hand.

So, here's more specifically the deal.  She has to be given a kitchen spoon sized doce of liquid medicine.  I know it's usually the same principle as putting liquid on a spoon when cooking then putting it in your mixing bowl or whatever, but I cannot for the life of me find an easy way to do this. I'm always so frightened that I'm gonna miss and hit her eye, or bopper on the nose or worse when trying to get it in her mouth.  She usually does open up, which is a plus.  I don't think she really minds the taste, but it's just very hard for me, as I get really nurvous, and my hands start trembling.  I'm not so much scared of getting it in her mouth, as I am of spilling it off the spoon.  Yeah, I could pour it in a little cup then just have her drink it that way, but then it makes it really really hard to measure out the correct amount, and I'd be scared I'd give her too much, or too little.

The other med she has to take is much, and I do mean much much much much! more difficult.  I do want some hints on the above, but here's the one I'm r'r'r'r'really! struggling with that I desperetly! could use some blind tips on.  She also has to take a medication which is injected as a shot.  Poor baby!  And what makes it worse is, she's not exactly a very good sport about it either.  To say she's really brave is bigger than the state of Texas of a lie.  LOL!  Let's just say, you'd better be wearing ear plugs or cotton balls if you have sensitive ears, as it's ear screeching!  Anyway, the thing is, I don't just get scared the few times I've been asked to give it to her, but I just about pannick myself.  I know, one would say to me, there's my first problem right there!  Don't? pannick!  The first time I start that, I'll make it more scarey for her, plus, I'll start doing dumb things.  The mom has said for me to start by just taking a deep breath before I do it, but my biggest concern is, I can't feel  the point of the needle when it goes in.  Oh yeah, she screams bloody murder, which is usually an indication that I'm in, at which point, I push the plunger until it clicks, but my thing is, I can't see it go in, and being it's so sharp, I have naturally a really really heavy hand.  I'm scared I'll jabber!  Actually, a few times, I have made about a half inch cut on her arm where she wenced back flinching in pain, and therefore my hand slipped.  I don't wanna grab her little arm too hard, as it's gonna hurt her already escrutiatingly as is, but then, you add my tight grip on top a that?  No? thank you!  We've tried having her lie down on her bed on her back, so that she can only resist but so much, but it still is very difficult.  Further, I'm even just as much scared that if I feel where I'm about to stick her, for one, it won't be staril, and for 2, I'm just as much, if not more, frightened that I'll wind up accidentally sticking myself.  Granted, I've not hit the plunger, so it's not like I'd get any of the medication, God forbid, but it still would hurt like a son of a gun!

So, if any of you who're blind with absolutely no vision at all like shapes, colors, etc. have given an injection, especially even more so if it was to a little rugrat, how do you safely do this?  The mom is really insistant on, you can do this, you just need to relax, and calm down.  I just feel I'm always so tense, and hurky jerky when I do it.  There's gotta be a way!

Chris. 

_______________________________________________
blindtlk mailing list
blindtlk at nfbnet.org
http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/blindtlk_nfbnet.org
To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for blindtlk:
http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/blindtlk_nfbnet.org/diane.vlasoff%40icloud.com