[Blindtlk] Two questions about administerring medicine.

Fri May 22 01:04:35 UTC 2015

But how do you load an eye dropper, and get the eye medicine out of it first 
without leaving residue?  Sorry to ask a really obvious question, probably.

Chris.

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Diane Vlasoff via blindtlk" <blindtlk at nfbnet.org>
To: "Blind Talk Mailing List" <blindtlk at nfbnet.org>
Cc: "Diane Vlasoff" <diane.vlasoff at icloud.com>
Sent: Thursday, May 21, 2015 8:55 PM
Subject: Re: [Blindtlk] Two questions about administerring medicine.

>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.
>
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