[Blindtlk] Two questions about administerring medicine.

[David Andrews]

Yes, blparent is a good source, also diabetes-talk would be good as 
those folks, most of them, give themselves shots on a daily basis, 
links for the two lists are as follows:

http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/blparent_nfbnet.org

http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/diabetes-talk_nfbnet.org

Dave

At 08:11 PM 5/21/2015, you wrote:
>Hi Chris. There's another list on NFBNet called BlParent. You may want
>to post your questions there for feedback from blind parents and
>caregivers. For the oral med, if the child is cooperative, you could
>perhaps fill the spoon and hand it to her to swallow the contents,
>then have her hand the spoon back to you so you can verify she took
>the med. Or scoop into a cup as was suggested. As for injections, I
>don't know what alternative techniques blind people use to find the
>injection site. I know blind people give themselves shots so I imagine
>it is doable. However, I don't think giving a shot is part of the
>typical duties for babysitting, and if it makes you anxious, then I
>think it is perfectly reasonable to tell the mom you aren't
>comfortable. It has nothing to do with blindness but with your comfort
>around needles. I am needle phobic myself and would probably not be
>willing to give a shot to myself or someone else unless there was no
>other option. Especially not to a squirming screaming child.
>Arielle
>
>On 5/21/15, Diane Vlasoff via blindtlk <blindtlk at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> > 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.

         David Andrews and long white cane Harry.
E-Mail:  dandrews at visi.com or david.andrews at nfbnet.org