[Blindtlk] Two questions about administerring medicine.

[David Andrews]

There is no requirement that you be a parent -- how would anyone 
know, or find out.

Dave

At 08:18 PM 5/21/2015, you wrote:
>The weird thing is, I can do it to myself all day long.  I dono why 
>she's so insistant.  I totally agree with you.
>
>I didn't join that other list you mentioned, as I myself don't have 
>kids, and I thought you had to be a parent to join.
>
>Chris.
>
>----- Original Message ----- From: "Arielle Silverman via blindtlk" 
><blindtlk at nfbnet.org>
>To: "Blind Talk Mailing List" <blindtlk at nfbnet.org>
>Cc: "Arielle Silverman" <arielle71 at gmail.com>
>Sent: Thursday, May 21, 2015 9:11 PM
>Subject: Re: [Blindtlk] Two questions about administerring medicine.
>
>
>>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