[Blindtlk] Two questions about administerring medicine.

Fri May 22 02:11:40 UTC 2015

Uh, maybe by verifying through other NFB members who know you personally?

Chris.

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "David Andrews via blindtlk" <blindtlk at nfbnet.org>
To: "Blind Talk Mailing List" <blindtlk at nfbnet.org>
Cc: "David Andrews" <dandrews at visi.com>
Sent: Thursday, May 21, 2015 10:02 PM
Subject: Re: [Blindtlk] Two questions about administerring medicine.

> 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
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> 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/clgilland07%40gmail.com 