[Blindtlk] Two questions about administerring medicine.

Christopher-Mark Gilland clgilland07 at gmail.com
Fri May 22 02:31:48 UTC 2015


I totally agree.

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 10:24 PM
Subject: Re: [Blindtlk] Two questions about administerring medicine.


>I am not saying it couldn't be done, but why would we want too.  People are 
>in all different places in their lives ... some people have kids, some 
>people have grown kids, some people are going to have kids, some people 
>have experience with other people's kids etc. I for one want to set as few 
>rules and requirements as possible!
>
> Dave
>
> At 09:11 PM 5/21/2015, you wrote:
>>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
>
>
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