[Blindtlk] Two questions about administerring medicine.

Fri Feb 5 08:48:53 UTC 2016

Evening, Chris,

Just now seeing this. Ask Mom to show you some tricks, have you ever 
thought of that? If she says it's so easy, perhaps if she were there 
she might appreciate what showstoppers you are dealing with?
Keep us posted! Car 04:19 PM 5/21/2015, Christopher-Mark Gilland via 
blindtlk 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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