[Blindtlk] Two questions about administerring medicine.

Fri Feb 5 13:43:21 UTC 2016

I had that situation with cough medicine and did what I learned to do in 
cooking class to handle it.  In addition to the bottle, I used a measuring 
cup as a spill over container and I had a funnel that fit the bottle 
opening to hand andthe spoon too.  I put the spoon on top of the cup so 
the opening was face up and poured the medicine into the spoon.  When I 
heard it drip into the cup I stopped and took the medicine using the 
spoon.  Then I put the funnel in the bottle and poured the contents of the 
cup back into the bottle.  No comment what on what I think of that little 
girl's mother for doing this in the first place especially to people with 
no medical background or training except to say if that ever gets reported 
to Social Services that mother will loose her child to State care.  For 
the injectable I would recommend calling 911 except when the situation got 
explained social services would be there in about five minutes to collect 
the girl.  On Fri, 5 Feb 2016, Carly Mihalakis via blindtlk wrote:

> Date: Fri, 5 Feb 2016 03:48:53
> From: Carly Mihalakis via blindtlk <blindtlk at nfbnet.org>
> To: Blind Talk Mailing List <blindtlk at nfbnet.org>,
>     Blind Talk Mailing List <blindtlk at nfbnet.org>
> Cc: Carly Mihalakis <carlymih at comcast.net>,
>     Christopher-Mark Gilland <clgilland07 at gmail.com>
> Subject: Re: [Blindtlk] Two questions about administerring medicine.
> 
> 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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