Oh, man... I'm trying to be brave

I look after my elderly mom. She is on Coumadin, an anticoagulant... so she bruises easily.

She took a tumble almost two weeks ago. Neither of us had realized she bumped her head, until the goose-egg showed up. Huge, I'm tellin' ya.

We finally went to her doctor, who sent us to the wound care center at the local hospital.

The surgeon there opened and drained the wound, but it is up to me to clean it daily and change the dressings. It has to be kept open to heal properly.

It's all I can do not to hurl... I won't give gorey details, but ughhhhhh..... Blech....

I have always had respect for doctors and nurses. Any of you who do this for a living, kudos to you. I couldn't...

I hear you on that! I'm not made for the medical field- thank goodness my sister is I told my parents that she can look after them, I'll look after the money

Ahhh that would freak me out too.

My dad is on Coumadin also it's a drug he's been on ever since a series of blood clots in his leg.
His leg has never looked the same it's a somewhat purple colour, fortunately he has never had to have anything drained although he did scratch himself on the leg wich burst a vein and he had blood shooting out of his leg a good 3 feet, we had to call the paramedics

I agree 1000% on the kudos for doctors and nurses.

Kudos to you, too, though, for the care you are giving to your mother. Having been there, I know there are times it's not easy at all , but you just do what you have to do. Don't forget to take care of you, too.

My goodness I can gag even talking about something gross...so way to go for enduring this

Sending you nongag vibes

Honestly, I didn't know for sure that I could be a nurse until as a student, I made the mistake of trying to help a patient put in dentures she hadn't worn in a while, triggered her gag reflex and she threw up in my face and all over me....and I got her cleaned up first, before me and was okay.

I give you a big thumbs up for doing what you have to do and one tip would be, if it is more than the visual aspect bothering you, try putting a dab of a favorite relaxing scent (vanilla for example) just under your nose right before you change the dressing.

OMG.....amen to the ppl who work in the medical field!!!!!

I, too, care for my mom who is now only in bed.
I must ask you a question.........HOW DO YOU DO IT??!!! It is sooo hard. I do hire home health but they are sooo expensive.

Thanks for the advice and support. It's really hard. My brother suggested someone like a visiting nurse come once a day to clean the wound and change the dressing.

It's very expensive over time and insurance doesn't cover it.

What I told him is that I am ok with it, it's just creepy and gross to see an open, bloody, dime-sized wound on Mom's head.

My sister, who lives about 40-50 miles away, is offering me a day of respite next Saturday. My brother, who lives 500 miles away, has offered me a weekend of respite. Problem is, I don't have the money to go anywhere!

I'd love to go to Lakeland Florida and see my beloved Tigers in exhibition baseball.

Originally Posted by Pat & Alix

Honestly, I didn't know for sure that I could be a nurse until as a student, I made the mistake of trying to help a patient put in dentures she hadn't worn in a while, triggered her gag reflex and she threw up in my face and all over me....and I got her cleaned up first, before me and was okay.

I give you a big thumbs up for doing what you have to do

and one tip would be, if it is more than the visual aspect bothering you, try putting a dab of a favorite relaxing scent (vanilla for example) just under your nose right before you change the dressing.

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Thanks! The wound doesn't smell, it is the visual part of it. If it smelled, I would be on the phone to the wound center. That's a sign of infection, right?
AB

I'm glad your family is supportive and offering some respite time. That's important, and you really should take them up on it, even if you don't go far. Do you have a friend close by that you could spend the weekend with?

Originally Posted by AddieBee

Thanks! The wound doesn't smell, it is the visual part of it. If it smelled, I would be on the phone to the wound center. That's a sign of infection, right?
AB

Click to expand...

It can be...I was thinking of the smell of blood - dried or fresh, it is something that not everyone can handle. I wish I could come up with a tip re the visual aspect of this...but you do have to inspect it as you are doing when you change the dressing. I'm glad your sister is coming in to give you at least a day of respite.

We will see if my sister comes through. She does what I call 'flyfishing'. She casts out an offer and in the same stroke, reels it back in. "I can come help you on Saturday during the day, but not until the afternoon, because... blah, blah, blah.... and it may not be until 4 pm...blah, blah, blah..." My response is usually, don't bother - that's what she really wants to hear anyway.

However, she was a huge help during my surgery and two hospitalizations. So sometimes she surprises me.

My brother is soooooooooooo busy!!!!! He's a doctor and he started a medical software company on the side that is eating him up. And he's got a wife and four kids. Of anyone in the immediate family circle, he is the one with the LEAST amount of time to spare.

I am not counting on any of it. I would actually like to go away w/o ANYONE - including my boyfriend, b/c I end up looking after him and doing all of the social planning, etc. Sometimes I just want to run away.

I agree doctors & nurses rule

Hang in there! Remember its your mom and she would do the same for you