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Date: June 13, 2004
Sunday Morning
We have a day off the hospital - which I normally drive to every single day, over the bridge and, if it's a short day for him, I stay then take him home and run to work, or, if it's a long day for him, I leave him and run to work. I try for 1.5 to 2 hours actually IN the office-----. So they can remember what I look like.
First - laundry - lots of it. Six loads.
Second - clean the cat pan (which means take the other one outside and try to remind myself to empty it before Wednesday - garbage day) and the kitchen floor (in a bathing suit since I am not alone and cannot do it naked - naked housewife style that is).
Third - after my kid stumbles up out of bed and out of his clean room in boxers and scratching under his arm pit (thank goodness!) mumbling "find my glasses" (all 220 lbs of him) - I must stand by because he will not have taken a towel with him and he will get in the shower.
Meanwhile, the dishwasher is not doing a good job and I find it is clogged somewhere on the ends of the spinning arm so I took it apart and cleaned out the rotating arm that was clogged - and then had to try to remember how to put it back together - there is a trick in that arm do it free spins. I know I have maintenence but ---- let them put the handle back on the oven door and tell me why a frostlesss Whirlpool freezer is not.
I am running the dishwasher empty with Clorox in it. Helps to do that - with the silverware trays inside as dishes. Good to do since the inside of a dishwasher can look like a garbage can.
Sure enough - I get the plaintive call of a 22-year-old naked man in the shower, standing there, disgruntled behind his flimsy curtain, hands clasped firmly over the family jewels, needing a towel and assistance (I must watch to see if he falls because he's dizzy) getting out of the shower/tub.
THEN - gird your loins - it's my turn to change the dressing and the end caps and flush both lines on that thing hanging out of his chest. They did not use an internal chest port as per last time.
Egad.
So I set up a clean field - a bunch of paper towels draped over said family jewels (now safely under the towel), and round up my gear.
Two syringes of Heperin flush (use 3 units in each) - out of their wrappers.
Two new end caps for his line (it's a "Y" connection line - two ends - one end in his chest) - partially open the package.
A box of alcohol squares - two opened and propped and ready.
And the partially opened sticky patch that covers the incision - the "dressing".
And last of all - the funny looking squishy thingy that has prongs you break to release whatever is in it - part of the sterile field cleanup. (I know what it is but I forget its name.)
Ready. Deep breath. Count to ten.
Women who re-read all five Harry Potter books in a week can do this. (So far - we cannot see the movie.) (P.S. Yes - we did!)
I pull off the old sticky dressing (once a week event) and he complains because his chest hair is slowly sprouting.
I use two alcohol squares one at a time to run over the area from incision out in circles.
Then I use the prong thing and repeat this cleaning. I get a lowly chest hair.
No going back.
No redo.
Then I got an extra square and ran it over the line.
Then I took the new dressing and slapped it on - gently - securing the line with leftover strips.
Next is the line change thing - It is clamped.
My son reminds me they it always is clamped unless being flushed.
OK - screw off one end.
Discard.
Use a swab and wipe the OUTSIDE threads. Now you know why I have a box of swabs.
Pop the little thing off the head of the new end cap and screw it on.
Clasp the new cap and clean it with another alcohol swap - outside only - and screw on the Heprerin syringe.
Unclamp.
Plunge from 6 of 3 on the shaft holding the syringe upright so the air bubble stays out of range. (A different nurse tells me to puse out the air bubble - the first way is easier - they each (nurses) have their own methods.)
Reclamp.
Repeat for the other cap.
Discard everything. (No safety bottle this time - no blood, no needle.)
This is done after washing my hands (and dipping them in Clorox) with everything and using Purel repeatedly during the steps.
My hands are now chapped.
My dishwasher is running I think (did I screw that back together right?) and I must consider breakfast - my son has a pile of pills, some Hawaiian sweet rolls and an iced drink so far.
It is now 10:30AM.
I have five loads of laundry on my bed. So far.
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