Although she arrived late on Wednesday - just as we were about to eat lunch - we forgave District Nurse Mandi at once. Oxford traffic is bad at the best of times. Christmas shoppers, deliveries and roadworks at strategic junctions have combined to make it even worse at the moment.
The important thing was that she came, she saw, and she took action - bathing the sore area on Steve's spine, drying it and dressing it with what I can only describe as a giant hydrocolloid blister plaster....perfect cushioning for pressure sores. She will also ask the GP to prescribe a special lotion to apply to other bony bits to reduce the risk of more pressure sores developing in future, plus a special moisturiser for very dry skin - another of Steve's (minor) problems.
A different district nurse arrived today - Chrissie - and repeated the same procedure. She also brought a soft, inflatable cushion which will help reduce pressure where Steve leans against, or rests on, solid surfaces. Never one to have much spare flesh, he now has no fat and not a lot of meat on his bones so this will be a great help. A similar product is available as a mattress, but he doesn't need that at the moment, preferring to sit on the sofa in the living room downstairs than to be propped up in bed, upstairs.
So the District nurses (DNs) will be visiting twice a week now to dress Steve's sore bits, for as long as necessary. It's good to have them on the medical support team!
The GP has prescribed more steroids which Steve will start taking some time next week probably, to boost his appetite over Christmas.
Slowly, slowly, we are printing and writing cards and have posted the first small batch abroad - so doing better than last year when we just managed a round robin email greeting. We'll get there in the end....
We had a lovely time earlier this week with visits from friends on Monday and Tuesday and are looking forward to more visitors on Sunday. Just hope my cough clears up by then and energy levels improve. It's a bit of an uphill struggle at the moment. But at least we are not flooded like those poor people in Cumbria....Please stay, warm safe and dry!
Lastly, an apology to those who have sent lovely supportive emails and not had a reply. Life is a bit of a blur at the moment, but we have read them and they do lift the spirits...and occasionally bring a tear to the eye. Thank you xxx
The important thing was that she came, she saw, and she took action - bathing the sore area on Steve's spine, drying it and dressing it with what I can only describe as a giant hydrocolloid blister plaster....perfect cushioning for pressure sores. She will also ask the GP to prescribe a special lotion to apply to other bony bits to reduce the risk of more pressure sores developing in future, plus a special moisturiser for very dry skin - another of Steve's (minor) problems.
A different district nurse arrived today - Chrissie - and repeated the same procedure. She also brought a soft, inflatable cushion which will help reduce pressure where Steve leans against, or rests on, solid surfaces. Never one to have much spare flesh, he now has no fat and not a lot of meat on his bones so this will be a great help. A similar product is available as a mattress, but he doesn't need that at the moment, preferring to sit on the sofa in the living room downstairs than to be propped up in bed, upstairs.
So the District nurses (DNs) will be visiting twice a week now to dress Steve's sore bits, for as long as necessary. It's good to have them on the medical support team!
The GP has prescribed more steroids which Steve will start taking some time next week probably, to boost his appetite over Christmas.
Slowly, slowly, we are printing and writing cards and have posted the first small batch abroad - so doing better than last year when we just managed a round robin email greeting. We'll get there in the end....
We had a lovely time earlier this week with visits from friends on Monday and Tuesday and are looking forward to more visitors on Sunday. Just hope my cough clears up by then and energy levels improve. It's a bit of an uphill struggle at the moment. But at least we are not flooded like those poor people in Cumbria....Please stay, warm safe and dry!
Lastly, an apology to those who have sent lovely supportive emails and not had a reply. Life is a bit of a blur at the moment, but we have read them and they do lift the spirits...and occasionally bring a tear to the eye. Thank you xxx
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