Tuesday, July 22, 2008

Poster child for Tegaderm

Well, after the ordeal of applying the membrane-type dressing, there has been blessed silence. I've not had to mess with his wounds; they're covered and protected. He didn't need medication at all, either prescription or over-the-counter yesterday. He had an interesting pain flare-up coincident with a temper flare-up (Gary telling him he couldn't buy a skateboard rail online) around bedtime and took a single ibuprofen. That was it.

The only problem we had was very minor concerning what we had been through: I'd applied the shoulder patch under field conditions (inexperience and yelling occurring inches from my head) and it was not the most neatly wrapped package. Some of the edges were stuck to themselves, and this allowed a gap in the seal through which wound-drainage and ointment could flow. I called the pharmacy for consultation and solved that problem by taping a piece of gauze at the bottom to capture the drainage and reinforce the seal.

So I don't have to think of the next question until Thursday or Friday: What's it going to be like when I have to remove it?

1 comment:

Lori Lavender Luz said...

Jeez. This sounds like a very difficult experience. I hope Gary is helping out in the nursing department.

Hopefully his body will work wonders and be completely ready for dressing removal later this week.

He'll have stories to regale his cousins with!