Retirement is a week filled with Saturdays and Sundays interrupted only occasionally by a holiday.

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Thursday, July 26, 2007

More Gauze Please...

Oh boy, oh boy...today I start honing my nursing skills again. This morning I took Rick to the dermatologist to have cosmetic surgery done on the skin cancer site where a spot was excised a few months ago. If you don't remember that little adventure, you can read about it here and here.

As promised, today's procedure involved using a Dremel tool to smooth the surface of Rick's nose and I actually got to see this device when I was brought into the room to receive wound care instructions right after the doctor was done. The tool was sitting on a metal tray and, sure enough, it looked almost identical to the photo of the tool I posted a while ago. It was at that moment that I realized how handy a cell phone with a camera would have been to take a photo of the actual tool. Damn! Anyway, lucky me got to watch the nurse dress the wound so I can duplicate the process (twice a day no less) for the next two weeks...until Rick's followup appointment.

So now my dining room table resembles "Hospital Central" again with boxes of gauze, tubes of Polysporin, a bottle of vinegar, Telfa pads, and other assorted "stuff" taking up a portion of it. Have I mentioned that medical care is not one of my strong suits and that I seem to be all thumbs when it comes to cutting the wound coverings and applying them with tape in just the right way? Oh well...I guess I'm better than nothing...maybe.

11 comments:

Kelly said...

My mother is having something similar done in August.

Patti said...

You will do just fine, Nurse Joan. I know you pay attention to detail, which is what is needed here.

the moose buyer said...

You will do fine and I don't think Rick is a complainer. Having the dressing changed at the house is much better than having to go somewhere else. He will soon be as handsome as ever.

rosemary said...

Hum, stuff all over the dinner table? I think that calls for take out and meals other than home cooked! You did fine the last time, you'll do fine again.

Renee Nefe said...

Perhaps Rick could do the cutting?

I'm sure you'll do fine. Maybe you should do it before meals.

Mom said...

Oh,nurse Joan, I am sure you are becoming very proficient at dressing changes. Perhaps you can get a part time job and pay for all those bandages.

Lynn said...

You could always let Rick do it himself.

Joan said...

Myutopia: Tell your mom that Rick reports the procedure wasnt bad at all. And, so far, the wound care is pretty simple...like taking care of a scraped knee.

Patti: Thanks for your faith in my nursing abilities!

The moose buyer: Yep...handsome Rick...any day now.

Rosemary: How funny. Just as I was reading your comment, Rick asked if I wanted to go out for dinner tonight.

Renee: Actually, now that I've done it once, I'm sure Rick could do the whole thing by himself but I think he likes the attention.

Mom: Ooooo...I never thought of this as a part-time career.

Lynn: Now that I've seen the actual wound, I'm sure Rick could do it by himself. It's nothing more than a medium-sozed abrasion on the side of his nose.

Carole Burant said...

Rather you than me! lol I haven't had to be "nurse" since my boys were younger so I think I might have forgotten how! lol Hope your hubby recovers quickly!! xox

Knock knock - it's cancer! said...

Oh I get queezy just reading about it. If Rick were my Rick, he'd be having to do it himself, the poor bugger.

By the way... I thought I'd put this out there...I think what would make him feel better other than you taking such good care of him, is if you'd ACTUALLY wear the nurse uniform.

Wink.

Joan said...

Pea: Since I'm not a mom, nursing is not part of my genetic makeup...trust me.

Onefullhouse: Oh...a nurse's uniform...how kinky! :~)