Oxygen and removing sticky pads on cheeks




We were with a family member again in the hospital this weekend. I was happy to see he had a bubbler with his oxygen (it helps keep the nasal passages moist which helps prevent bloody noses and irritation).

I also noticed the oxygen tubing now comes with short gray padded coverings which fit over the ear area. Sometimes times the ears can get irritated from the tubing.

It reminded me of one of the times one of the kids were in the hospital. When the kids are little, they will have little sticky pads on their cheeks which allows the tubing to adhere. That way, the tubing isn't sliding all over their face. The only problem comes in removing the thick pads from the kid's cheeks.

One of the times Son #2 was in the hospital, it came time for discharge. The male nurse came up and grabbed and edge and ripped the pads of Son #2's cheeks. You might imagine how painful it was, it left a welt and a red mark for several days.

Of course I complained about it the next time Son #2 was in the hospital. One of the female nurses said, "Oh! That's terrible. A better way to do it is to soak a washcloth in warm water and hold that over the pads for about 10 minutes. Then they'll peel right off." 

When it came time to discharge, the male nurse came in and reached for the pads. Not so fast! I told him. I explained what the other nurse had told us and he was a little miffed and walked out of the room. Is he crazy? There's a less painful way to remove the pads, but I'm going to let him rip them off Son #2's pads so the nurse doesn't get hurt feelings? Wrong.

This is where you protect your kids. I don't care if the nurse had hurt feelings, I'm doing what's best for my kids. We applied the warm wash cloth first, then the pads gently peeled right off.

Don't be afraid to ask questions or be a part of the decision making process. Question what medication they're giving your kids, and what doses too. People make mistakes. One new respiratory therapist came in to give Kitty a treatment and used the wrong dose.

It's your children and it's your insurance money. You have a right to ask questions and see if there's another way to do things, not to mention double checking what the staff is doing.

Hopefully none of you have little ones in the hospital right now. Every one of the 12 times our kids were admitted was heart wrenching - not to mention scary. 

But this is why I'm doing this blog-to give out a little advice of things we have learned over the years.

Luck to all

Comments

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  2. Glad I could help, I just keep blogging about what I have learned. Feel free to search the blog or ask questions if you can't find information. I am open to suggestions for blog ideas!

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