Well, basic care. What is there to say? Not much, you're the professional. I think a few key points will suffice.
- I have a really hard time with breathing and the body tension, which is no longer significant. Especially in the morning and before the first coffee. That's why it's more pleasant for me to do all sedentary activities (brushing my teeth, combing my hair, etc.) at the end.
- When washing, it can hardly be hard enough for me. Only when it no longer stops bleeding, maybe it was too much. But I can live with that. I didn't expect to have to say it, but unfortunately I did: of course, of course, my, that doesn't apply to cleaning open wounds, eyes, larynx, eardrum, inside of the nose and similar places... seriously ☹...
- When combing my hair, you may comb through my hair as hard as you can. I like to buy a new brush when too many bristles have fallen out.
- I like cool water on my face. On the rest of my body, warm.
- There's not much to me. When I'm completely naked, it would be nice if you covered me up when we're not working. I get cold quickly, especially on my feet.
- When washing, it can hardly be hard enough for me. Only when it no longer stops bleeding, maybe it was too much. But I can live with that. I didn't expect to have to say it, but unfortunately I did: of course, of course, my, that doesn't apply to cleaning open wounds, eyes, larynx, eardrum, inside of the nose and similar places... seriously ☹...
This was the end of my original description of basic care. But then everything turned out differently. I was mistaken. It is not clear how basic care should work for me. What specifically prompted me to put even more time and energy into a detailed description of care? Well, a few concise examples:
- No. You don't take a T-shirt off over my legs.
- No. I wash once a day. Not three times.
- It's best to do it when it's still light out. If you usually wash your patients only 20 minutes before the end of service, I recommend that you do not assume that your patient is also into a nightly cat wash.
- My back also wants to be washed. I lie on it for 3/4 of my life. I still don't understand how my back, of all places, can be left out. How lazy can you be?
- No. We don't use disinfectant for washing, but water and shower gel. Dude, the ideas people come up with.
- - No. My bed is not a bathtub. I can't stand it when everything is slippery and wet. If you have to put everything under water, at least put towels under it. I have to lie in there all day.
- - Even if some people find it hard to believe, I have a life and it doesn't consist 'only' of care. Basic care has to be done in half an hour. It definitely doesn't take two hours.
First, please prepare everything we need for basic care. These are:
- A large towel and perhaps also a small one
- A (real) flannel
- A bowl of clear cold water
- A bowl of lukewarm water
- Shower gel
- Disposable gloves (applies only to male caregivers - for more than one reason).
The starting position is my favourite, lying on my back with my head turned to the right. Whenever there is no reason for a different position during care, please always put me back in that position.
Place the bed completely flat.
Pull up my T-shirt.
You have to pull the shirt all the way up at the back or shoulder, otherwise taking it off won't be stress-free. Just take my word for it. You have to be able to reach all the way through with your fingers, as you can see in the photo.
If you do it exactly like this, then one sleeve after the other can be pulled over the arms quite easily without having to overstretch my wrists or even my arms and shoulders at all. And it's like in the picture with my left arm.
I feel completely stupid myself, having to describe this in such detail. But it is unimaginable what I have already experienced. A trained nurse taking my T-shirt off over my stomach, hips, down over my legs and feet is almost one of the funny stories. If it wasn't so would be sad.
Some other things were just brutally painful. You mustn't forget that I can't scream even in the greatest pain. At most, I can make a few snivelling sounds after the ventilation has given me a puff of air every 12 seconds. By then, unfortunately, my wrists have been stretched far too far than would have been acceptable.
Now it's time for the second arm. In the photo, this would be my right arm. So pull the shirt all the way up and over the shoulder blade. Then push the arm through the sleeve.
Next comes the next little thing, which goes without saying for me. Because the shirt is supposed to go over my head somehow, you now disconnect the hose from the mask, put it through the neck of the shirt and connect it again.
This process takes less than three seconds and always works. So there is no point in trying to do more steps without ventilation and then panicking if something doesn't work as planned.
The rest is pretty standard. I like rough flannels, preferably even exfoliating gloves.
After using shower gel, I implore you to wipe me down with clean water. If that's too much effort for you, just use clear water. You don't stand under the shower, turn off the water, soap yourself from head to toe and dry yourself off again straight after, do you?
Always cover me up as much as possible. You don't have to ask me if I'm cold. I'm always cold when I'm naked. If you ask me, it gives me the impression that it would mean extra work to cover myself up. So I'll usually say I'm not cold, despite goosebumps. So as not to make extra work for you.
Please also bear in mind that I cannot breathe properly with my head on my left side or in the middle. If I have to lie on my side - e.g. to wash my back - then I can only do it on my right side. Apart from washing my back, there is nothing that requires me to turn my head. I don't accept excuses like "otherwise it's too strenuous for me". Then we'll just leave that part out.
Apart from that, the following always applies: I have to be suctioned immediately before and after the head rotation. The same applies when turning back.
