Tis the season'

The Holidays for 2010-2011 should be a new awakening or rebirth for us all full of new beginnings with loved ones. Before attempting to describe Thanksgiving, let's start with the last breakfast with Grandpa, as we had our 2010 Thanksgiving with Grandpa which can be for another post. You may be wondering what the result was after the last visit.

Well…The news my Grandfather shared that day during the Jim Dandy soggy toast, limp bacon and overcooked eggs meeting, went a little like this:

Me: “So…how did you scratch your glasses, and what happened to your face?”
Grandpa: “It’s just all happened so fast…”
Me: “Okay, what’s happened so fast, have you talked to my Dad about any of this?”
Grandpa: “No…No…I figured you could just tell them since you were coming up anyways.”
Me: “Ah…gee…thanks Grandpa, but you realize Dad is going to call you, and this puts me in a very awkward position right now.”
Grandpa: “Well……I wrecked my car on Monday, and fell at the bank on Tuesday, that’s how I got all these bruises”
Me: “Oh….Grandpa….Well have you been to the doctor”
Grandpa: “Oh yes, they took me in a ambulance”
Me: “WHAT!?”

So the conversation continues little by little. I ask questions, he answers them. Information volunteered is at a minimum, but we get to the bottom of it by the end of the soggy toast. Upon returning to the house however, he wants to show me one last thing. With my keys in hand, purse on my arm, and coat on ready to leave, quickly they come off as he shows me the results of one last fall that apparently occurred right before I arrived.

A bloody bandage on the bottom of his left arm appeared, as it had bled through his shirt. Had it not we may never have known about this second fall in one week after one wreck and a very damaging fall prior to that. The first test question I ask, Grandpa, “Have you cleaned this, it could get infected.” “Oh yeah, it’s kinda itchy, I put Benydryl on it.” I replied, “Grandpa, that’s for rashes, what disinfectant do you have for cuts?”

We went through his entire medicine cabinet, he had some Bactine from 1970 which I quickly thought was not going to do the trick. In the car we go, and attend the nearby “Medicine Shoppe’ where they have marked up products but a “friendly” face. Thirty-dollars later, we return back to the house to dress the wounds.

My last first-aid class was in 2007, thank goodness for my bike wreck in 2010 otherwise I wouldn’t have known how to properly clean out wounds that had NO SKIN left and were the size of a kiwi. This was … elderly wound care at its finest. Pulling away layers of a band-aid that stuck to the 93 year old fragile remnants of a wound that took a large amount of skin away, I nearly negotiated for an ER visit. However, I knew that would never go over so I cleaned up the battle scene as best I could, and dressed it for a hopeful visit by another doctor later that week.

After that visit was complete, wounds dressed, house in check, groceries, check, bathroom supplies inspected, check…It was time to leave to go meet up with some family that was found by accident and by choice, the Wieland’s.

The Holidays should be full of surprises. The idea of assisted living certainly isn’t becoming anymore popular….But….Have you been outside…See the ice?