Bandage Removal
Our big event of the day, so far, was that I finally managed to get the last bandage from M&M's shots off her arm. Yes, the shots she had 12 days ago.
I don't know how that third bandage managed to cling to her arm through baths, getting dressed and undressed, and M&M's active play for so long, but somehow it did.
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The shots and the sore arm were healed days ago, and the other two bandages fell off rather quickly. But that Tweety Bird bandage remained like the last leaf clinging against all odds. It was dangling by one end, still the source of much anxiety for M&M.
She screamed in seeming agony if we so much as tried to touch it. Any suggestion that we just pull it off was met with panicked protests. Every time she got dressed or undressed was an ordeal of trying not to touch the bandage with her sleeve and cries that it HURT.
I tried to explain that it would feel so much better if we just took it off, and I would be careful to hurt her as little as possible and then it would be all gone and we just wouldn't have to worry about it. But she acted as though she would be utterly traumatized if I so much as attempted to touch it.
DH and I left it alone, figuring it would soon fall off on its own. By this morning it was still firmly attached at one end, the dangling end causing more discomfort and pulling than if we'd just ripped it off.
I was very tired, by this point, of the daily drama about getting dressed. So, as she panicked and squirmed while I eased her nightgown over her head, I had an idea. I suggested that we tie a wet cloth around her arm and soak the bandage for a long time until it came off by itself. She liked that idea. So I secured a wet paper towel around her arm with packing tape.
After 30 minutes or more, the paper towel was falling off, so I removed it, hoping the bandage would come off with it. No such luck. The blue strip of plastic remained firmly attached to her skin. I wonder what kind of adhesive they used on the thing, anyway?
More drama ensued as M&M again refused to let me touch the bandage, even to see how loose it was. Finally I suggested that I at least cut off the dangly part so it would stop pulling on her arm at the stuck point. She agreed to this. As I took hold of the bandage, I could tell it was really quite loose.
"Look," I said, nudging it with the scissors. "See how loose it is? If we just jiggle it a bit . . . see? See how it's coming off?"
She craned her neck to see and giggled a bit, so I used the scissors to gently ease the sticky plastic off her skin. Somehow touching the bandage with the tip of the scissors was less scary to her than touching it with my hands, I guess. Fine; I could work with that. Slowly, gently . . . There! It was done. M&M and I both sighed with relief.
DH commented later, "I don't know why that was such a big deal for her. M&M must have really sensitive skin."
Yes, right along with her extremely sensitive sense of hearing, taste and smell. She's the child in our family most easily overwhelmed by any loud noise, funny smell, or strong sensory input of any kind.
I still remember how as a tiny infant she would often get so worked up when she got hungry that it would take me 20 minutes of soothing to get her calm enough to nurse. Anyone talking near her with a slightly deep or raspy voice would set her crying--poor dad. :)
And then there's Baby E, who strongly believes that doors should be closed, and spent a great deal of time and effort trying to close a faux door in an exhibit at the zoo this weekend.
She also is convinced that all armrests in the van (including the ones on DH's and my seats) must be DOWN at all times. Definitely! We don't accommodate her on that one, since DH and I both prefer the armrests up and out of the way. She has spent a fair chunk of the last several car rides insisting fruitlessly that we need to put our armrests down.
It's interesting learning each child's individual needs, challenges and just plain quirks. The hard part is trying to figure out when and how much to stretch them out of their comfort zone and how much and when to accommodate their peculiarities.
Before I had kids, I never imagined I'd have this much patience for this sort of thing.
I don't know how that third bandage managed to cling to her arm through baths, getting dressed and undressed, and M&M's active play for so long, but somehow it did.
###########################
The shots and the sore arm were healed days ago, and the other two bandages fell off rather quickly. But that Tweety Bird bandage remained like the last leaf clinging against all odds. It was dangling by one end, still the source of much anxiety for M&M.
She screamed in seeming agony if we so much as tried to touch it. Any suggestion that we just pull it off was met with panicked protests. Every time she got dressed or undressed was an ordeal of trying not to touch the bandage with her sleeve and cries that it HURT.
I tried to explain that it would feel so much better if we just took it off, and I would be careful to hurt her as little as possible and then it would be all gone and we just wouldn't have to worry about it. But she acted as though she would be utterly traumatized if I so much as attempted to touch it.
DH and I left it alone, figuring it would soon fall off on its own. By this morning it was still firmly attached at one end, the dangling end causing more discomfort and pulling than if we'd just ripped it off.
I was very tired, by this point, of the daily drama about getting dressed. So, as she panicked and squirmed while I eased her nightgown over her head, I had an idea. I suggested that we tie a wet cloth around her arm and soak the bandage for a long time until it came off by itself. She liked that idea. So I secured a wet paper towel around her arm with packing tape.
After 30 minutes or more, the paper towel was falling off, so I removed it, hoping the bandage would come off with it. No such luck. The blue strip of plastic remained firmly attached to her skin. I wonder what kind of adhesive they used on the thing, anyway?
More drama ensued as M&M again refused to let me touch the bandage, even to see how loose it was. Finally I suggested that I at least cut off the dangly part so it would stop pulling on her arm at the stuck point. She agreed to this. As I took hold of the bandage, I could tell it was really quite loose.
"Look," I said, nudging it with the scissors. "See how loose it is? If we just jiggle it a bit . . . see? See how it's coming off?"
She craned her neck to see and giggled a bit, so I used the scissors to gently ease the sticky plastic off her skin. Somehow touching the bandage with the tip of the scissors was less scary to her than touching it with my hands, I guess. Fine; I could work with that. Slowly, gently . . . There! It was done. M&M and I both sighed with relief.
DH commented later, "I don't know why that was such a big deal for her. M&M must have really sensitive skin."
Yes, right along with her extremely sensitive sense of hearing, taste and smell. She's the child in our family most easily overwhelmed by any loud noise, funny smell, or strong sensory input of any kind.
I still remember how as a tiny infant she would often get so worked up when she got hungry that it would take me 20 minutes of soothing to get her calm enough to nurse. Anyone talking near her with a slightly deep or raspy voice would set her crying--poor dad. :)
And then there's Baby E, who strongly believes that doors should be closed, and spent a great deal of time and effort trying to close a faux door in an exhibit at the zoo this weekend.
She also is convinced that all armrests in the van (including the ones on DH's and my seats) must be DOWN at all times. Definitely! We don't accommodate her on that one, since DH and I both prefer the armrests up and out of the way. She has spent a fair chunk of the last several car rides insisting fruitlessly that we need to put our armrests down.
It's interesting learning each child's individual needs, challenges and just plain quirks. The hard part is trying to figure out when and how much to stretch them out of their comfort zone and how much and when to accommodate their peculiarities.
Before I had kids, I never imagined I'd have this much patience for this sort of thing.
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Posted by purple_kangaroo at 1:29 PM[Permanent link]
1 Comments:
Baby E and the faux door cracked me up. :)
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