Toe Report (long)

[Guest guest]

The toe report. Toe this morning is more swollen and redder but pain free. I

almost took a photo but quickly wrapped it again before temptation got the

better of me. You would be appalled at the sight of it - quite the salami next

to a sterile white DMSO soaked gauze.

The dressing was forcefully ripped off during the early hours of this morning.

Ambulance made headlines & was in trouble this week here for certifying

deceased, a living victim of a motor vehicle accident. He was left for dead for

3 hours while the other crews cut the remainders of the vehicles up and State

Emergency Service found when they reached him that he still had a pulse.

So when an elderly man falls gracefully sliding to the floor and wraps his legs

affectionately around the toilet bowl all 85kg unable to be lifted by his

obedient & willing partner, the Ambos now have to come and do the job. Each time

this happens they become more and more efficient in their technical skills

ESPECIALLY since they mistakenly left a victim for DEAD, and they're less and

less willing and able to lift people off the floor. This means we definitely

know the patient is alive - but talking, breathing and scowling is not enough

evidence - through pulse oximeter, electrocardiogram, B/P machines, oh - and

TEMPERATURE, we have now PROVED for SURE that he is still alive. But lifting

him off the floor hmm? - This is not really within the scope of our expertise?

Possible on the very outskirts of our job description.

So we RIP the dressings, pressure hose and security sock, off the feet and tell

the patient to bend his knees. (If he COULD bend his knees he wouldn't still

be on the floor) We render the bedside inaccessible by placing all our

equipment there (this is almost too heavy to carry but obviously not as heavy as

the patient) " We don't want to hurt our backs here " To further reassure

themselves we get the date of birth, today's date, year, month, year of arrival

here, Prime Minister, yes, he is still in the land of the living!

Then we drag the patient around the room on some sort of a sled arrangement. We

end up by the side of the bed (baggage now sitting ON the bed) but the wrong way

around. The nurse looks on in dazed 4am amazement (me). Scratching their

heads in puzzlement they then attempt to remove the computer chair. I push it

back out of their way - SO much simpler. Tentatively I recommend placing their

arms through his and " hoiking " him up onto the bed. They ignore me. I am not

laughing - one of these professionals is a woman. I can see she is not amused

at such an unimportant, living case beneath her. She is lethal, if attacked I

know she could retaliate, whether that attack be physical, verbal or laughter.

I ask them to ask him if he actually WENT to the toilet (I would hate for him to

get up again as soon as they go, because he fell before he " went " ) " Did you GO

to the toilet? " they ask " No thank you I'm fine " " No, did you PEE when you

went before? " " I don't know I can't remember "

The heave him up onto the bed, the patient quickly covers himself and feigns

sleep. They give instruction that the urinal be left by the bedside. (The

patient says he can't use it) I open the gate wider so they don't take it with

them on the way back out (these vehicles get bigger every time they come here &

they grazed it on the way in) And they leave. Gloves off. Gone.

There's more ........

After an hour I heard the urinal being attempted. Appropriate noises and

sounds. I hear the wheelie frame being pushed out of the way. I hear the stick

accompanying the feet to the toilet. And safely return. Sighing with relief we

sleep for another 6 hours.

Aconite for shock. Last night and again this morning. Apis repeated for the

toe. More DMSO & CS and gauze and the Eleotin@Pedo-Protection sock, unlike

yesterday, goes on today - over the bandage and with nice non-slip dots on the

sole.

Ambos didn't take his BSL - it was 24.6mmol/L this morning. (I remember he ate

3/4 packet of Speculas yesterday) They didn't check to see if anything was

broken. He's fine tho - all is well. And we know that his Heart Rate, Rhythm

and waves, BP & Temp + memory are all within normal limits.

Yesterday for those I didn't send to:

My husband is 95 in 3 weeks, he is diabetic, limited mobility but otherwise

strong as an ox. I apply pressure stocking to his lower legs to contain lower

leg oedema. This morning he tells me his right great toe is " dangerously

infected and could kill him " I take this that the toe is sore.

I give him a dose of homeopathic Apis 30c and then after 5 minutes a 300mL glass

of water with a splosh of CS in to drink.

His feet are always swollen and I observed that the toe was red and a little

swollen but not much hotter than the rest of the foot. While looking for the

DMSO in the cupboard I soak the foot in a large bucket of hot water with a cup

of Epsom's Salts - for around 15 minutes.

I give him a 100mL drink of cherry juice.

Dry the foot gently, apply the DMSO on some clean cotton gauze, apply a little

colloidal silver, wrap the toe up in more gauze and apply a cotton, non

pressure, sock.

He is now working on the pc an hour later: " how's the toe dear " I ask him

" Nothing wrong with it! " - he looks puzzled ( " What is that woman talking about " )

I gave the Apis for red & swollen & slightly hot, I gave the cherry juice in

case it was gout rather than a localized infection, applied the DMSO to reduce

the inflammation & the CS in case it was an ingrowing toe nail infection - the

great toe nails are fairly thick & difficult to cut & sometimes difficult to

gauge if they are ingrown or not - this right toe nail was ripped off some years

ago when he fell - but grew back without completely coming off. The Epsom's

Salts soak was a general detox and to soften up the skin & increase absorbency &

pain relief.

I shall do the same again tonight and anticipate all will be back to whatever

" normal " is for him by tomorrow. DMSO is excellent in situations like this. So

is colloidal silver.

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