Bath

This is how we did bath in July of 2010:


I start bath time by wiping EVERY surface that is used with a Cavi wipe.  They kill just about everything.  Love these wipes. 

I use Mepilex and Mepilex Transfer... here are the differences:

This is the Transfer.  It's thinner than the regular Mepilex, and is porous... so it absorbs drainage much better.  However, it doesn't give as much "padding" than the thicker Mepilex, so I use it in layers. 

Here it is below- I use 6 of these 8x20 sheets.

The Transfer.

Here are the 6 sheets of Transfer after I cut them into the shapes and sizes I need. 

This is the Mepilex.  It's thicker and I use it over the wounds that are really raw (like his ankle, calf, thighs), or in the spots that we pick him up the most, like under his arms and both sides of his torso. 

And also around his feeding tube site. 

Mepilex pieces cut to size. 

Thickness of the Mepilex.

This is how many pieces I use for each body part.

Ointments, creams, cleansers, wipes, blister-popping scissors, etc...

Here are the roll gauze and the tubifast that I use.  There are 4- 4 inch gauze and 6- 3 inch.  I use once 4 inch and one 3 inch on each leg, and a 3 inch weaved around his legs/lower torso.  I use two 4 inch around his torso.  A 3 inch for each arm.  And a 3 inch weaved around his arms and upper torso.

Then there is a piece of tubifast for each leg, one for his torso, and one that I cut to make into a "shirt" that goes over his head and onto his arms.

Set up and ready to go.

I cover all of the Transfer pieces in Alwyn cream.  I like to think it does something, but I just don't know.  I like it because it makes him smell a little better and it makes the transfer pieces come off a little easier during bath.  

Bath set up.

I make a saline solution out of his bath water.  Then in a seperate container, rotate bleach baths and vinegar baths each bath.  Bleach kills staph and strept.  And vinegar kills pseudomonas.  

I use either Dove or Cetaphil soap, mostly for his head. 

Undressing the little messy man.

I'm skipping showing you the bath part... it's not pretty.

I want to give a huge "shout out" to Elmo. 

Without you, Elmo... bath would be impossible:)

After he gets out of the tub, I pat him dry and clean up some of his bad spots before I start putting the dressings back on. 

Every inch of skin has to be lubed with something.  Over his wounds I mix Desitin, polysporin, and aquaphor (as of now... this mix changes often).  Then on the remaining skin with no sores, just aquaphor.  Then I cover it with the Transfer and Mepilex, wrap it in the roll gauze and slide on the tubifast (like a stockinette) to keep everything in place. 

After doing each leg, I weave a roll gauze around his thighs and lower torso to hold things in place a little better. 

For the 6 weeks he was sick, he wouldn't even sit up for this part... but yesterday he was a good boy:)

The morphine helps, I'm just saying.

I love this face.

After wrapping both arms, I do the same "figure 8" thingy around his shoulders and upper torso. 

This also helps keep all the dressings in place. 

This is the piece of tubifast that I cut into a "shirt" and slip over his head and onto his arms so that it holds everything in place. 

He's so good for this.  If he's got a toy in his hand, he will switch it for each arm:)

Then I put a stockinette over his torso as well.  Then cut a little hole for his feeding tube.

Not over yet... time for trach change (not yesterday- but usually once every 1-2 weeks) and dressing/collar change.  He's not so cooperative with this part.  There are sores all around his neck so I'm sure it's painful.  He is constantly pulling these dressings out, so it just makes it worse :(

The finished little Hunk! 

 This process usually takes a least 2 hours and we do it every other day.