1/26/2023

 Today went well. I sat up a little bit longer each time and made sure to get up and move every 1/2 hour or so. I felt good and didn’t feel like I was over doing it. Every day I have a touch more energy. Slow creeping baby steps.

I did have a moment when I spoke to the doctors office where I became frustrated and slightly enraged.  I have these steri strips on my back. They are layered on. Some over the top of others. It’s not an easy pull it off with one motion kind of job. I knew it was recommended to take them off today. Was it really going to matter if I waited one more day for Paul to help me? According to the nurse, yes!

Ok. Fine. I tried to explain that these strips were really stuck on there good. I asked if they could stay on an extra day or so. She made herself annoyingly clear that if I left them on longer, I could get an infection. Her response to having them stuck on really well was, “just rip it off quick, like a bandaid.” Is she drunk?

When I told her I was having trouble even peeling up the edges and asked if I could use an adhesive remover (trying to offer humane solutions), she became somewhat aggressive and said I would get an infection and I really needed to just “rip it off like a bandaid”.

It was clear she wasn’t going to offer any other solution and she wanted me to act in a way that was sub par for us to treat animal, much less people. So I agreed (mainly to end the conversation) and we hung up. 

As I mulled it over, it just didn’t seem like a good idea to “rip” off the adhesive to a newly healing incision. I wouldn’t do that to one of my patients. Nope. I would use adhesive remover….(because that is kind and far more gentle for the patient.) Ripping it could disrupt the incision, which is what they wanted to avoid while I was healing for the past 7 days.

With all the showers I have taken, these adhesive strips were gorilla glued onto me. I had some choice words for her after we hung up. Luckily I remained calm while I spoke to her. But I secretly hope she has the day she deserved.

Luckily I have some hospital grade adhesive remover from when I had to change the bandaging around Ethan’s subclavian Internal Jugular line each week for almost a year. His skin was fragile and would often be raw from these constant bandage removals. At that time it was encouraged (by humane people) that it was ok to use adhesive remover. His heart transplant TEAM of doctors and his kidney transplant TEAM of doctors weren’t concerned about infection, and he is immunocompromised. So why does this nurse think I am going to get an infection from spraying the same adhesive remover to intact skin on someone that isn’t immunocompromised??????? It makes no sense!

I asked Ethan for some help (Avery was at a friend’s and Paul has been out of town all week). I asked him to try and peel up the edges. He couldn’t. I had him stray the snot out of my incision with adhesive remover. Then I jumped in the shower and let the water help to loosen it as well. 

After about 10 minutes of working at it, I was able to gently remove the steri strips. I let the warm water wash over me for a bit to really cleanse the area and then I finished my shower (I can do them standing up now….bright side). 

After that I was tired and ready to lay down for the day. I put my soft and cuddly PJ’s on and snuggled into bed with Jiminy. I thought about that nurse and how she should maybe take a break for a while from nursing. Maybe I am bitter because I got used to such kick ass nurses in NYC. 

Maybe she was having a bad day? I know she made my day worse. I will let you know if I get sepsis from this steri strip removal. (Knock on wood).

As I lay down for the night, I looked at my fit bit. Yikes. No wonder I am tired.