I was given the most phenomenal
opportunity today. I got to shadow the nurses on wound rounds at a
long term care facility in Delaware.
This makes some people queasy, but I LOVE this kind of stuff! I was always the one who flipped ahead to the
pictures of pencils jammed in peoples’ eyes in my CPR and First Aid training
classes. It’s not that I enjoy watching
people suffer, I just find the process of caring for these kinds of situations
fascinating.
Most of the wounds I saw were typical
for nursing home residents. Sacral
region- stages 1 and 2 (redness and broken skin that barely penetrates the
dermis). However, I was able to see one
or two stage 3 wounds, which, I’ll admit, was a little alarming to see in
person at first. Pictures are one thing,
real life is another. It was still incredible
to observe the damage, and the care that the nurses provided.
Some of the wounds were easy to
treat, with minimal damage to the underlying skin. Some of the wounds were inches wide and deep,
craters that bore so deep you swear it touched their soul. (The nurses used Q-tips that they stuck in
the wound to measure how deep it was).
Some wounds were hidden to the naked eye, nestled in crevices long
neglected. Others were in the healing
process, weeks in the making, but on the way towards full recovery. And here the nurses were, doing what they
could to provide comfort and healing. I
never saw one of them wince. Not once.
These physical wounds I saw today were
concrete. I could see them, touch them,
care for them. Internal wounds, however,
are not tangible. We can’t see or touch
them, but they ARE there, and they can be cared for. Some people bear wounds that have barely penetrated
the surface- haven’t had too much of a negative impact on their life. Some have wounds that feel miles wide and
deep, affecting their soul even when they have done all they could to shake the
memory of it.
Most internal wounds are unknown by
others. Their owners hide them in the
crevices of their folded, tucked away secrets.
Others found their wounds and have given them the care they needed,
leaving them with minimal scarring and a reminder that obstacles can be
overcome. Not an easy process, they say,
but absolutely necessary to living a better life.
We may not all have excruciatingly
deep wounds, but that doesn’t mean we are immune to them. We might find ourselves with one down the
road, we just don’t know it yet. We all
have the potential to acquire one. But
we also have caregivers, family, and friends that, if given the chance, will be
right there by your side to assist in the healing process. With their attention and care, you will heal faster
than if you were to take it on alone. You
just have to give them the opportunity, the chance.
