4 March 2021
Dr. Tong added Dakin's Solution to Joyce's medicine cabinet. Or would have if the pharmacy had delivered it. They did call to let us know about it. That she had ordered it but that couldn't ship it and why didn't we just walk over to CVS and buy it off the shelf.
So yesterday we went over there and asked the CVS pharmacist if they carried it and he said, no, it was prescription only. Why don't we order it from Amazon, he suggested, showing us the listing on his phone.
But today, after Joyce's harrowing visit with Dr. Tong (more about that in a minute), we stopped at the French campus pharmacy (where we could park in front) and tried to buy a bottle.
The clerk put the order in and we waited until the parking meter's 15 minutes expired only to be told they didn't have it in stock and why didn't we just order if from Amazon?
Good grief.
During a break in Joyce's treatment today at the Plastic Surgery Clinic, Dr. Tong and I had a long chat about things.
The yellow slough is inhibiting recovery. She thought we might cut back and even eliminate the Adaptic, which seems to be fermenting the slough and preventing the pink tissue from growing.
I asked her how to use the Dakin's Solution and she said not to use it yet. It prevents infection but it doesn't promote growth like the Vashe. She wants to see if we can get the Vashe in contact with the pink tissue to help it grow.
The trouble with scaling back the Adaptic is that the Vashe-soaked Kerlix* will adhere to the wound when we try to remove it. The remedy for that is to use saline solution to soak the dried gauze before removing it.
"You're doing a good job," she told me.
She wants to see her every week now in the clinic for a debriding session. She did one strip today and she'll do another next week and, hopefully, Joyce won't have to go back into the hospital for a more aggressive debridement.
So we'll be seeing more of each other and, meanwhile, I have new instructions.
Tomorrow's dressing change will be done by Ben the RN because Salwa the LVN is taking the day off to prepare for her engagement photos at Baker Beach. They're spending a fortune on the photographer (and skimping on the videographer) because the stills are so important. "And it's all about the editing," she told me.
I smiled behind my mask.