Accident

Since my mother, whose name is Ana Gisela, had an accident on July 24th, 2012 and I have been overwhelmed with her care, I started writing down bulletins to send to my relatives.  In doing so, I thought it would be a good thing to create a blog with all these notations as a way of introspection and relief.  

I must first point out that I started to call my mother 'Sela because a lot of people in our adopted country cannot pronounce it.  It was either Gay-zeela, Gah-zella or Gee-zeela.  So this is what I started calling her, when moved in together, and it stuck.  

Here is the first bulletin informing my family of 'Sela's unfortunate and very preventable, accident:

July 26^th, 2012.  Tuesday morning Sela got up quietly, and without my help, for I was upstairs in the office, she heated water in the microwave for her coffee, in a small glass teapot.  She was riding her Scooter at the time, and facing the table, she had to use her left hand which has nerve damage.  She took out the teapot and rode with it towards the table, dropping the hot water on her thighs and right foot.  She called loudly for me, and I found her in such state of distress and pain, I just did not know what to do.  My cousin Carla was spending some time with us, and was asleep upstairs.  I called her and asked her to call the paramedics, while I applied egg white on the burns –I had heard it was good for burns- and this seemed to calm her a bit. 

Four firemen and two paramedics arrived soon after with orders to put the pet away.  One of them said that the burns were severe and they soon took her to the ER at Carolina’s Medical.  In the ambulance they gave her some morphine to ease the pain for she was in agony.  At the hospital she was given a tetanus shot, and some ointment was spread on all burns.  After checking her vitals and watching her for a few hours, we were sent back home with instructions to go to our doctor for a follow up soon.  Today we took her to her to her doctor and she gave us a different cream (SSD) for the burn that had lost the skin.  The other burns are covered with big angry blisters.  She was given Vicodin for pain, and we were asked not to cover the wounds.  Here are some photos of the burns.
  

Right foot

Left thigh

Right thigh

During the week that followed, it was painful to watch my mother, struggling with the pain, not being able to walk, trying to maintain the wounds clean.  I covered them with a light gauze, for all the oozing was sticking to her clothes and her socks as she's always cold and wears cotton socks and long pajamas.  She began taking Hydrocodone which she could tolerate better than the Vicodin.  I noticed that one part of the foot burn that looked like dead tissue.  When I put the ointment on, with gloves, it was stiff and the color not good.  Carla and I tried to entertain her and watched movies with her to keep her mind of the pain.    It is hard for me to answer so many calls and tell the same story to all so I have decided to give you bulletins from time to time.  Thanks for your prayers and calls, again.