Hello. My name is Virginia. I am one of the Registered Nurses here. i'll be
looking after you today. Oh,hello Virginia. Thank you for helping
me. Can you tell me a bit about the cut on your leg? Oh yes. I was a bit silly.
I forgot to eat breakfast and felt a bit dizzy. I ran into a sharp edge of the
table and got a bad cut. Oh dear. That's no good. Can you lift up your skirt a bit
and show me where the cut is? Yes. I will show you. It's on my shin, on my right leg.
Yes. I can see it now. Does your leg hurt? Not now. It hurt a lot when I ran into
the table. Now it just looks a mess. The cut is very deep. Yes. It is very deep, but
don't worry we'll see to it for you. I'll explain what we are going to do now.
Firstly, I'll clean the cut with some sterile water. OK, thank you. I didn't
clean it at home. My friend drove me straight in to hospital. That's all right.
You did the right thing coming to hospital. You will need some stitches
because it's a deep cut. Yes, I thought so. It won't heal otherwise, will it?
No, the cut is too deep to heal without stitches. After you get the stitches I'll put a
clean dressing on. I see. But what do I have to do with the dressing when I go home?
You need to keep the dressing clean and dry. It's a good idea to put a
plastic bag on your leg before you have a shower. That way the dressing won't get
wet. What about having a bath? I usually prefer to have a bath in the evenings.
No, it's better to have a shower rather than a bath. The dressing would get too wet in the bath.
It would be safer to sit on a chair in the shower. Do you have a shower chair?
I see. Yes, I do have a shower chair which I use when I have the shower.
I am a little unsteady on my feet so I don't like to stand in the shower. The next
thing is that you need to clean the wound and change the dressing every
3 days. I'll ask the community nurse to come and do that for you, if you like.
Thank you. I don't think I could manage it myself. I can't bend down easily so it
would be hard to reach my lower leg to do the dressing. I understand what you are saying.
The last thing about your wound is that you should have the
stitches out in 7 to 10 days' time.The community nurse will take them out for you.
Oh, that would be helpful. It's quite difficult to get to my doctor.
She is a long way from my house and I have to ask a friend to drive me.
It's not very convenient, I'm afraid. Yes. I can see that it must be difficult.
Is it all right, if I ask you some questions about how you are
managing to look after yourself at home? Certainly. I get by all right. It's a bit
difficult at times because I live on my own. Right. Can you tell me how you manage
with your meals? Not very well, I'm afraid. I find it hard to cook with my arthritis.
Sometimes I just can't be bothered at all. I just have a sandwich and a cup of tea.
What about doing the shopping? Can you manage to go shopping on your own?
No. I usually have to wait for my neighbour to offer to take me. I don't like to ask
her because I know that she is a busy person. It must be difficult for you.
Have you thought about having Meals on Wheels? They bring the food to your house every
day so you can be sure of the healthy meal. Oh, I don't think I'd like that.
I have heard the meals are not very nice. Someone told me that they bring fruit
that you don't like. I think there are some meals that you may like. I can
arrange for someone to talk to you so you can pick which sort of food you
would like. The important thing about Meals on Wheels is that you will have a
healthy meal each day. It would be better than just having a sandwich and a cup of tea.
Oh, I just don't know what to think. I know it's not good to only eat
sandwiches but it's hard for me to cook a meal. Would you be willing to try Meals on Wheels
for a week? I think it would be a big help to you. I suppose I could try it for a week.
I'll try it if I can say what sort of food I like. That's great!
Do you have any questions for me now? No, I don't think so.
Oh yes, just one. Do you have the phone number of the community nurse?
Yes, sure. I'll give you a card with the phone numbers on it.
I have a card for the community nurses in the office.