To ask when you're in ICU in a coma, who cleans you?

[LadyandGent]

Is it female for females?

Most patients in a coma (who are on a ventilator) will need at least 3 nurses to turn them from side to side: one to secure the ventilator tubing, and two to turn the patient, so there are always at least two people washing the patient, then three people changing sheets, etc.

Patient diaries are great, but I think they should be used carefully, and there should be guidelines about what to write in them. I'm not sure that the knowledge that you were cleaned up from your period is all that helpful to you... The intention is good on the part of the nurse (caring) but it's left you feeling vulnerable and exposed or embarrassed. A message about progress you'd made in your health, or a visitor you'd had, or how much the nurse had enjoyed caring for you, would have left you feeling uplifted and encouraged.

@LadyandGent Bruising, especially on your arms after a stay in ICU I’d usually a result of several factors.
Many seriously ill patients will be on blood thinning medications to lower the risk of dangerous blood clots forming due to immobility, and/or certain medical conditions can cause the clotting ability of blood to change. Either or both of these would make you more likely to bruise easily.
In ICU you would have had your blood pressure monitored frequently, this could cause upper arm bruising from the pressure of the monitoring machine cuff (sphygmomanometer cuff)
Lower arm bruising could have been caused by blood tests, changing cannula sites, and other equipment or just simply how you positioned your arm/ your arms were positioned.
Most ICU patients will have bruises, especially on their arms, however careful and gentle the care given.
As previous posters say, I think you would be helped by talking to someone about all that is troubling you now.

A couple of medical professionals on this thread have mentioned that male patients who are clean shaven on arrival will be kep that way by nurses if they are in a coma. Is the same true for female patients?? I would have a full on beard after a couple of days!

Absolutely! I shave legs and arm pits too, if it’s important to them, then it’s important to us, it’s done.
You should change your name to hairy Mary happilyHarridan 😁

You shave a patient's legs ? Surely not when they're unconscious ? Doesn't that go well beyond the hygiene aspect of care ?

crosser your post is lovely. I have a friend in a coma right now and we are all praying for her - even us unbelievers - and the thought that someone like you might be caring for her is really helping.

Thank you to all the caring NHS staff on the thread, patching us back together and cleaning us up and getting us back on the road

Nurses and carers, if you're in a coma youd have to state your preference before you became ill.

How does that work when you blue lighted to A & E after a serious accident?

If I was serious enough to need intensive care I don't think who washed me would be uppermost in my mind.

SirGawain. I was unconscious. I didn't know.

I know now though.

@SirGawain - people respond to ICU differently but for some people, the most insignificant aspect of care can take on huge importance. I know it seems odd, but after the absolute loss of control that I experience in ICU, knowing something as simple as the names of who carried out my personal care is part of re-taking ownership of myself.

Yes, I shave legs.
We communicate very closely with family members and build a picture of the person in the bed.
If shaved legs is important to that person, it’s important to us, so we take time to do it.

LOL I don’t just decide “this patient has hairy legs and this is intolerable therefore I shall shave them!!!” No, we talk to the family.

Also don’t forget we have people in for weeks, sometimes months, these things become a vital part of rehabilitation and feeling more like themselves as they recover. So yes, we shave legs if it’s what they want.

Thanks crosser, it’s good to know you’d keep my beard under control!

Easily would have been two men as itu heavily male based. So what.

Easily would have been two men as itu heavily male based. So what

Really? That’s not my experience. Do they ship all the Male staff in from the rest of the trust, then? 🤔 As for so what? Well, I really hope you’re not working with vulnerable people.

"ITU heavily male based"

Who told you that? In my ITU, there are 3 men out of 40 odd permanent staff. I have noticed a higher proportion of our agency nurses are male, but even so, they are still far in the minority.

Crosser, I am the same. I now work on a maternity ward and we offer bed washes to women a few hours after their C-section. It makes such a difference to be able to wash off all the sticky bits after surgery and to change all the bedding and for women to get their own nightware back on.

Weirdly I have always wondered if someone checks for things like contact lenses and tampons...do they crosser62?

Contact lenses we would check for after discussion with family, we check pupil responses regularly and contacts would be seen.
Tampons would be picked up when catheterising a lady, the string would be seen, tampon removed, lady bits washed and a fresh pad put in place....and pad regularly changed. We have lovely baby wipes so we would freshen the lady up on each pad change.

It’s all about what you would want if it were you. To feel fresh, clean, cared for and human again.
😊