Nursing the old fashioned way

hi all,

i just read a thread asking about older nursing interventions and it made me think of the older techniques that we really did use before so many modern meds and procedures.

for a lower gi bleed we used to do strong tea enemas. the rational was the tannic acid in the tea helped constrict the small bleeders in the colon.

we also used maalox and methiolate for bed sores or a sugar and betadine mixture if it needed packing.

i also remember when patients were impacted and the doctors would order 3 h enemas.

of course i still remember glass iv bottles and metal bedpans. anyone else want to regress and reflect?

[Esme12, ASN, BSN, RN]

Wow........regression........

I remember metal bedpans and urinals......med carts and non unit dose meds.....tube feedings with methylene blue and kaopectate.....I rememeber treating acute MI's with sublingual nitro and a prayer.....Oh and rotating tourniquets for CHF/PE.

Sun lamps for bedsores.....Geri chairs and wrist restraints.......insulin coverage for urine glucose spillage 1+,2+,3+.4+ (now that's scary) and red rubber NG tubes!

[indynurse '87]

Ohhhhh my! Do I remember those days ....

I too remember M&M (Maalox and Methiolate) for pressure areas along with the heat lamp, packing wounds with betadine ointment mixed with sugar, pelvic, wrist and leg restraints, gerichairs with locking trays to prevent the patient form getting up. Feeding pureed diets to a difficult patient with an asepto. Very seldom did we have G/Tubes. it was usually NG tubes for feeding patients with swallowing problems. Testing diabetics urine for sugar levels and coverage.

[j621d]

No ice for cardiac patients

[sevensonnets]

Nobody's responded to the HHH enema mention. Wonder how many newer nurses know that one?

[jelptex]

I remember starched white uniforms, backrubs, fresh ice water, cookies& flowers at the nursing station, AND....

Please and Thank you were common in the patients' lexicon.

Along those lines...I never could spell very well.

Wrote "hospital" instead of "hospitality" on the application !

(Sigh)

[wound warrier]

Cantor tubes, glass thermometers with the plastic covers, maalox and sugar for bedsores, cascara and MOM for constipation, EKG machines with the red suction bulb, incentive spirometers that were 2 glass bottles with green liquid that patients blew from one bottle to the other.

[jelptex]

Gotta love the old "black&white".

Worked everytime. Easy, cheap, effective.

Banned by endoscopists though !!

(NEVER turn your back on someone with a "scope) !!

[Charmander]

high hot and a helluva lot is the HHH I know..... :)

[sevensonnets]

There you go!!

[blondy2061h, MSN, RN]

Nobody's responded to the HHH enema mention. Wonder how many newer nurses know that one?

High, hot, and a heck of a lot?

[blondy2061h, MSN, RN]

No ice for cardiac patients

What was the rationale here?