Wednesday, July 06, 2011

Uh....yeah. I have no idea how to do this.

I'm sitting here staring at two little packets of Hibiclens scrub. I have to SCRUB MAH BELLEH with one tonight and one tomorrow morning, prior to Animal's eviction.

The nurse at the presurgical testing hootenanny didn't tell me anything specific, and I was too flummoxed to ask anything specific. She just handed me the little packets and said, "Scrub once the night before, and once before you come in, and prepare to be ashy." She then looked at me more closely and corrected herself: "Dry. You'll be dry. You're already ashy."

So, um. . .what do I do? I mean, I assume I should pay some extra attention to my navel, since one of the trochars will be stuck through it, and that I should scrub gently, without trying to take the skin off. But should I leave the suds on for two minutes, or something? Use a black rooster rather than a washcloth to apply the stuff? Put my right foot in, then out, then shake it all about? Is there something special I need to know?

Searching "preoperative chlorhexadine scrub" leads me to interesting studies of iodine versus chlorhexadine and a stunning PDF, with illustrations, of how to scrub your horse prior to surgery. Since I don't own a large scrub brush, I can't follow those instructions.

Ideas?

16 comments:

Shirley said...

Use your hands or a washcloth to gently rub the chlorhexidine into the area to be treated. Leave it on for about 5 minutes and rinse. Make sure your rinse it off very well.

These are the instructions given to me by the doctor when I had to use it. Good luck!

Albinoblackbear said...

I think your strategy of 'good but not so hard that it breaks the skin' is the best bet--with special attention to navel and suprapubic.

They're going to hose you down with betadine anyway so I wouldn't be too worried.

Hope everything goes smoothly--I'll send an intention and a prayer your way today.

Lynn said...

We have our scheduled C-sections pt's use it in the shower the night before or the morning of surgery - if it is an un-planned C-section, and there is time, we do a 5 minute scrub over the entire abdomen - focusing on where the incision is going to be. We scrub continuously the entire 5 minutes. Maybe a 2-5 minute scrub the night before and the morning of?
At least you don't need to a bowel prep...
Good luck with your surgery!

Bardiac said...

I hope your surgery goes well and uneventfully. Take good care, and recover well.

As for the cleaning? I don't know. I'd probably clean well with soap and water the night before. Then use the cleaner stuff, not scrubbing hugely. And then in the morning, a new washcloth with soap and water, and follow with the cleaner. My guess is that washcloths actually host some bacteria?

Anyway, I can't imagine they won't also do cleaning before the surgery, because it would be crazy to trust most of us to clean effectively enough, wouldn't it?

Casey said...

Before an ORIF to repair a broken wrist earlier this year I did the hibiclens x2 also. ...but mine was a neck to toe shower... using only one hand because the other was in a full-on half-cast-and-wrap ...which meant I could not even scrub the affected area. ...this leads me to believe that as long as you kept it out of your eyes you'll be fine :) I hope it went well!

Anonymous said...

Hi Jo,
When we do in-house preop preps with Hibeclens (pink liquid)we use one wash cloth and rub briskly to produce friction then we rinse with another wash cloth. We then put a clean gown on the pt and clean sheets on the bed.
Good luck

bobbie said...

Agree with the above...

i'll be thinking of you ~

Suzanne, Infection Preventionist said...

Clean washcloth, pink stuff, scrub with a little friction, leave on for two minutes, rinse. Start in the middle and work your way out. Do the bellybutton last with a fresh washcloth so you don't drag any errant bellybutton lint around. No loofah or pouf..they can cause minor abrasions that invite skin flora to burrow.
Post above is correct, they will repeat the skin prep in the O.R.
Good riddance, animal.

Anonymous said...

Using the Shower*:

If the patient is able to use the shower, provide them with the antiseptic CHG solution (i.e.
Hibiclens®), a clean washcloth and clean towel. Have clean clothes available to put on after the
shower. Ask them to follow these directions:

With each shower, wash and rinse your hair first using your normal shampoo. Make sure you
completely rinse the shampoo from your hair and body.

Apply the antiseptic solution (Hibiclens®) to a wet clean washcloth and lather your entire body
from the neck down. Never use the antiseptic solution near your eyes. Turn the water off in
the shower or move away from the water spray to avoid rinsing the soap solution off. Gently
wash your body and focus the scrub on the areas where the incision(s) will be located for
about 3 minutes. Avoid scrubbing your skin too hard.

Once you have completed the scrub, turn the water on and rinse the Hibiclens® soap solution
off your body completely.

Do not wash with regular soap after you have used the antiseptic soap solution (Hibiclens®).

Pat yourself dry with a clean freshly washed towel. DO NOT apply any powders, deodorants or
lotions. Dress with freshly washed clothes

Allison said...

Good luck to you with the procedure. I am wishing you speedy recovery from your very expensive nap.

pita said...

Sounds like a really cleansing bell rub. Good Luck tomorrow!

Oddly enough a lady came into the store today looking for hibiclens and I didn't have a clue as to what she was asking for. At least one of the Pharmacy Techs understood her so we could find it.

terri c said...

Wishing only good things for the Animal eviction. Dogs will cross their paws too.


wv: bactun, what happens after the hibiclens stuns any flora

Elyse said...

Bestest of bestiest wishes and warm thoughts for you tomorrow!

I think it would be fun if you could somehow log on to the blog and post an illustration you made in "MS Paint" of what the animal really looks like while you are still loopy from your anesthesia and/or pain meds!!

Since everyone else offered practical advise I figured I would go with the bizarre.(✿◠‿◠)

Johnny Balrog said...

Good luck on cleansing!

Penny Mitchell said...

I woke up thinking and praying on you. All will be well, all will be well. All manner of things will be well. Except for any unfortunate things that happened to be passing by on your stomach. They gone now.

MamaPontius said...

I know its a little late now, but make sure you hit the belly button well...I have seen some freaky nasty belly buttons in the OR...just sayin'.