What's new

Hospitals - Do Not Shave Zones !

Have yet to see this topic here and think it very valid.

Being hospitalized? Been delivered to one beyond your control? Do you REALLY want to shave while there?


January 1, 2016, 09:30 I find myself dialing 911 in to much agony to do anything else. I was spirited away to the local ER with nothing but the clean cloths I had just put on. No wallet, no keys, not a penny or ID to my name. I had one of two hearing aids and no dentures yet for the day. I was caught totally off guard to say the least. To make a very long story short I had gangrene in my right foot due to my diabetes which became septic very quickly. Two weeks of antibiotics and they eventually amputated my right leg below the knee. I spent the first three months of this year between the hospital and skilled nursing care and am still in rehab.

My point . . . while in the hospital and skilled nursing usually the best or only option to shave was with a communal electric that got passed around every morning. You have no idea who used it last, when it was properly disinfected or anything. Scary is right! I had a male nursing assistant warn against using a blade of any kind that might leave tiny cuts in my skin. These places are teaming with bacteria from only heaven know where, Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) but one of the many. His best advice - grow a beard.

Having just lost my right leg to an infection I wasn't about to argue and took his advice to heart. Should you find yourself or a loved one in a similar situation it can't hurt to do the same. When not in your comfort zone play it safe, please.


Blar
 
Glad you posted this, as I had never thought about any issues of shaving if hospitalized. I doubt many do.

I hope you are doing well with your recovery, and all that it must entail. Thanks for thinking of others when you have every right to be thinking of your own challenges.
 
Have yet to see this topic here and think it very valid.

Being hospitalized? Been delivered to one beyond your control? Do you REALLY want to shave while there?


January 1, 2016, 09:30 I find myself dialing 911 in to much agony to do anything else. I was spirited away to the local ER with nothing but the clean cloths I had just put on. No wallet, no keys, not a penny or ID to my name. I had one of two hearing aids and no dentures yet for the day. I was caught totally off guard to say the least. To make a very long story short I had gangrene in my right foot due to my diabetes which became septic very quickly. Two weeks of antibiotics and they eventually amputated my right leg below the knee. I spent the first three months of this year between the hospital and skilled nursing care and am still in rehab.

My point . . . while in the hospital and skilled nursing usually the best or only option to shave was with a communal electric that got passed around every morning. You have no idea who used it last, when it was properly disinfected or anything. Scary is right! I had a male nursing assistant warn against using a blade of any kind that might leave tiny cuts in my skin. These places are teaming with bacteria from only heaven know where, Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) but one of the many. His best advice - grow a beard.

Having just lost my right leg to an infection I wasn't about to argue and took his advice to heart. Should you find yourself or a loved one in a similar situation it can't hurt to do the same. When not in your comfort zone play it safe, please.


Blar

A communal electric?! Report that hospital or nursing facility to state authorities ASAP. That is a horrific breach of safe practices.

You can always have your shaving gear brought in for you.
 
I truly wish you the best of luck with your recovery. I know that the loss of a limb can be very difficult, and i will say that i can not imagine what you have been through. On the other hand, sepsis and septic shock have claimed many lives, including some very close family members, so i am grateful that you are still here with us. But I'm with Graybeard, any healthcare professionals that approve the use of a communal razor are people whom i would not want taking care of me. That is just unacceptable. I take pride in the unit where i work, and in what i do. This kind of situation hurts my heart.
 
This year I lost my father because of MRGN. He died after 6 painful months in a hospital. Isolated and unable to move.
I'm absolutely sure he got it from another hospital. Be careful!
 
Glad you posted this, as I had never thought about any issues of shaving if hospitalized. I doubt many do.

I hope you are doing well with your recovery, and all that it must entail. Thanks for thinking of others when you have every right to be thinking of your own challenges.

Hey Chris, glad you get the message, I wouldn't have thought about it either until faced (poor pun LOL) with it. If I can share some of what I learned it is all that much more worth the while. By thinking of others maybe we can take our thoughts off ourselves and the true perspective to life can be made that much clearer.

Blair
 
A communal electric?! Report that hospital or nursing facility to state authorities ASAP. That is a horrific breach of safe practices.

You can always have your shaving gear brought in for you.

Hi Bruce, I am fearful that this is pretty common practice. It was the case when I had heart attacks twenty years ago. From what I have seen of state authorities they are under staffed, under financed straw puppets bound to the political machine. A patients personal grooming would be far down any list if on one at all. To complain I am afraid would probably fall on deaf ears but to make our friends here aware might do more good.

My family finally did get my electric shaver to me. I had to take care it wasn't stolen. We live in a time when hearing aids and dentures can vanish only to appear in some third world country almost over night.

Blair
 
Good luck with your recovery - I'm sorry to hear about all you have been through.

Thanks SamariJack, this has been a real game changer. I get the hang of the new rules and I will do fine. :)

Blair

I truly wish you the best of luck with your recovery. I know that the loss of a limb can be very difficult, and i will say that i can not imagine what you have been through. On the other hand, sepsis and septic shock have claimed many lives, including some very close family members, so i am grateful that you are still here with us. But I'm with Graybeard, any healthcare professionals that approve the use of a communal razor are people whom i would not want taking care of me. That is just unacceptable. I take pride in the unit where i work, and in what i do. This kind of situation hurts my heart.

Thanks Vern, one thing I have heard every other amputee say is that only another amputee can truly understand what it is like, you are very insightful. Very sorry if you have lost friends or family to septic infection, it can be a real nightmare. Mine was compounded by the sever depression of loosing a limb and it was the end of April before I remembered the happier me. I don't feel that the healthcare professionals approve of the situation but think it just gets delegated to some of the least trained staff. With a little knowledge we can empower ourselves to be more aware in the future. We are the most important person on our healthcare team.

Blair
 
This year I lost my father because of MRGN. He died after 6 painful months in a hospital. Isolated and unable to move.
I'm absolutely sure he got it from another hospital. Be careful!

I am so very sorry to hear of your father. I am sure it was MRSA that sped my dad on his way several years ago. I have a whole new respect for infections. On December 31, 2015 I was on top of my world and feeling fantastic, just a few short hours later and I was on the most difficult adventure of my life. It seems like we have opened Pandora's Box somewhere along the way. As if MRGN and MRSA aren't enough we are seeing flesh eating bacteria in our coastal waters. It makes me wonder just how big a hurry I am to get back to kayaking. "Be careful!" is good advice to us all.

Blair
 
Have yet to see this topic here and think it very valid.

Being hospitalized? Been delivered to one beyond your control? Do you REALLY want to shave while there?


January 1, 2016, 09:30 I find myself dialing 911 in to much agony to do anything else. I was spirited away to the local ER with nothing but the clean cloths I had just put on. No wallet, no keys, not a penny or ID to my name. I had one of two hearing aids and no dentures yet for the day. I was caught totally off guard to say the least. To make a very long story short I had gangrene in my right foot due to my diabetes which became septic very quickly. Two weeks of antibiotics and they eventually amputated my right leg below the knee. I spent the first three months of this year between the hospital and skilled nursing care and am still in rehab.

My point . . . while in the hospital and skilled nursing usually the best or only option to shave was with a communal electric that got passed around every morning. You have no idea who used it last, when it was properly disinfected or anything. Scary is right! I had a male nursing assistant warn against using a blade of any kind that might leave tiny cuts in my skin. These places are teaming with bacteria from only heaven know where, Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) but one of the many. His best advice - grow a beard.

Having just lost my right leg to an infection I wasn't about to argue and took his advice to heart. Should you find yourself or a loved one in a similar situation it can't hurt to do the same. When not in your comfort zone play it safe, please.


Blar

Blar,

Thank you for the advice. I wish you all the best in your recovery.

Chester
 
Sorry to hear about so many bad experiences with hospitals.
Primitive management of hospitals where patients are expected to share a communal electric shaver is the sort of thing I'd normally only associate with Third World countries.

Even with the most basic healthcare staff in a National Health hospital should have the floor in the wards swept and mopped daily, all surfaces cleaned and sanitized and the bins emptied daily.
The patients should have a wash, and fresh bedding and be provided with a clean bed gown every morning by staff who are polite and courteous - even if they don't share a common language
If a patient is freshly washed and is wearing a clean bed gown in a clean bed, in a freshly cleaned ward, there is no way they should be expected to share shaving equipment !!

When I was in Son Espases hospital in Palma last year for a hip replacement I was in a 2-bed ward (patients with private insurance get a 1-bed ward), which was spotlessly cleaned every morning, had a TV and phone above both beds, a private bathroom and private lockers.
I was allowed to have a wash every morning, the staff helped me to wash areas that I couldn't reach, changed the bedding and gave me a clean bed gown. Once the drainage plugs had been removed on day 3, they helped me into a recliner chair, moved my bedside table and plugged my laptop in.
Although they spoke little or no English, and my Spanish is very basic (I tried to learn Spanish, but I reach saturation point very quickly with foreign languages) the staff were polite, and a bowl of warm water for shaving was never a problem.
One nurse in particular, who reminded me of "Hotlips" from Mash liked the look of my razor - a 3-piece Hariyali of London with a heavy black handle, and pointed it out to one of the other nurses the next day and said "De Londres"

On a more serious note - if a hospital has such bad conditions that allowing patients personal hygiene is a problem for the staff - then IMHO the hospital urgently needs to be brought to the attention of the Environmental Health Officer.
 
Blar,

Thank you for the advice. I wish you all the best in your recovery.

Chester

Thanks Chester, the hardest apart of recovery is getting the clock started again. This is a long slow process and I am afraid I don't have all the patience in the world. I'm all set to get on with life and have to remind myself it isn't going to happen over night. I lost a great deal of muscle while stuck in a wheelchair for three months and it will be hard work getting back to where I was but I will. My kayak beckons to me daily, given a little cooler weather and we will be back on the water again soon. :)

Blair
 
Sorry to hear about so many bad experiences with hospitals.
Primitive management of hospitals where patients are expected to share a communal electric shaver is the sort of thing I'd normally only associate with Third World countries.

Even with the most basic healthcare staff in a National Health hospital should have the floor in the wards swept and mopped daily, all surfaces cleaned and sanitized and the bins emptied daily.
The patients should have a wash, and fresh bedding and be provided with a clean bed gown every morning by staff who are polite and courteous - even if they don't share a common language
If a patient is freshly washed and is wearing a clean bed gown in a clean bed, in a freshly cleaned ward, there is no way they should be expected to share shaving equipment !!

When I was in Son Espases hospital in Palma last year for a hip replacement I was in a 2-bed ward (patients with private insurance get a 1-bed ward), which was spotlessly cleaned every morning, had a TV and phone above both beds, a private bathroom and private lockers.
I was allowed to have a wash every morning, the staff helped me to wash areas that I couldn't reach, changed the bedding and gave me a clean bed gown. Once the drainage plugs had been removed on day 3, they helped me into a recliner chair, moved my bedside table and plugged my laptop in.
Although they spoke little or no English, and my Spanish is very basic (I tried to learn Spanish, but I reach saturation point very quickly with foreign languages) the staff were polite, and a bowl of warm water for shaving was never a problem.
One nurse in particular, who reminded me of "Hotlips" from Mash liked the look of my razor - a 3-piece Hariyali of London with a heavy black handle, and pointed it out to one of the other nurses the next day and said "De Londres"

On a more serious note - if a hospital has such bad conditions that allowing patients personal hygiene is a problem for the staff - then IMHO the hospital urgently needs to be brought to the attention of the Environmental Health Officer.

Hi Adam, I hope your hip is 100%, you must know rehab well also. The hospital for the most part is very good and the staff dedicated. Shaving was one of the few real issues I had. I have only known one hospital that had really good food and this wasn't it. LOL On a more serious note, I had a leg removed and wasn't offered any psychological counseling at all. I wasn't aware I needed it and the depression was brutal. I was months sorting that out on my own and it makes shaving look like small potatoes. I could get into a finger pointing game with the hospital and doctors but that will do little to solve anything. One of these days I will get out my poison pen and write a few choicely worded letters to people in high places in hopes I hit a mark. In our money/insurance driven health care system that is about all I can ask for and maybe I can pave the way for someone else to have it a little easier. In the mean time all dreams are straight ahead, it serves little looking back. Life is good and will be getting better, all it takes is a little time. :)

Blair
 
Blair, my prayers are with you, you have gone through much.

My wife and I have been lucky and blessed even as far as infection after surgery, My wife had a double mastectomy a few years ago and after first Kimmo 55% of blood loss via Colin thankfully she is now cancer free.

In April I had to have a new hip surgery and the few days I was there I DE shaved BUT while shaving at the sink a nurse was by my side, after I shaved he insisted that I wipe my face with some sort of solution, no after shave only alcohol wipes.

My Wife is now recovering from 3-D copied knee replacement, so far no infection.

AS far as this passing around electric razors, a Big NO-NO, It is good advice not to shave or cause any extra minor cuts or scrapes while in a hospital, no matter how clean conscious the hospital may be.

Denis
 
You have an amazing attitude, Blair. Just amazing.

Thanks Chris, hearing that always helps. I was blessed and born an optimistic, cheerful person. It's to late to teach this old dog new tricks and when my time is up I have every intention to go out the same way. Life is to short to do otherwise. :001_smile

Blair
 

TexLaw

Fussy Evil Genius
What a story, Blair! Thank you for sharing it. I hope your recovery continues well, and I'll keep you in my thoughts and prayers.

I used to work as a nurse aide in a hospital, and I spent some time in the skilled nursing facility. I was all over the hospital, actually, as a floater. I never saw anything like a common electric razor passed around. That's wild! I don't quite know what I would do if faced with that. If patients did not have their own shaving gear, we would get them a disposable razor. Of course, this is about twenty-five years ago, long before MRSA and other superbugs really hit the scene.
 
Blair, my prayers are with you, you have gone through much.

My wife and I have been lucky and blessed even as far as infection after surgery, My wife had a double mastectomy a few years ago and after first Kimmo 55% of blood loss via Colin thankfully she is now cancer free.

In April I had to have a new hip surgery and the few days I was there I DE shaved BUT while shaving at the sink a nurse was by my side, after I shaved he insisted that I wipe my face with some sort of solution, no after shave only alcohol wipes.

My Wife is now recovering from 3-D copied knee replacement, so far no infection.

AS far as this passing around electric razors, a Big NO-NO, It is good advice not to shave or cause any extra minor cuts or scrapes while in a hospital, no matter how clean conscious the hospital may be.

Denis

Thanks Denis, life is what we make it, the choice is ours alone. There will always be those far worse off then I and I have God to thank. Sounds like you and your wife have had your share of trials as well, it's great to hear you are both coming out on top.

Alcohol wipes for an aftershave??? That's gotta be a real wake up call! LOL If/when I am ever faced with that choice I will go with my lousy looking beard every time. :laugh:

Blair
 
A pass-around electric in a germ-rich environment sounds pretty dicey. I have not been hospitalizes since I was 12, but I have shaved my father while he has been in.

I would definitely let my beard grow or shave myself with my own gear.
 
Top Bottom