Coumadin & Cucumber Salad Home Care Path

Everyone has heard of the summer cucumber salad. Sliced fresh cucumbers, onions, vinegar, half n half, sits in the fridge, great over potatoes, with sweet corn. The difficulty begins with a big metal bowl to make the cucumber salad in. Retreiving the bowl from a high placed cupboard, the senior drops the metal bowl. The metal bowl bounces on the floor and rams the seniors lower left leg. The rim of the metal bowl has left its mark on the seniors leg. The complication to the bowl striking the leg is the seniors daily use of the drug Coumadin. Coumadin interferes with blood clotting. Coumadin can prolong bleeding in superficial breaks of the skin. The senior is told to sit down and put the feet up. Elevating the feet will reduce flow of blood to the fragile skin. The senior is given a towel with ice cubes wrapped inside and is to lightly apply for short period of time to the area of skin the bowl hit. The senior is told to expect a visible bruise like discoloration of the skin. The senior is well aware of the discoloration with any bumping of the skin. The senior reports bumping the hand on the corner of the table resulting in a visible bruise. The senior is given time to discuss how the discoloration of the skin can be brought up a lot, making them feel self conscious. this is a kind of change in ones body image. Allowing the senior to talk this through is a form of therapeutic listening. Higher up on the leg is four discolored spots from mosquito insect bites. We jokingly wonder if the mosquito can survive consuming the Coumadin in the seniors blood. Try the senior care web site www.homecarepath.com