Kate on the Mend: Day 4 Update

We finally were able to get to the University of Utah Burn Clinic, located on the 4th floor of the University of Utah Hospital. We had never been to U of U before, and I must say it is ginormous. Right next to the U of U hospital is Primary Children's Hospital, Huntsman Cancer Institute, and a stones through away is the VA Hospital. I never see anything quite like it. You can literally walk from one gigantic hospital to the next because they are about 20 feet apart. Most hospitals I've been to really dominate their surroundings, but these medical centers feel less like hospitals than one giant airport--and a very beautiful one at that. I wish I'd snapped some pictures.

Kate is doing a lot better. We had a neighbor nurse come over and help change bandages and it was the first time we could do it without Kate crying. That is a big improvement. They prescribed Lortab to be taken right before you change bandages, and we think last night went better in part because we gave the medicine more time to work before starting.

Today at the Burn Clinic, they gave us the option to keep doing daily changes or opt for a special bandage that you only have to change once a week. We went with the weekly version in a heartbeat. It means we won't have to change bandages each night--just return to the Burn Clinic next Wednesday for an evaluation and maybe one more week of bandages but maybe not--we'll see how fast she heals.

I'm holding a left-over scrap of foam bandaging they used on Kate. They use this special foam pad that sticks gently to regular skin but not to the burned skin, so they just cut it to fit the burned area and stick it to her like a giant piece of moleskin. Burned skin naturally "weeps" fluid as it heals, and the pad keeps the skin moist by holding that fluid in place. It also has silver added to the pad, which serves as a natural deterrent to bacteria growth. Wonderful invention. The Nurse Practitioner says it became available five years ago and he's very happy with it.

This is a weird thing to say, but it made me very thankful to live in a country where such innovation is possible. I really enjoy watching John Stossel's show he does on Fox Business Network and he always waxes on and on about the blessings of the free market system. Today I felt like we were given an incredible gift with this very innovative burn padding. It takes a lot of work to bring a new product to market so I'm very glad for the person or people who developed this one! We are thrilled to be done changing bandages every night!