Don’t get it twisted! The
Nightingale I am referring to is not a girl, so sorry to burst your bubble. But
look on the bright side, this is still a story of love … I’m sure you’re thinking
what the heck is he on about? On the one hand, he says Nightingale is not a
girl and then he says he’s talking about love. What does love have to do with
this? You’re confused? Let me tell you
how I fell in love …
It was one cold evening and my
daughter Nkechi couldn’t stop talking about this thing she had just discovered. She kept going on and on about it. She told
me it would assist and ultimately reduce the stress of taking care of me,
especially during the night so it really pricked my curiosity. You see, some
years ago a terrible accident left me almost paralyzed and, unfortunately,
since then I've had to depend on my daughter for toilet care because my wife is
late. For such a long time I was bedridden and had to deal with bed sores, it
was truly an awful time for all of us. Well, back to the story, Nkechi had got
to know about this Nightingale brand online and the solution it proffered for
incontinent and bed ridden patients like me. So, she brought a pack home one
evening because she was staying out.
After securing the Nightingale
underlay pad on the bed I lay on it and immediately felt the smoothness of the
surface on my bare back. It was really comfortable because I couldn’t remember
falling asleep, but just after midnight the urge came knocking down my urethra
door. My bladder was a full house and I really had to go, but there was no
Nkechi to assist me in getting to the bathroom. I lay there groaning about what
the bed was going to look like and how wet it would be all night long. Ordinarily, when Nkechi doesn’t sleep over I sleep
on the mat but not tonight. I had tried to get into my wheelchair, but just couldn't
do it by myself so I was left with no choice … I can’t really remember how many
times I leaked on the underlay that night. It had already crossed my mind that
I would have to do some serious apologizing.
And yet here is the upshot of it
all … the following morning Nkechi arrived early as promised and promptly
starting getting me ready for my bath while she made the bed. Whilst she’s doing
this I’m nervously wondering how badly I soiled it. It didn’t enter my head
that the Nightingale underlay pad could hold all those ‘tsunamis.’ As my thoughts ran I heard, “Dad…” Quickly, I started
to apologise but what she said next utterly threw me, “Wet? I was going to ask
if you held your urine throughout the night, because the bed is completely dry.
You know what the doctor said about, holding your urine”. Like magic the
underlay had absorbed all the leaks. I was so relieved and so happy you
wouldn’t believe. From that day on this underlay became a constant companion …
I guess you could say I fell in love with it! Even my sleep improved because it
removed all my anxiety.
I have recovered now, but each
time I narrate this story to my family, we all burst out laughing. I later
learnt that Nightingale underlay pads are used everywhere by midwives and
consultants in hospitals during child delivery. They absorb all the fluids that
come out with the baby. Interestingly, also
by patients with burn wounds and the likes because it assists in preventing lingering
opportunistic bacteria and infections. And
not forgetting, by mums with young babies and toddlers in their beds, they help
soak up any diaper leaks and night time accidents. Even my 5 year old grandson is still using it
as a mattress protector for those, “Just in case” nights! … It really has a
multitude of uses.
For me personally, Nightingale underlay
pads saved me from in-house embarrassment and allowed me to regain some lost
dignity. It really helped me during a difficult time. With its absorbent, soft
material you can never go wrong using it. Did I mention it is very indigenous?
Yes, it is made here in Nigeria … even better!!!
Copyright © 2015 Wemy Industries.
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