I'm trying out the Wound Vac system on my glutius maximus to heal faster. It seems to help create new tissue fast by removing serous and sanguineous fluid. My only problem is that it takes an hour to change the dressing every other day. Also, Medicare will pay for it with your 20% included. The nursing agency let me believe it was covered fully like their supplies are.

Anyone else used this system?

Noles,,,, yes, I have used one,,, in the same place as you,,,It was, for me, a godsend,,,, mine kept getting worse,, with nurses coming to change dressings every other day,, till I finially got fed up with them and kicked the lot out.

I got the name of a wound care specialist,, and he couldn't understand why I wasn't put on the WVac from the start.

Long story, short,,, it is why I healed without surgery.

Be sure to see a dr every month or so,,, to see if you need debreedment(sp??) It helps the healing and keeps the scarring smaller.

My secondary insurance picked up the deductable for me, so I paid nothing,,,, good thing, too, I heard it was a bit pricey.

ed

Noles,,,, yes, I have used one,,, in the same place as you,,,It was, for me, a godsend,,,, mine kept getting worse,, with nurses coming to change dressings every other day,, till I finially got fed up with them and kicked the lot out. I got the name of a wound care specialist,, and he couldn't understand why I wasn't put on the WVac from the start.[/color]
That's what I heard too. Maybe it's the economics of it.

Long story, short,,, it is why I healed without surgery.
One Dr. said he couldn't help me... that I needed to go to a wound facility like a burn unit. Like hell. I said I heal it myself with my brain and what knowledge a nurse gave me. That worked along with keeping my protein at 110-120 grams a days. I've used SilverCel which gets it done. Not fast, but heals it.

Be sure to see a dr every month or so,,, to see if you need debreedment(sp??) It helps the healing and keeps the scarring smaller.
Can't do that. Too costly and I'm bed bound. I have nursing 3 times a week, though.

My secondary insurance picked up the deductable for me, so I paid nothing,,,, good thing, too, I heard it was a bit pricey.
I may get by as a medical financial hardship. The nurse assumed I had secondary insurance, she didn't ask. I thought it was paid for 100% since a hospital I was just in (July) was paid for entirely by Medicare.

the wound vac is as good as the nurse that applies it. if it makes noise, they screwed up. if it does not work quietly, raise hell until they fix it
i wasted a good week out of six with a nurse who said she knew everything but didn't. finally got the rep for the company to give an in service and guess who didn't show. she also didn't apply the bandage after that

the wound vac is as good as the nurse that applies it. if it makes noise, they screwed up. if it does not work quietly, raise hell until they fix it
i wasted a good week out of six with a nurse who said she knew everything but didn't. finally got the rep for the company to give an in service and guess who didn't show. she also didn't apply the bandage after that.
Yeah, the rep has been out twice here. The nurse I have said she had done several but when she started working with me, it's like she wandered in on something new. Couldn't get it right on her own.

The Wound Vac.. Oh memories.. I battled with pressure sores for 4 years.. I've only been injured for almost 5! Now lets see.. At my worst I had 5 pressure sores at once.. I have had that damned wound vac on every part of my butt and both of my heels.. Four hospital stays later I'm free. Up until about 6 months ago, I was using an air mattress that did not give enough pressure relief and I ended up riddled with holes..

I hate that noise it makes when its not sealed properly.. I get chills just thinking about it..

Anyway, noles, you should check to see if there are community based services in your area. They will pay to have nurses come and change/apply your wound vac dressings for you. Here the organization is called VFI.. Voices For Independence. That is not the only one either.. I have a list of about 30 in my area and I live in a small city in PA. These community based organizations operate outside of your insurance and are free of charge. Depending on your injury and amount of function, you get a certain amount of hours of care each week.

If you already know all this, I'm sorry, but if not, I hope it helps.

I'm currently using it. I have been told that if there is a rattle,your vac is not completely sealed. Was on vac 2 yrs ago and it did shrink wound but never healed it.It rattled the whole time I was on it 2 yrs ago which leads me to believe I was not getting full suction. I'm hoping for better results this time but not overly optimistic.I have to pay after insurance pays which will be expensive. It took over an hr for my nurse to get a complete seal today.

Results were good however the nurse didn't seem to know that a shallow wound will not accept the vac and the alarm will go off. I was strapped for cash and got a waiver to keep from paying.

Used these babies since they came out and were the size of sewing machines........

Sometimes they work great, last time it made my wound worse....
One company's got the market cornered on these, KCI.... They charge outrageous fees.....
My wife did a better job of putting it on than the nurses, there's some tricks to sealing them.......

Jim

How long did it take your wound to heal?