Hi,
I have had a pressure sore for about six or more weeks. It gets bigger and smaller and at one stage it even scabbed over. Problem is, it makes progress over the weekend but as soon as I get back to work or use the toilets at work (which are those hard modern ones with straight edges, not curves) it comes back.

It's now about 25mm (about an inch) long and around 6mm (quarter of an inch) wide. It got a lot better over Easter as I wasn't sitting down that much but seemed to be getting worse last week. I went out to a restaurant last night and they had those hard chairs. This morning it is bigger. Problem is, each week I return to work it comes back during the week. I have had small ones in the same spot (I have a lot of tissue loss in that area and just scar tissue over maybe about 10mm of flesh) and it doesn't tend to heal that well or take that much to start one.

Hoping to see my GP next week but in the meantime does anyone have any good remedies or things they do that helps other than lying on my stomach all weekend. I am also all out of sick leave and don't like to take time off because I don't get paid. I think it is stage two and looks to be not infected. Last night it seems to have developed some white edges and either they have thickened or it has become a bit deeper. Sorry for posting a partial picture of my butt (perhaps the ladies or some of the guys would prefer a full moon shot but that would perhaps be probably be more suited to a different site) but I am getting a bit peeved it is taking all this time. I have a roho but only tend to use it at work or in the car. Just wondering if anyone has any good ideas for fast cures.

This is the same one my ex GP prescribed anti depressants for a few weeks ago.

i believe every sore is different. I had a pressure wound on my left heel (i was left on a stretcher after bladder surgery and they 'forgot' to elevate my feet) and it took a good 5~6 months to totally heal and callus over.

I also had a sore on my sacrum...it started when I fell off of my shower bench, cuz my butt was totally soaped and slippery... landed on my coccyx directly. But since I know how difficult the sacral sores can be... i consciously kept weight off of it constantly and that healed completely in couple weeks.

since you're a walking paraplegic, your situation is much better than us sittin ones. You get to stand and take ALL pressure off.... not to mention that you can use your glutes and force more blood into that area.

I'd be apprehensive about trying any 'get healed fast cures' because the last thing you want to do is rub the wrong creme on... or aggravate the sore even more.

I guess it's all a waiting game. But your patience will be welll rewarded. Good luck!

Sorry, Ignore this one. Must have hit the wrong button.

Hi Yong,
thanks for the reply. What I should have mentioned is that I have no gluteal muscle to speak of on that side as most of it was removed because of gangrene and I effectively have little more than skin on bone on that side. It flares up during the week as I spend all day on my butt at work. I probably need to move more at work by getting up more during the day but often get "in the zone" at work. My job is a "sit down role" only. I was thinking yesterday that I do need to avoid those places with hard wooden and plastic chairs for a while as they seem to be the places that aggravate it. It may heal up at work, it is just going to take a lot longer.

Think I perhaps need to take a holiday where I can spend more time moving around but we have been quite busy at work. I don't want to appear as if I am not coping, particularly during a recession as we have had lay offs recently and they aren't finished yet. Because most of my injuries were surgical and medical, I never got the "SCI" training with regard to pressure sores because I think they realised I would be getting out of my chair eventually. Pressure sores were only an issue when I was on bed rest only and when first getting up which took about a year. It is a bit of a learning curve now I am no longer in the hospital system. I am trying to get into the habit of weight shifting, I have a high pain tolerance and the feeling in that area isn't the best anyway. The two day cure was a bit tongue in cheek, if you'll pardon the pun. I think I'd need to have at least a couple of weeks off my butt to get a good healed base quickly.

Once again, thanks for your reply.

Ummm... be very careful with pressure/skin issues. You should take them very seriously because if it gets really really bad, you can end up on months of bed rest. The best thing to do is stay off the thing as much as you possibly can even if it means taking time off from work. Don't sacrifice your health and well-being for career.

As for weight shifting, even just leaning forward in your chair every so often helps get the weight off your ass. Just shift your position around frequently. Or do a mini chair pushup and let the blood flow back into your ass. Weight shifting is actually really important. And make sure your knees are not positioned too high in your chair ie. if you are tall and your chair length is short, or if your footplate is too high, because this will put way more weight onto your ass.

Thanks Ophelia,
I am seeing my doctor either this afternoon or tomorrow as it isn't really improving. I just got to work and have adjusted my roho a bit and just adjusted my chair height. I used to wonder why my wheelchair friends were always moving around or leaning to one or the other side - just presumed they were uncomfortable. It is just hard to get into the habit after all of these years but I am going to try and start. I am also going to try and sit straighter as I tend to lean to the left a bit which is the pressure sore side.

You might try locating the cells directly under the affected area, forcing the air out and tying them off with rubber bands or tape.

It is one of the great things about rohos, you can selectively adjust where to relieve the pressure,,, even tho roho doesn't tell you about this option.

I've done it many times, with no damage to the cushion,,, in case you were wondering.
ed

Thanks Ed. I have a low profile quadtro select and have been leaning to that side then locking the pressure in an attempt to make that side put less pressure on the area. That is a great suggestion though. It's amazing the things you learn about on here. I also have a thicker older one I will try it on first.

Why are you sitting von hard surfaces? I nerver sit on anything like toilet seats or plastic chairs,at least take some form of cushion,i use a 1 inch thick gel cushion with a horseshoe hole in it when i stay away and if you have to use a hard chair just put your wheelchair cushion onto it first.I lean forward a lot in my chair,its now a habit (just forward and not right over or anything) and although im not that heavy,i only use a regulat piece of 3 inch thick foam from a general hardware store,best of luck with it,they're easy to pick up and hard to get rid of

man the best thang to do is to get off of it as much as possible. only thing u can do at work is pressure release lift ups and leaning over left to right can help, try that every 10mins if u can. the longer its there the longer it will take to heal. i jus got over one that took me 5 month to heal from and i was in the bed most of the time. it wasnt as big as yours either.

Yes, I am beginning to think of it as a bit like an STD. Easy to catch but really hard to get rid of. I have been having it dressed every day and it seems to be holding its own - if not shrinking slowly. Sometimes it leaks possibly a tablespoon of fluid at a time which can be annoying and is yet another reason to wear dark pants at work. I think the reason I have been leaving my cushion is up to quite recently I have been trying to fit in. I work in an AB office and am walking, previously people have asked if I need my cushion because I have haemmorhoids. I have started taking my cushion with me to cafes and restaurants now though because I want this to just go away as soon as possible. I am going to cut myself a small u shaped cushion out of some 1" thick closed cell foam as soon as I can get some and am looking into making up a pad to wear which will hopefully take the place of the muscle and tissue that has been lost from that area. Thanks for the helpful advice guys. It's much appreciated. Although I have had pressure sores in the past in hospital, this is the first one I have had in 23 years that has got anywhere past stage 1.

With a sore like that, I'd get a "HIGH PROFILE" Roho Quatro, pronto!! Then, let the air out half way in the area of your sore. The low profile isn't helping you much, imo.

I realised over the weekend that the leg seam of my underpants crosses directly over my pressure sore so that could also be a factor. Me thinks I may have to try going commando or getting some of those square leg briefs. I do have a high profile Roho I am going to start using, it just needs a new cover.

I'm new here, a para and have struggled with pressure sores my whole life. I, too, can't afford to lie around and let them heal and thus it is a constant battle of "one step forward, two steps back" sometimes.

Struggling with a particularly nasty one on my foot lately, I was reading some diabetes forums and came across this stuff: http://www.progressivedoctors.com/

It has been a miracle for me. The newly formed sore that was about an inch in diameter and tunneling changed from that nasty, dark look to new fresh pink skin in a day (evidenced by the change in smell as well) and has healed in from the inside out in less than a week. It is now completely filled in and perhaps 1/4" in diameter and very shallow. I've never seen anything like it.

Another sore on my heel that I have been fighting on and off for over 10 years is healing from the inside out for the first time. Like you, it has closed over the top and reopened in the past, but I've never seen a healing pattern like this. Both wounds realistically will need more weeks of treatment, but I've never seen anything like this stuff.

I have nothing to do with the company, and honestly gave this a try on a whim, really expecting another "snake oil" or something. But so far, so good. I'm encouraged (and hope I'm not jinxing myself. I'm still working and really giving the wounds no extra care besides changing the dressing and retreating in the morning and evening. I have chosen to wear the looser of my shoes, but I've tried that alone to no avail.

Looks good. Considering with almost three weeks of standard treatment mine is making little or no progress I may have to give it a try. It seems to be honey based as they are linked with Comvita, a New Zealand company which also provides honey based health care products. Funny how doctors poo pooed colloidal silver but over the past couple of weeks the nurses have tried colloidal silver dressings made by a major medical supplier and my nurses have also mentioned honey based dressings. Thanks heaps for your reply. My employer is also looking at a sit/stand workstation so I can stand up at work while working for some of the time.

Cover it with Allyven foam dressing. It's padded.

.

my fiance has had a pressure sore on his ankle for over a year now! we get it looking better and then he goes to the hospital and they take over the care for it and it looks 10 times worse than before !! We are not letting them (nurses) in hospital touch the sore anymore. I am the only one he will let change it , it loooked alot better the last time but now it is looking bad again !!! anyone know of anything that we can do to get it healed ? any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!!!

Keidra,

What is touching his ankle ?

Best Regards,

Gordon

You're results may be different, but I can't wait to change my dressing just to see the progress I'm making! Try that goop, it's working for me after years of struggling.

he got the sore when he was in the hospital last year , the nurses didnt elevate his legs ,i was at work and he had noone there to do it but them , they wouldnt dop it whenhe asked and got a sore from the hard bed he was laying on!! since then his ankle has gotten better . worse off and on !! Nothing touches his ankle when he is in his chair and at night i prop his ankle on a pillow !!! we dontknow why he wont heal !!!

The rocky substance would melt and roll out of my wound before I got it covered. how did you keep the salve in or on your wound/

It's a thick paste. Very sticky. I actually use a plastic knife to "spackle" my wound before I apply the bandage. It sticks just fine, even upside down. For another wound on the bottom of my foot I do as the directions suggest, apply a thick layer to the dressing itself and then place that on the wound.

The stuff tends to separate and must be stirred a little before applying, when stirred, it's about the consistency of peanut butter. No problem getting it to stick.

Oh, and it doesn't melt immediately when applied. It takes a while to melt into the wound. Plenty of time to apply the dressing.