6 replies to this topic

[billiam1977]

Hey all,

I was hoping someone could help answer some questions. My father is paralyzed from waist down and has been since I was in my mother's womb. I'm 33, so he has been in a wheelchair around 34 yrs. We have been fighting some pretty serious bedsores for over a year. In January he had multiple pulmonary embolism and went into cardiac and respiratory arrest and had to be resusitated. Thankfully he recovered with no brain damage and after months is back home with a feeding tube in his stomach to keep nutrition up and help heal multiple wounds. They are all looking better and may be ready for skin graphs except for one. He went to a wound care specialist today, I wasn''t there, my mom was, I was at work. My mom told me the doctor said they wouldn't heal because we're not in outer space. I'm hoping my mom misunderstood and the doctor was generalizing, you know, that he will always be dealing with bedsores rather than saying these specific wounds would never heal. Is there anyone who has experience with this? Also, Is amputation a solution considering some of his bodies resources are going towards his wounds instead of helping him fight off illness.

Thanks in advance for your honesty.
Willie Jr. My father's son.

[Lucydog]

Just wondering how old your dad is and where the sores are located exactly?

[Tetracyclone]

Willie, Jr.,

It is impossible to know what the doctor meant by his comment. He may have meant to refer to the wish that we were in a weightless state, where bedsores wound not exist as such. Your parents has the right to request, and to be given, the written report of the interview which the doctor is required to write for his own records and for the referring physician.

I suggest you write a letter for your parents requesting this report and stating your questions. Include a line with your Dad's signature wherein he gives his permission for this record to be released to himself. This assumes you are in the USA, where privacy rules have become quite bizarre. Also ask for a referral to a different wound specialist since he cannot offer a treatment plan which he feels might succeed.

It should be considered very bad form for a wound specialist to say a wound cannot heal. Their job is to heal wounds, so the written report may say something quite different. Your father has the right to copies of all of his medical records.

Again if you are in the US, be aware that such straightforward concern for one's health is considered threatening by some physicians, as most are fearful of litigation. He could decline to treat your Dad further, though I don't see what use such a doctor might be anyway. Good luck- your role as his advocate is extremely important.

[billiam1977]

Lucydog, on Jun 7 2010, 09:27 PM, said:

Just wondering how old your dad is and where the sores are located exactly?

He's 54, there are various ones that seem to be ready for skin graphs, he sees a surgeon next week. There is one on his upper outer thigh that seems to have gotten worse since he got home, but he hasn't developed any new ones. The one on the thigh is pretty deep.

[airart1]

man what a weird place to get them, did he get them while in the hospital from his ambolism? I think i would seek another wound care dr. if he told me i was screwed cause i wasnt in space......what a quack....i doubt amputation is not the thing to do unless its a last resort to saving his life.......

[billiam1977]

Thanks for your replies. I talked to my mom further and I think she did misunderstand. He really likes this doctor and she was very excited to see how much weight he gained. I believe the "outer space" comment was due to the fact that they were talking about the possibility of a hypobolic procedure. He didn't break down in the hospital, what happened was, he had lost so much blood and circulation that he actually started to have ulcers creep up everywhere, this is when he was home for a week and had to go right back to the hospital , it was nothing like we had seen before. I guess since the embolism my mom and I have just been jumpy and worried, I'm just now able to hear an ambulance without jumping out of skin again lol. He does seem to be doing much better, optimistic and looking forward to his new electric wheelchair and maybe doing some fishing, I hope we get to give him this. It's just been an ordeal and I wanted insight from people in the know. WebMD doesn't compare to personal experience.

Also, I seen a post with a woman saying her husband needed therapy because his dad was in a wheelchair...for the record, that's crap. My dad has always been my superhero and kept me on the right paths with love and guidance, not to mention he set me on my career path. It wasn't until the embolism that I realized I wasn't always going to be able to count on him to be there. So, that's from a son who never seen his dad walk, but I have seen him paint pictures, fix cars, save animals lives, fix anything broke in the house, play a mean game of pool and real in some fish and offer counsel to numerous family members who turned to him to advice in their darkest times...and that's just off the top of my head. I just wanted to share that, Spinal Injury doesn't make you less than a man, sometimes it makes you more!

Again, thank you all for your advise and allowing me to vent and seek your collective wisdom. If possible I'd like to continue reading and relating although I don't have an injury myself.

God Bless
Willie

[nomis]

billiam1977, on Jun 9 2010, 12:51 AM, said:

....but I have seen him paint pictures, fix cars, save animals lives, fix anything broke in the house, play a mean game of pool and real in some fish and offer counsel to numerous family members who turned to him to advice in their darkest times...and that's just off the top of my head. I just wanted to share that, Spinal Injury doesn't make you less than a man, sometimes it makes you more!

Powerfuly stated Willie and so valuably true. All the best to you and your dad.