[Kiddy]

Can anyone tell me if pressure sores are inevitable, or can they be prevented? I'm in love with a guy in the States, C4/5 quad, he lives in a nursing home and I've been out to visit him. He seems happy enough there (although he isn't one to complain) and the staff seemed caring and conscientous but he had a pressure wound that was so bad it required surgery and just when we thought he was making a good recovery and getting up and about in his wheelchair he now has another pressure wound in a different area.

I have worked as an auxiliary nurse and have always thought that with proper care, regular turning etc. they could be prevented, but now I just don't know.

I would be grateful for any information or insight.

[RacingAxe]

Figuring out the cause of the sore(s) will go a long way to being able to prevent them in the future. If the source of the pressure sore is from the bed, you may be able to get another type of bed that is better for prevention. If the source is the wheelchair cushion you may be able to do better there. If the equipment is not to blame, perhaps the position(s) and time spent in those positions can be modified.

There are people who are either more or less prone to pressure sores. I thought I was being pretty conciensious about pressure relief when sitting in my chair but at one time I could not lay down because of spasms so I sat in my chair for two days straight. I fell asleep for a couple hours twice during that time and ended up with a pressure sore. Luckily it was not too bad. I don't have much padding on my sit bones and am constantly doing pressure relief. Not all SCI persons are able to do much for pressure relief so more difficult to prevent sores. I've seen power wheelchairs that can stand a person upright. If you can get him into a standing position it may be beneficial.

Good luck, hope this helps a little.

[juless]

Hi Kiddy

No absolutely not pressure areas are not inevitable however pt's need to be turned every 2 hours (day and night) kept clean and dry .... all of that being said people in hospitals and nursing homes who are immobile are very susceptible to pressure areas and I find people that stay home to much better. Of all the paras/quads I have had as pts only one has not had one and his wife looked after him

Sitting in a chair too long causes them, sitting on the wrong cushion causes them, having too many sheets under you that aren't totally flat causes them, being too thin causes them. They are awful and once they get to a certain point where they just wont heal, the only option is surgery.

Prevention is better then cure in this case, Vit C helps, barrier cream, regular turning, moving and physical therapy.

Take care
juless

[lady_spirit]

juless, on Dec 28 2006, 11:59 PM, said:

Hi Kiddy

No absolutely not pressure areas are not inevitable however pt's need to be turned every 2 hours (day and night) kept clean and dry .... all of that being said people in hospitals and nursing homes who are immobile are very susceptible to pressure areas and I find people that stay home to much better. Of all the paras/quads I have had as pts only one has not had one and his wife looked after him

Sitting in a chair too long causes them, sitting on the wrong cushion causes them, having too many sheets under you that aren't totally flat causes them, being too thin causes them. They are awful and once they get to a certain point where they just wont heal, the only option is surgery.

Prevention is better then cure in this case, Vit C helps, barrier cream, regular turning, moving and physical therapy.

Take care
juless

In cases like this may I ask what could be the best cream that we can use in treating pressure sores cause like me I spent alot of time sitting and its really hard to cure it cause mainly because I sit alot though I tried putting on some cushions but still it doesn't go away though it's not really big but the issue here is it doesn't go away.

Please advise. Thanks!

[Simon]

lady_spirit, on Jun 22 2007, 02:06 PM, said:

juless, on Dec 28 2006, 11:59 PM, said:

Hi Kiddy

No absolutely not pressure areas are not inevitable however pt's need to be turned every 2 hours (day and night) kept clean and dry .... all of that being said people in hospitals and nursing homes who are immobile are very susceptible to pressure areas and I find people that stay home to much better. Of all the paras/quads I have had as pts only one has not had one and his wife looked after him

Sitting in a chair too long causes them, sitting on the wrong cushion causes them, having too many sheets under you that aren't totally flat causes them, being too thin causes them. They are awful and once they get to a certain point where they just wont heal, the only option is surgery.

Prevention is better then cure in this case, Vit C helps, barrier cream, regular turning, moving and physical therapy.

Take care
juless

In cases like this may I ask what could be the best cream that we can use in treating pressure sores cause like me I spent alot of time sitting and its really hard to cure it cause mainly because I sit alot though I tried putting on some cushions but still it doesn't go away though it's not really big but the issue here is it doesn't go away.

Please advise. Thanks!

Sores are not inevitable and avoidable. Usually they happen through slack nursing or clumsiness on part of the disabled person (knocks etc, done it myself). The time you need turning depends on the mattress, I'm c4 (24 yrs) and on a Tempur memory foam one, can go all night on my back (14 hours often) and 12 hours on my side if necessary.

You need a ROHO cushion if you are sitting on a sore, though you shouldn't really.
They are streets ahead of the others. Plus you should lift yourself every hour for 5 mins to allow blood flow to the bottom and relive the pressure.
As for cream, not sure on shop bought, we use an essential oil mix (home made) which is truly excellent. Only thing I can suggest is Manuka honey with a UMF factor of 18+.

Simon

[brenrich]

Simon, on Jun 22 2007, 06:16 PM, said:

lady_spirit, on Jun 22 2007, 02:06 PM, said:

juless, on Dec 28 2006, 11:59 PM, said:

Hi Kiddy

No absolutely not pressure areas are not inevitable however pt's need to be turned every 2 hours (day and night) kept clean and dry .... all of that being said people in hospitals and nursing homes who are immobile are very susceptible to pressure areas and I find people that stay home to much better. Of all the paras/quads I have had as pts only one has not had one and his wife looked after him

Sitting in a chair too long causes them, sitting on the wrong cushion causes them, having too many sheets under you that aren't totally flat causes them, being too thin causes them. They are awful and once they get to a certain point where they just wont heal, the only option is surgery.

Prevention is better then cure in this case, Vit C helps, barrier cream, regular turning, moving and physical therapy.

Take care
juless

In cases like this may I ask what could be the best cream that we can use in treating pressure sores cause like me I spent alot of time sitting and its really hard to cure it cause mainly because I sit alot though I tried putting on some cushions but still it doesn't go away though it's not really big but the issue here is it doesn't go away.

Please advise. Thanks!

Sores are not inevitable and avoidable. Usually they happen through slack nursing or clumsiness on part of the disabled person (knocks etc, done it myself). The time you need turning depends on the mattress, I'm c4 (24 yrs) and on a Tempur memory foam one, can go all night on my back (14 hours often) and 12 hours on my side if necessary.

You need a ROHO cushion if you are sitting on a sore, though you shouldn't really.
They are streets ahead of the others. Plus you should lift yourself every hour for 5 mins to allow blood flow to the bottom and relive the pressure.
As for cream, not sure on shop bought, we use an essential oil mix (home made) which is truly excellent. Only thing I can suggest is Manuka honey with a UMF factor of 18+.

Simon

I have a Tempur memory foam matress too and they are really top class. I can do 12 hours on my side no problem. Never tried it on my back as i like to stay off my arse when i'm not in my chair. I haven't had a pressure sore in 16 years. Annoyingly i got an infected hair folicole on my hip 3 weeks ago and i'm just waiting for it to clear itself. Its not in a pressure area but i'm still not sure about turning on that side even though my nurse said it would be ok. Any advice on how to heal it faster?

[carophilly]

I've heard good reports about Sween Cream: http://www.sweenstor...sweencream.html

Good when applied daily to areas that are prone to pressure sores. But I'm not sure it can be used on open wounds - but rather for prevention of sores.

Caro

[elisabeth]

Some can't be helped, sadly. I've done everything right (pressure lifts, proper cushion, air mattress etc) but I'm currently in hospital for a pressure sore and have been for ages. Make sure to ask about underlying problems such as osteomyelitis and other infections. For example I just discovered a new pressure sore on my natal cleft today and I've not layed on my back since being admitted to hospital at the end of March. I get turned every 2 hours, take zinc supplements, sleep on an air mattress, have trolley showers and more but still I get a new sore. Pressure care helps in most cases, but sadly not all cases. I'm not disencouraging pressure care vigilance, I'm just saying some wounds aren't necessarily caused by pressure.