45 replies to this topic

[margaret]

My husband is a C-6 complete quad, who for the last 13 years had no skin issues.

Last year he lost 60 pounds (to control his diabetes) which is now diet controlled. He developed decubs on each ischium on his bottom and so far we have had no luck in getting them healed.

We have changed everything equipment-wise; bed, chair, cushion, slings. They are healing on the outside, but not the tunneling inside.

Anyone got any advice that worked for them?

Any help would be appreciated.

[mulepower]

You didn't mention going to the hospital or having been there?


An air mattress bed helped me after a lot of treatment but i guess it didn't for you.For a year
and a half i've dealt with the issue you're bringing up so personal experience counts for something.


Go see a doctor immediately. I did when i noticed a lot of bleeding from my midesection so i went to my gpc and they diagnosed me with a Decubitus ulcer on one of my buttcheeks. I had a breakdown but never had one before,so i didn't recognize it. I had a stage 4 decuitus which was
seriousbecause of the bone infection in my pelvic area(Osteomyelitis). The problem you have and probally don't know it,istheinside has to heal along with the outside,thus many things have to take place.

1. Surgery to allow drainage

2. Antibiotics

3. Wound Vac

Thats the route that started my healing.

A quick timeline for me so you can see what you might be in for.

1. Two week hospital stay with surgery.
2. Weekend at home for home health care.
3. Another 2 week stay in hospital with surgery.
4.Three month nursing home stint.
5. Home health care from March 2006 til August 2006
6. Having someone change my bandage daily since August til now.



It went from over 5 CM depth wise to .1 CM now. I've been seeing a wound doctor every week to every two weeks since last summer.



Listen,healing on the outside doesn't do any good unless the inside is as well. I hope you don't have to go through what i did but if you do,its going to mean a lot of patience,which i'm sure you have,yet wounds take a long time to heal when on your bottom.

Hope that helps.

[margaret]

mulepower, on Feb 22 2007, 12:12 PM, said:

You didn't mention going to the hospital or having been there?


An air mattress bed helped me after a lot of treatment but i guess it didn't for you.For a year
and a half i've dealt with the issue you're bringing up so personal experience counts for something.


Go see a doctor immediately. I did when i noticed a lot of bleeding from my midesection so i went to my gpc and they diagnosed me with a Decubitus ulcer on one of my buttcheeks. I had a breakdown but never had one before,so i didn't recognize it. I had a stage 4 decuitus which was
seriousbecause of the bone infection in my pelvic area(Osteomyelitis). The problem you have and probally don't know it,istheinside has to heal along with the outside,thus many things have to take place.

1. Surgery to allow drainage

2. Antibiotics

3. Wound Vac

Thats the route that started my healing.

A quick timeline for me so you can see what you might be in for.

1. Two week hospital stay with surgery.
2. Weekend at home for home health care.
3. Another 2 week stay in hospital with surgery.
4.Three month nursing home stint.
5. Home health care from March 2006 til August 2006
6. Having someone change my bandage daily since August til now.



It went from over 5 CM depth wise to .1 CM now. I've been seeing a wound doctor every week to every two weeks since last summer.



Listen,healing on the outside doesn't do any good unless the inside is as well. I hope you don't have to go through what i did but if you do,its going to mean a lot of patience,which i'm sure you have,yet wounds take a long time to heal when on your bottom.

Hope that helps.

Thanks for the reply, but he has been to a wound clinic for almost 8 months now; going every 1-2 weeks. Even the Doctor is baffled. Wound vac will not work as they cannot get a good seal because of the location. Looking to see if anyone has any suggestions or if something they did worked for them.

[brackman22]

First off he can't get out of bed...period. You don't necessarily need surgery for drainage. The best treatment, if the wound vac isn't an option, is to pack the wound using either sterile saline solution or some type of debreeder if necessary.

The timeline for mulepower seems a bit long to me. The way it is written it seems as though he has been fighting his sore for a year and a half or more. And still dealing with it. It just doesn't sound right. It has never taken longer than 5 months for a wound on my rear to heal with surgery or not. You have to add recovery time to that. My wounds were so deep it started into the bone.

I had two sores (one on each ischeum or however you spell it). I was like your husband; no pressure sores for about 12 years. I had been using a jay cusjion since my injury. Back in 2000 or so, jay reconfigured the gel pockets without any notification. The name of the cushion stayed the same but it was a totally different cushion. I use ROHO now.

Anyway, debreedment and muscle flaps did the trick. With the flap, the doctor pretty much goes in and cuts the sore so it is very open. Any dead tissue AND BONE is removed. Wait about two weeks to be sure there is no infection and then the muscle flap. The muscle is usually taken from the back of the hamstring. More bed rest for at least a month. STAY OFF YOUR ASS!

If your doc is baffled get a new doc. It sounds like your husband is a perfect candidate for a couple flaps. It will be probably 8-9 months from start to finish before he can resume a normal routine. For now, he cannot get out of bed. He'll have to turn and stuff but absolutely no time in his chair.

BRETT

[AZ_PTA]

I'm with brackman, if this Doc is baffled, its time to get a new doc. The Doc you have now might be perfectly good but there might be one out there with more experiance in this area. With different kinds of treatment that your current Doc might not have thought to try. Also maybe seeing a dietitian is an option. Sometimes there are things with your diet that you can do to help with the healing process, with out disrupting the control over his diabetes.
Hope all goes well!
Amanda

[mulepower]

Quote

The timeline for mulepower seems a bit long to me. The way it is written it seems as though he has been fighting his sore for a year and a half or more. And still dealing with it. It just doesn't sound right. It has never taken longer than 5 months for a wound on my rear to heal with surgery or not. You have to add recovery time to that. My wounds were so deep it started into the bone.

My decubitus was a stage four that had a serious bone infection(Osteomyelitis) that took a while to heal. I had some surgery and some of that included opening the wound so it would drain better. They even had to put a hickman catheter in for the specific type of antibiotics. The care at the nursing home wasn't great because only a few of the medical staff knew how to reseal my wound when i was on my wound Vac since it was near my rectum. I had to wait for them to reseal it,which sometimes took way to long.

The bottom wound is just about healed and its really tiny(.1 CM).Silvadene helped a lot for my bottom once it got below 2 CM. The wound doctor is seeing me for a small wound on my foot now and the bottom wound is pretty much healed and thats why only a 2x2 is being inserted so the flaps done't meet.

I think its great your ulcer healed so quickly. One quad i'm a friend with had one that took about a year to heal.The Osteopathic doctors i've spoken to about this said wounds vary on how quickly they heal and many times its how the patient takes care of it.I guess everyone's wound is different. Dr. Foster here at Carillion Community hospital has helped my wound a lot after Dr Long wasn't getting anywhere with it. He and Dr.Hagan were good at surgical procedures but weren't much for outpatient care lol.

The concensus about her husband seems to be get a new doc. Along the nutrient end,my docs,the hospital's nutrionist, wound teacher and home health care nurses stated a high protein diet helps heal the wound quicker. Boost,Ensure and anything with loads of protein will do the trick.

[margaret]

mulepower, on Feb 22 2007, 07:01 PM, said:

Quote

The timeline for mulepower seems a bit long to me. The way it is written it seems as though he has been fighting his sore for a year and a half or more. And still dealing with it. It just doesn't sound right. It has never taken longer than 5 months for a wound on my rear to heal with surgery or not. You have to add recovery time to that. My wounds were so deep it started into the bone.

My decubitus was a stage four that had a serious bone infection(Osteomyelitis) that took a while to heal. I had some surgery and some of that included opening the wound so it would drain better. They even had to put a hickman catheter in for the specific type of antibiotics. The care at the nursing home wasn't great because only a few of the medical staff knew how to reseal my wound when i was on my wound Vac since it was near my rectum. I had to wait for them to reseal it,which sometimes took way to long.

The bottom wound is just about healed and its really tiny(.1 CM).Silvadene helped a lot for my bottom once it got below 2 CM. The wound doctor is seeing me for a small wound on my foot now and the bottom wound is pretty much healed and thats why only a 2x2 is being inserted so the flaps done't meet.

I think its great your ulcer healed so quickly. One quad i'm a friend with had one that took about a year to heal.The Osteopathic doctors i've spoken to about this said wounds vary on how quickly they heal and many times its how the patient takes care of it.I guess everyone's wound is different. Dr. Foster here at Carillion Community hospital has helped my wound a lot after Dr Long wasn't getting anywhere with it. He and Dr.Hagan were good at surgical procedures but weren't much for outpatient care lol.

The concensus about her husband seems to be get a new doc. Along the nutrient end,my docs,the hospital's nutrionist, wound teacher and home health care nurses stated a high protein diet helps heal the wound quicker. Boost,Ensure and anything with loads of protein will do the trick.

Thank-you all for all your suggestions! We are seeing a new Doc on Tuesday. He already is on a high proein diet along with Glucerna(just like Ensure, but for Diabetics). Current Doc did open one wound up more as it was .5x.3 cm with 5cm tunneling. That now is again closing up outside, but tunneling remains. He also was on a Jay cushion, but now on a roho. Air mattress made things worse. Present mattress has been pressure mapped, so we know that is not the problem. Will see what happens on Tuesday. Thanks again!!

[brackman22]

Glad to hear you almost got that wound licked mulepower. That Silvadene is some awesome stuff ain't it? They use it a lot for burns. Sure sounds like you had some nasty infection going on. I had quite a bit of bone that had to be removed also. I had mersa set in. I'm not sure of that spelling but it is a wicked infection. Continued luck to you! By the way, I spent some time in a nursing home too so you have my sympathy.

And margaret: DON'T LET THAT WOUND CLOSE OVER IF IT IS STILL TUNNELING!! It shouldn't be doing that if you are packing it. What is the current treatmentyou're using?

BRETT

[mulepower]

Yeah,i was on that vancomycin for a while;since i'm allergic to penacillin its hard for them to find antibiotics when infections set in. The doctors were concerned about the length i was on that medicine since your body can build up an immunity to it and i don't have a lot of antibiotics i can take otherwise. I wish you could take pills because i hate iv's since i have moving veins.

I'll tell you what,if you wanna lose weight go to a nursing home and eat their food,you''ll lose weight. I lost close to fifty pounds which i needed too lol.Only the breakfast was good,the rest you had to sort through. Silvadene is awesome and i never heard of it before until i had to be on it. It does work wonders.Where my infection was had to do with being colon related which i don't think were that serious but many of the other ones i had were. Thats one time i'm glad i couldn't feel because the pain for an AB person must be almost unbearable with infections in that area.

Is it MRSA,i looked it up and it sounds really scary if its the same thing.
http://www.associate...d_superbug.html
I think i had some of my pelvic bone removed.

Margaret,Brackman is so right. Tunneling has to be stopped and the outside is easy to heal in comparision,iiuc. Its great that you seek out help about your husband's situation.You're doing everything you can. It sounds like only a good doc is in order for things to turn around. Going to different docs til one knows what he's doing sometimes takes some time. I don't know why some docs can't just say i don't know and refer to a collegue.

Edited by mulepower, 23 February 2007 - 10:24 PM.

[brackman22]

Yeah, it's MRSA. I was on vanc for months as well. I was told that MRSA is common in hospitals. I'll always have it but it stays colonized, can't be spread, until it finds something new to infect. I've fought it off a couple times. Am getting worried about the resistance to the vanc. I'm also allergic to pcn.

Almost the same prob with veins. Mine are just so abused the're about gone. Whenever I had an iv clog up I knew I was in store for some pain. Sometimes it took six sticks in varios places. I always beg for a picc line whenever I know I'm going to be staying a while. That was 17 years ago. Where do the years go?!

margaret, good luck at the doc on tuesday. Be aggresive if you need to. Stage 4 ulcers are nothing to laugh at. At the very least, I would ask the doc to have your husband have a bone scan to check for dead/infected bone. Let us know how things go, if you would.

BRETT

[margaret]

Thank-you to all that replied. I feel like I'm not going insane now! And that we are not wrong to question the treatment and why it is taking so long. I will look into Silvadene. He has used Aquagel, Panafil, Iodasorb, Silverlon rope, and Prisma; all with little result. The wounds are clean, no necrotic tissue. They want to heal on the outside, but not the tunneling on the inside. He had a bone scan, which showed that maybe, maybe not for Osteomyelitis. He is in his 6th week of Vanco. Still the Doc said we should be seeing some improvement. I finally said, "Be honest with us; Are you as frustrated as we are? or do you feel that this is the natural progression of his decubs?" The Doc admitted he was also frustrated which led us to a new Doc and the appt on Tuesday. Hope we are guided in another direction.

[manna56]

margaret, on Feb 22 2007, 03:37 PM, said:

My husband is a C-6 complete quad, who for the last 13 years had no skin issues. Last year he lost 60 pounds (to control his diabetes) which is now diet controlled. He developed decubs on each ischium on his bottom and so far we have had no luck in getting them healed. We have changed everything equipment-wise; bed, chair, cushion, slings. They are healing on the outside, but not the tunneling inside. Anyone got any advice that worked for them? Any help would be appreciated.

Hi,

I can well empathize with you. Though I'm just a T4 para, I've suffered decubs, an ulcer on my coxxixfor 7 years and it one point it was so bad you could put a fist in it down to the bone.

I've had several operations from initial grafts, to flaps and none took. At one point they wanted to amputate my leg as that was the only placeleft to get enough muscle to fill the gaping wound.

Bottom line is nothing worked. Finally a friend in Texas called a friend of hers in the Mayo Clinic. They were using a special gel which she sent me.

I still call it my miracle drug. Ithealed me in 9 months. Improvement was slow but steady. Today there's still a slight indentation, but it's closed, I'm healed, and still have my leg.

Call the Mayo Clinic. They WILL help.

Ed

[girlracer]

I got a decub by my tailbone when I was still at the Spinal Unit from trying to sit-up in a reclinable wheelchair... anyways, result... 3 weeks of laying constantly on my sides, aloe-vera cream and eletro-stimulation to make it heal faster. Ever had anyone suggest you that?

As others said... in no way should he get out of bed!

[exojam]

I agree with Brack on this, don't let the hole close before the tunnel or it will be big trouble. It has been about a year since my second flap surgery. It was a stage four that had a tunnel about 12.5cm in length. I tried for about a year to get the tunnel to close and it never would. We had to recut the original hole a few times to keep it open. Finally I had the flap surgery and than spent about 3 months in a clinitron bed. Not sure if your insurance will cover it but I had the doctor prescribe for me the bed and I had it delivered into my family room so I could recover at home. I am not sure what type of doctor you are seeing, but for both of mine, I went to a plastic surgeon for treatment. I hope everything works out since I know these can be very mentally draining.

[brackman22]

I used the clinitron and also had a plastic surgeon do my flap.

BRETT

[exojam]

Not sure about you but if I was in one of those beds for any other reason it I would not have minded it since they are comfortable.

[elisabeth]

I recently had an old pressure sore flare up, it's not as bad as it was but my doctor has been treating it with Duoderm dressings and sometimes Duoderm paste underneath. BTW this doctor specialises in patients with an SCI

[ziggy]

I'm about 12 years post injury and never has bed sore.About a month ago i had a terrible bout of AD and went to the ER,ends up i had a bad fever and raging bladder infection.They kept me in the hospital for nearly five days and put me on one of those air mattress deals.My butt was hurting,but i never asked a nurse to check it out for whatever reason.

I get home and bam,i have three bed sores on my ass and two almost sores on my heels.They are finally gone,but i never knew those air mattress things are so worthless,unless it was just the one they used.

[margaret]

ziggy, on Feb 27 2007, 12:57 AM, said:

I'm about 12 years post injury and never has bed sore.About a month ago i had a terrible bout of AD and went to the ER,ends up i had a bad fever and raging bladder infection.They kept me in the hospital for nearly five days and put me on one of those air mattress deals.My butt was hurting,but i never asked a nurse to check it out for whatever reason.

I get home and bam,i have three bed sores on my ass and two almost sores on my heels.They are finally gone,but i never knew those air mattress things are so worthless,unless it was just the one they used.

Well, we had the appt with the new Doc (a plastic surgeon) who was really called in as a consult and for a second opinion. Did say he was not a candidate at this time for a flap (which my husband doesn't want anyway). Put him on Dakin solution for his wounds. Anybody ever try this? Basically told us what we already knew and what so many of you guys have graciously said here and that is to stay off his bottom. Unfortunately he is not one to stay in bed. Before this happened, it was not unusual for him to be up in his chair for 10-14 hours a day. He has cut that down to 6 hours, but knows that he needs to cut it down to next to nothing. He does have a tilt wheelchair that we thought would be a big help, but found out that after pressure mapping that the tilt function actually relieves very little pressure. We also pressure mapped an air mattress and found the exact same thing which really surprised us, since the Doctor had said he needs this. So, we got rid of that and our present mattress is not only is comfortable for him, but when we pressure mapped that, it showed zero pressure when he lays on his back. Our biggest problem at this point is that the wound care clinic that we go to seems to be giving us what I think is a "power stuggle" problem. We pride ourselves on researching and asking detailed questions all the time. It seems the minute we ask something or bring a concern up, the hackles go up, they get defensive and by the end of the appointment, everyone is upset and I can't understand what the problem is. I don't think they see many people with SCI because for example they refuse to take into account my husband's SCI when they do the dressings. They literally ball 4x4's up so that is what he is sitting on and I'm sorry, but I cannot stand by and risk another decub when I know it takes only minutes for them to develop. So, they get upset when I say, "This may work for ambulatory people, but not for him." So anyways, after we left that appt, had an appt with his primary care Doc who is just wonderful and had more questions answered there than at the wound clinic; go figure. Sorry this went on and on, thanks for letting me vent. My husband knows what he has to do and it is basically up to him to make that compromise to get these healed. So we will see what happens.

[brackman22]

This may sound harsh but it is hard to feel sympathy for your husband when he seems not to care whether he heals or not. Six hours up in his chair!? How many of us have said to STAY IN BED!!?? He could face amputation if his wounds get too serious. I don't think he knows what he is up against. When you have an SCI your immune system takes a hit. Pressure sores are magnets for infection. If that infection should make it into the blood stream death isn't far away. That's what did in Chris Reeves.

Your husband has GOT TO respect the seriousness of this issue. As for the dressing: You still have not told us exactly what is being done. We need to know the procedure from start to finish. What is used and how.

We really want to help as much as possible. But, we need ALL the information we ask for. How a wound is dressed is very important. I've asked you at least twice and all you tell me is what you are using. Remember, how the wound is dressed from start to finish. Even the minutest details.

Now, get your husband of his ass and let us help him if we can!

Sorry about "yelling" but this is a serious issue.

Brett

[margaret]

brackman22, on Feb 28 2007, 10:41 AM, said:

This may sound harsh but it is hard to feel sympathy for your husband when he seems not to care whether he heals or not. Six hours up in his chair!? How many of us have said to STAY IN BED!!?? He could face amputation if his wounds get too serious. I don't think he knows what he is up against. When you have an SCI your immune system takes a hit. Pressure sores are magnets for infection. If that infection should make it into the blood stream death isn't far away. That's what did in Chris Reeves.

Your husband has GOT TO respect the seriousness of this issue. As for the dressing: You still have not told us exactly what is being done. We need to know the procedure from start to finish. What is used and how.

We really want to help as much as possible. But, we need ALL the information we ask for. How a wound is dressed is very important. I've asked you at least twice and all you tell me is what you are using. Remember, how the wound is dressed from start to finish. Even the minutest details.

Now, get your husband of his ass and let us help him if we can!

Sorry about "yelling" but this is a serious issue.


I and my husband do realize the seriousness of this issue; we would not be working as hard as we can if we did not think so. You have no idea the hoops we have had to jump through during this ordeal. Anyways, all wounds are flushed with normal saline; then 1/4 inch packing strips are soaked in Dakin solution and packed in wound; then a 4x4 is placed over the wound and taped; then an ABd placed over the 4x4 and taped to secure. That is it, it is done twice a day. Any suggestions are welcome; even "yelling"!! I can only "nag " so much. I have gently told my husband, even before yesterday's appt that we have addressed every issue that we can; the only place that needs improvement is the amount of time he is on his butt and he is, I think finally accepting the reality and as of this morning told me to get some movies and word search books to keep him occupied while in bed. It's a start.
Brett

[girlracer]

I hope he's laying on his stomach!

I'm not sure what hemisphere you are in... but if you have access to sunshine, some rays on his bottom everyday will do him good!

[LadySmack]

My husband has 2 ulcers on his ischium as well. One is 11cm deep. The dealing with Osteo is horrible. He is a T6/T7 Paraplegic. Been in the chair for 21 years tomorrow. It has been a struggle for 4 LONG years with these wounds. Its not an easy road for either the spouse or the injured. He has been bed ridden for all these years, and it is a tough road. Honestly, it is NOT comforting to know that there are others in the exact same situation. It's like dealing with cancer, you never know whats going to happen.

The best I can tell you from my point of view is, you have to have a doctor that knows what he/she is doing. And a team of doctors working together for the same goal is better. We have been very fortunate to find what I think is the BEST doctors in the business.

The clinitron is the best bed to be on. We request them in hospitals, and we have been fortunate enough to have a doctor with enough pull to get us one at home.

He's on a wound vac, but those don't really have me sold. Been off and on one for all these years.

Bed rest is a MUST!! My husband stays in bed all but 3 hours a week. That's long enough for a shower a week, and bed baths the rest of the time.

As for packing, I have found that Hydrofera Blue is EXCELLENT! Its a bactrostatic, and highly recommended by my husbands wound doctor.

Boredom?? Grand Turismo 4 and a Playstation with wireless nerf control!!!...lol

There are allot of other areas I can touch on this subject, but there will never be enough room. Anyone that is curious is welcome to ask, and any suggestions are welcome.

[brackman22]

I'm glad your husband is coming around margaret. Do you do the dressings or is it a nurse? If it is a nurse, I'd watch him/her closely. I've had nurses get lazy and not pull the gauze like she should before packing. I had to get friends to watch them.

Why did the doc say a flap was not a solution for your husband? Same question to you ladysmack. Why no flap?

And the cliniron bed is magic. You litterally float. Lay on your back and no need to turn except for comfort.

Keep us informed and let us know if we can help in any other way.

BRETT

[LadySmack]

brackman22, on Feb 28 2007, 12:10 PM, said:

I'm glad your husband is coming around margaret. Do you do the dressings or is it a nurse? If it is a nurse, I'd watch him/her closely. I've had nurses get lazy and not pull the gauze like she should before packing. I had to get friends to watch them.

Why did the doc say a flap was not a solution for your husband? Same question to you ladysmack. Why no flap?

And the cliniron bed is magic. You litterally float. Lay on your back and no need to turn except for comfort.

Keep us informed and let us know if we can help in any other way.

BRETT

He has had 2 flaps done, the second poorly done, and neither of them worked. Osteo has been the enemy here. That is the worst thing you can get as you know. His whole hip we have been told is infected, although, the last time they went in they found no draining bone. He has had his left hip removed and part of the left femur removed. That was done about 3 years ago. It messes up his weight distrubution and Transfers and hindered tremendously. As you said, time to find a new doctor, so we did. The best course of action for us now is to patiently wait, if there is such a thing. We went last month for his last surgery, and we thought that right hip would be removed. It was not!!! yea!

[LadySmack]

I have talked this over with my husband, and he agrees, for true help one might look into this center. This center is a pioneer in wound care. Mabye me posting this might save someone some trouble, and hopefully a life.

Although Christopher Reeve has died with blood poisonings, MRSA and Staph can be cured. Look into the phages links.


http://www.woundcarecenter.net/

Edited by LadySmack, 28 February 2007 - 08:15 PM.

[brackman22]

I have MRSA. It can't be cured, only colonized. I will always have it and, unless I'm extremely lucky, any wound I would get would most likely be infected.

It sure does sound like you and your husband have been through a lot. I hope he knows how lucky he is to have a wife like you. I wish I had one as loyal. Hell, I just wish I had one .

I hope your luck changes quickly.

Brett

[ziggy]

My long time home health aid has a son that contracted MRSA and that makes me nervous.She says that she regularily washes her hands and her kid is 20 so they aren't hugging/kissing like a mom does with a young child,but i'm not sure how concerned i should be.

[LadySmack]

brackman22, on Feb 28 2007, 01:34 PM, said:

I have MRSA. It can't be cured, only colonized. I will always have it and, unless I'm extremely lucky, any wound I would get would most likely be infected.

It sure does sound like you and your husband have been through a lot. I hope he knows how lucky he is to have a wife like you. I wish I had one as loyal. Hell, I just wish I had one .

I hope your luck changes quickly.

Brett

Brett,

Just because you are in that chair does not mean you don't deserve love. You always remember that. She is out there.

Secondly, please refer back to my last message......My husband has tested positive for it twice. Since the phages, every test since then has come back negative. I know what the facts tell me, and I also know what the books tell all of us, but there is hope.....isn't it worth a try? Was for him. Check it out....

And, the same wish for you, I hope your luck changes quickly, and for that, the others reading all this.

LadySmack

[LadySmack]

ziggy, on Feb 28 2007, 03:50 PM, said:

My long time home health aid has a son that contracted MRSA and that makes me nervous.She says that she regularily washes her hands and her kid is 20 so they aren't hugging/kissing like a mom does with a young child,but i'm not sure how concerned i should be.

The best I can tell you at this point is to consult your doctor, EXPECIALLY if you have wounds. He will know the steps you need to take. I hope she is a very clean person. Handwashing is a must no matter if MRSA, staph, or whatever is a factor or not. Your doctor may have concerns with this, so I would most definately ask, he/she might want you to make sure she changes her clothing each time she does her visits. I would sure ask that of them, but I'm sometimes an overly cautious person....so that's one womans opinion.

Best of luck.

LadySmack

Edited by LadySmack, 01 March 2007 - 12:14 AM.