[jrea10010]

Hullo all,

Question about the cavern in my butt:

It's been debrided and I'm getting home health nurse every day. 3 questions:

1. I've read in the forums that one should not be on the sore, at all. Yet my doctors have told me that is okay to be in my chair 4 hours a day, with pressure releases, as long as I'm on my new roho cushion. I'm a little worried about this -- the ulcer was misdiagnosed originally (as superficial, stage 1) and not sure who to trust.

2) What have people's experience been with the wound vac? That's what the woulnd care specialist iwith the nurse agency is recommending, but one substitute nurse with extensive experience warned me that I would find it very very difficult to be in my chair with it -- alarms would go off, that sort of thing.

Thanks everybody!

Julie

[margaret]

Hi Julie!
Of course anyone with a pressure wound on their bottom should stay off it as much as possible. However, my husband has had one and gets up everyday for 4-6 hours (he has a roho cushion and his wheelchair tilts all the way back). He has had a wound vac for 2 months and he has no problems with it. The main concern is to maintain a seal with the wound vac dressing and if the wound is where you would be applying pressure while you sit, the wound vac must be place where the hose and vac dressing would not cause you more problems. But, yes, you can sit up while using a wound vac.

[edlee]

WOUND VAC,

[edlee]

I'm not sure what just happened, but let's try again.

I used a woundvac on a very stuborn pressure sore. Had it on for just under a year. This was after the visiting nurses screwed me up royally.

Yes, you can use one sitting up, as long as you are using a Roho. The two in combination will allow you to get on with your life while awaiting the slow healing our sci bodies reduce us to.

You should certainly stay off of it as much as you can, but I didn't and still healed (eventually).

In case you're wondering if I know whereof I speak, mine was on my tailbone, 7cm/9cm and 3cm deep. That's right , 3cm deep. My tailbone was actually visible in the bottom of the wound. Who says I'm not lucky?

I give credit to the woundvac for sparing me both infections and long time immobility.

By the way, on instructions from my doctor, I washed it when showering with soap and water and let it air dry before reapplying the wv dressing.

Don't get discouraged, it takes a while to heal, but still better than an operation.
ed