28 replies to this topic

[WilliamCraig]

I'm a paraplegic and I've been dealing with the worse bedsore I've ever had for almost a year now (it is presently a Grade III). I have nurses coming by every morning putting a Tegaderm patch over an application of something called Silver Sulfadiazine Cream, but I haven't had much noted improvement after months of close treatment. Thus far, my pressure sore has closed merely a centimeter.

I'm wondering whether or not these nurses and doctors are putting the right medicine on... or if they could be doing something better that they might not know of. I'm one of the few paraplegics in the area I live in, so the medical community here doesn't have much experience with issues regarding paraplegics.

You guys, I'm sure, have a collected experience with bedsores, so anything you provide me is greatly appreciated. This thing is really dragging me down to a really depressed state. I'd like to move on with my life without any further restrictions, you know?

WC

[NurseVic]

Okay, I have a few questions: Where is the ulcer, what colour is the tissue on the wound bed? Is it infected? Do you get a lot of exudate? When was the last time you had it swabbed? How long have you been using the cream? It's really only supposed to be used short term on pressure ulcers, I'd never use flamazine on a patient for more than 4 weeks if things were not improving.

How deep is it, does it require packing? Do you keep off the area for a few hours each day and are you using pressure relieving equipment at home? Do you eat a varied and balanced diet?

I would first make sure it's a qualified nurse dressing it. Ask the nurse what status the tissue is (necrotic, sloughy, granulating etc.) The dressing choice should be based primarily on its appropriateness for tissue on the wound bed.

[WilliamCraig]

Hey, NurseVic.

Sorry, I never thought to answer some of those questions in my first post.

Where is the ulcer? It is located on the left side of my bottom.

What colour is the tissue on the wound bed? The wound is pretty red and the surrounding skin is normal color, except when I immediately take my bandage off (it is white then).

Is it infected? I have had to fight off MRSA when I had a stay at the local hospital, but I think it is gone.

Do you get a lot of exudate? I don't know what you mean.

When was the last time you had it swabbed? About 5 weeks ago.

How long have you been using the cream? Pretty much the whole time I've had the bedsore.

How deep is it, does it require packing? I don't know how deep it is. It does require packing... drains a lot.

Do you keep off the area for a few hours each day and are you using pressure relieving equipment at home? I keep off of it for much more than a few hours each day. The only pressure relieving equipment I have (if it is pressure relieving equipment) is some Roho cushion nurses ordered for me.

Do you eat a varied and balanced diet? Not at all. Is this important?

Edited by WilliamCraig, 25 October 2007 - 04:12 PM.

[LuckyinKentucky]

The way I understand it nutrition ios very important, for both maintaining healthy skin and regenerating after a breakdown. Cmon at least take a multivitamin, your doing all this work treating it externally why not help your body in healing it naturally.... Compare it to gas in a high performance vehicle--- sure it'll go using 87 octane but you put in the 93 with some octane boost and get ready to buy new tires.

[Somebody]

Sounds like your left ischel.
The bone you sit on.

If it's Stage III get off of it & stay off it.
Tegaderm for that Stage doesn't sound right.

I've had one for 5 yrs & finally gave up,
and had flap surgery.
Tegaderm is meant to stay on for awhile.
Real sticky, could remove tissue changing.

Look at this

http://www.pva.org/s...U.pdf?docID=688

pray it gets healed soon

[kewlcatkez]

Hi WilliamCraig

I will go into detail about this with you later, but for a starting place, please read this pdf: http://www.nice.org....areguidance.pdf

Its a NICE ( National Institute for Clinical Excellence) guidelines paper, it is a couple of years old but does give a good grounding in which to build upon when looking at pressure ulcers. I am a Registered Nurse/Staff Nurse by trade "in a previous life", not all that long ago, ie before disability and was a "skin intergirty Liasion" nurse for my unit at the time.

The below extract is taken from MAYOCLINIC.COM I have added it as it explains in a little detail about the grades of pressure sore. Integral to healing, is knowledge of the enemy you are up against...use below and the NICE guidelines, and then you will have a better idea of what you should be treating it with/lifestyle changes.

Quote

Stage I. Initially, a pressure sore appears as a persistent area of red skin that may itch or hurt and feel warm and spongy or firm to the touch. In blacks, Hispanics and other people with darker skin, the mark may appear to have a blue or purple cast, or look flaky or ashen. Stage I wounds are superficial and go away shortly after the pressure is relieved.

Stage II. At this point, some skin loss has already occurred — either in the epidermis, the outermost layer of skin, in the dermis, the skin's deeper layer, or in both. The wound is now an open sore that looks like a blister or an abrasion, and the surrounding tissues may show red or purple discoloration. If treated promptly, stage II sores usually heal fairly quickly.

Stage III. By the time a pressure ulcer reaches this stage, the damage has extended to the tissue below the skin, creating a deep, crater-like wound.

Stage IV. In the most serious and advanced stage, a large-scale loss of skin occurs, along with damage to muscle, bone, and even supporting structures such as tendons and joints. Stage IV wounds are extremely difficult to heal and can lead to lethal infections.
If you use a wheelchair, you're most likely to develop a pressure sore on:

Your tailbone or buttocks
Your shoulder blades and spine
The backs of your arms and legs where they rest against the chair

**links to detaailed information here at apparelyzed (including illustrations), can be found HERE**

I also do not understand why tegaderm is being used! It is not the wonder film that it was once thought and I have seen wounds made worse by its application. Like all tools it is only effective if its the right tool for the job.

I hope that this helps for now and will try to ( remember to!) get back to you with some other info later,

Take care,

K

Edited by kewlcatkez, 28 October 2007 - 09:02 PM.

[john S.]

WilliamCraig, on Oct 25 2007, 11:39 AM, said:

I'm a paraplegic and I've been dealing with the worse bedsore I've ever had for almost a year now (it is presently a Grade III). I have nurses coming by every morning putting a Tegaderm patch over an application of something called Silver Sulfadiazine Cream, but I haven't had much noted improvement after months of close treatment. Thus far, my pressure sore has closed merely a centimeter.

I'm wondering whether or not these nurses and doctors are putting the right medicine on... or if they could be doing something better that they might not know of. I'm one of the few paraplegics in the area I live in, so the medical community here doesn't have much experience with issues regarding paraplegics.

You guys, I'm sure, have a collected experience with bedsores, so anything you provide me is greatly appreciated. This thing is really dragging me down to a really depressed state. I'd like to move on with my life without any further restrictions, you know?

WC

Hmmmmm. There is a philosophical question? WTF is the "right" medicine for a pressure sore. Stay off it is the primary thing you can do. treating bedsores is almost withcraft among doctors. They can specialize in wound care and you still can't find two doctors that agree on the treatment. Most nurses that come to your home are damn near incompetant. They can't keep a wound clean. They don't understand what sterile dressings are and you'd heal faster if a dog licks your wound after a nurse dresses it.
First thing you have to do is get the wound clean. If the nurse has her face by the wound without a mask while she describes it. It's not clean now. If she uses hand sanitizer a lot, she is just transporting germs from place to place. You can expect to fight more infections than actually heal with most home care nurses. Have your doctor perscribe in detail how to wash hands after putting on a face mask. You can give her sterile gloves but don't be surprized if she drops one on the floor n mumbles about a 5 second rule..
So you want it to heal. are you taking probiotics and multivitamins?
Keep very few people involved. Hopefully the cleanest you can find. Family is best because your system is use to their germs.
A low air loss mattress has been proven in tests to promote healing and good granu;lation. So medicare won't pay for that in many states. But they will pay to send incompetant nurses to spread disease to your home.
Start reading and when you see the mouth breathing, slackjawed women with a baseball card on her lapel lowering her head where she can see the wound better and complaining about measuring in metrics, you'll think of my letter and laugh.
I'n many cases wounds can heal up most quickly with a skin graph. You have to dedicate yourself to this precess.
What heals wounds? I told you that is a philosophical question. Nothing heels them. You get lucky and they finally go away.
Stoke up on probiotics and vitamins. Get roach killer because you are bait. Be picky about which nurse may and may not be sent to your home!
john

[WilliamCraig]

Thanks for the help guys.

I mentioned what you guys have been saying about the medicine and nutrition. You must have been right, because they stopped putting medicine on it... as in no medicine at all. They now come in once a day to clean it and put a pad on it. They also dropped off some food high in protein after talking with them about nutrition.

They did a culture (sp?) test and told me that I had 3 different infections... that would explain why it has healed slowly!

I'm staying off my bottom more and hoping for a recovery soon... then I will never, ever, ever, ever, ever get a bedsore again lol I hate them.

[4Wheels]

I've been battling one on my left hip for about 2 1/2 years, when I first got it there was a lot of debreading (hate that crap) my wife mostly used wet to dry packings for about a year.... Kept getting staff infections (Started taking Olive Leaf Extract capsules - 500mg twice a day) haven't had an infection since........

Diet is very important, as I should probally eat more fruit......
Sore is finally almost gone...... (Oh And I Quit Smoking - Bummer, miss them)

Put triple anti-biotic cream around the wound, it's cheap.... We are now putting a small amout of Silvsorb gell in it, with no packing and a 4x4 over it......

Make sure that Roho has the cells tied off under your wound.....

Good Luck!

Jim

Edited by 4Wheels, 30 October 2007 - 01:44 AM.

[WilliamCraig]

Hey, Jim. What do you mean by "Make sure that Roho has the cells tied off under your wound"? Also, can you put triple anti-biotic in the wound?

Sorry for the many questions I'm asking in this thread, but I'm completely ignorant when it comes to pressure sores. This is my first major one.

[edlee]

John S must live nearby as I think I have met all the nurses he was talking about. Met and eventually threw out of the house.

I finially found a wound care specialist (Dr.), after a year of struggling with the above mentioned mouth breathers, who immediatly prescribed a Wound Vac system.

It's name is what it does. It is a portable unit that applies a negative pressure to the wound thereby removing any liquid. The waterproof dressing is changed every other day by anyone who can take simple instruction and has basic handwashing skills mastered.

This , with my low air loss matress and my roho , allowed me to go about my daily life while allowing a 7 cm by 9 cm by 3cm deep sore on my tailbone to heal completely in just over a year.

My doctor also suggested that I allow it to air dry after showering before replacing the dressing, and that soap and water wouldn't hurt it.

I followed all his instructions except the ones about staying off of it. Maybe it would have healed sooner if I had, but I'm not one to stay in one place long if left to my own devices.

Google woundvac to get more info and maybe print it out for your doctor as he probably won't do it himself.

Best of luck. Those things would be a pain in the ass if we had feeling down there.
ed

[4Wheels]

William,
I used a wound Vac on three seperate occasions, last time it did more damage than good..... But for large areas they work great (if the person putting it on the wound knows what the're doing....)

By tieing off your Roho cushion cell or cells under where you sit will keep pressure off the wound....
(Some people use rubber bands, I would wrap electrical tape tightly around the bottom of the cell)

I don't know if the triple anti-biotc cream in the wound would help or hurt????

I do remember using this one Liquid Concoction called Jors Solution (i think) it had three seperate liquid anti-biotics mixed with it, Stunk like hell - you had to keep it refrigereated - and was only good for 2 weeks..... Oh and if you don't have insurance, forget it - it as real expensive! My wife used it twice a day on my wound like a wet to dry......

You might try the Olive Leaf Extract capsules, 500mg twice a day........I haven't had an infection since taking them...........

Good Luck!

Jim

[john S.]

edlee, on Oct 31 2007, 03:48 PM, said:

John S must live nearby as I think I have met all the nurses he was talking about. Met and eventually threw out of the house.

I finially found a wound care specialist (Dr.), after a year of struggling with the above mentioned mouth breathers, who immediatly prescribed a Wound Vac system.

It's name is what it does. It is a portable unit that applies a negative pressure to the wound thereby removing any liquid. The waterproof dressing is changed every other day by anyone who can take simple instruction and has basic handwashing skills mastered.

This , with my low air loss matress and my roho , allowed me to go about my daily life while allowing a 7 cm by 9 cm by 3cm deep sore on my tailbone to heal completely in just over a year.

My doctor also suggested that I allow it to air dry after showering before replacing the dressing, and that soap and water wouldn't hurt it.

I followed all his instructions except the ones about staying off of it. Maybe it would have healed sooner if I had, but I'm not one to stay in one place long if left to my own devices.

Google woundvac to get more info and maybe print it out for your doctor as he probably won't do it himself.

Best of luck. Those things would be a pain in the ass if we had feeling down there.
ed

Can I ask how you get a low air loss mattress? Did you buy it yourself? Did you have private insurance? I had one about 14 years ago that lasted 9 years. I haven't been able to afford a new one so I have a $230 P.O.S. with egg crate foam. Its painfull, it leaves red marks on my skin and I haven't slept more than 2 hours at a time for a few years.
The pain I'm in just keeps getting worse. I layed on a low air loss mattress at the wound care center and fell asleep for45 minutes before they woke me.
If I don't get some relief soon I'm really thinking about suicide a lot.
If anyone knows how a medicaid/medicare client can get a low air loss mattress, I'd sure appreciate any help or ideas.

john

[Aaron Jazz]

John, As you can see from the replies you have been getting, there is help out there, just hang on in, I know its easy for me to say this, I'm not in your position but, if anyone can fix you up, I'm sure the guys on this site will try tfor you. I really hope you get a pressure mattress, I believe it is really good, I am new to all this but it was the first thing I bought for my son. We did fund raising and bought it. Hang in there regards Joyce

[edlee]

I was , apparantly, very lucky to have been on workers comp, and had no trouble with obtaining equipment in the beginning. That has changed somewhat now.

I have been told, tho, that even medicare will supply these matresses as long as the proper protocol is followed. They are classified as "durable" and must, first of all, be prescribed by a doctor.

Your best help with cutting through the red tape will be found at an equipment dealer. They need to be aware of all the regulations in order to make their living. Since their profit depends on the sale, they will be much more interested in your satisfaction than the average government worker might be.

I don't know if I have been of any help, but I wish you well.
ed

[rkzenrage]

Being in chronic pain is nothing I am new to.
I have no new information for you, but am thinking of you and sending much love your way and to those that care for you.

[smokymtn memories]

I have nothing to add to the advice given. Just want to say, I wish you well and hope you heal soon.

[WilliamCraig]

Things are healing for me much better now that I've been fighting off those infections. I've probably got a couple of months ahead of me... give or take a month.

Thank you all for the help and support, guys. It has been greatly appreciated.



John S,

Quote

If anyone knows how a medicaid/medicare client can get a low air loss mattress, I'd sure appreciate any help or ideas.

john

Sadly, the way the system appears to be, the best time to get equipment like that is when you have a bedsore or some other injury. I never qualified for my own bed or Roho for some reason, however when I got my bedsore I got a Roho and bed immediately. Weird...

[WilliamCraig]

Well, I saw my doctor today and he decided to check me in the hospital until I can get rid of the MRSA and get my bedsore back on the healing track.

I'll be back, though.

Later, guys.

[Tim13]

Good luck, hope you get better soon.

[WilliamCraig]

Well, as you can see, I've been back for a bit. After staying for 7 or 8 days, my doctor informed me that he would prefer me staying for roughly a month, but I convinced him to send me home under the supervision of home health care.

Thankfully, my attempts at begging him have been successful... hospitals are depressing to say the least. I am sure that one month in a hospital will feel like four.

MRSA has been fought back down to a dormant state after just a few days and presently my injury is somewhere between a Grade I/Grade II. Back on the road to recovery, I am.

[nomis]

Phew!

[Martin55]

I have a pressure sore since 2003, i had a flap operation on it but got MRSA. It is near impossible to get rid of. But you are better out of hospital as you keep getting re-infeaced in there. My sore needs another operation but i'm putting it off as i hope it will heal it self. I am afraid of getting more bugs if i went back into hospital.
best of luck
Martin

[john S.]

WilliamCraig, on Oct 25 2007, 10:39 AM, said:

I'm a paraplegic and I've been dealing with the worse bedsore I've ever had for almost a year now (it is presently a Grade III). I have nurses coming by every morning putting a Tegaderm patch over an application of something called Silver Sulfadiazine Cream, but I haven't had much noted improvement after months of close treatment. Thus far, my pressure sore has closed merely a centimeter.

I'm wondering whether or not these nurses and doctors are putting the right medicine on... or if they could be doing something better that they might not know of. I'm one of the few paraplegics in the area I live in, so the medical community here doesn't have much experience with issues regarding paraplegics.

You guys, I'm sure, have a collected experience with bedsores, so anything you provide me is greatly appreciated. This thing is really dragging me down to a really depressed state. I'd like to move on with my life without any further restrictions, you know?

WC

As time passes doctors and nurses rotate their beliefs about curing pressure wounds. In reality theu almost never cure it. You turn up getting surgury or you go home and slap a chaw of tobacco on the wound and it heals and nobody ever believes you. Alowing Dogs to lick pressure wounds seems to work fast but its hard to get a script for it. Do not get depressed. that makes everything worse. Stop letting nurses dress your wound daily. the best they could hope for is infecting it and you simply die of sepsis. The medical community will never admitt you died from a pressure wound and the lawyers at Medicaid should be used as test animals.
Tegaderm is only suppose to be reaplied each week. Don't let a nurse debreed the wound. She won't know what she's doing. The stuff they are using is silly. If it ever heals it will be from spite. if your wound is actually clean, try peru balsam in very thin application. If your wound is still showing signs of infection then a culture and sensativity would make sense but your doctor sounds like he studied medicine with Civil War graduates.
If I were you I'd get a new doctor and a nurse that has actually healed a wound. In fact, I'd want some proof the doctor ever healed a wound. Letting a healthy dog lick the wound several times a day would probably heal it fastest. Don't put down tobacco chaws if your letting them use ionized silver and petroleum. They are just milking your wound for the money.
Unfortunately, most doctors do about as well as snake oil when it comes to pressure wounds. You should be on a low air loss mattress that leaks over 100cubic feet of air per minute to 170. Noisey pump, I know, but it'll keep your wound healing. Start taking pro-biotics like asidophilus and stress formula vitamins. Do not let anyone near the wound that says the word, "packing". They can go pack themselves. Wet to dry is what they do when they are so lost they haven't a clue. If you use the peru balsam, only a thin smear is enough. Use very fine gauze. and paper tape. Do not scrub the wound! to wash the wound mix apple cider vinegar 10 to one with water that's been boiled. An eyedropper is great. Course gauze to dab any excess away.
If you have a healthy dog, trust me, they have good bacteria in their saliva. You may have to wash away any apple cider. The mattress will keep you dry but not too dry while minimizing pressure everywhere. Taking vitamins helps your mood and you heal faster. The acidopholus helps build up your ability to digest a good diet completely so you do not get sick.
I'm not crazy. Just been a quad for 32 years.

john

[kewlcatkez]

john S., on Jan 2 2008, 08:08 PM, said:

As time passes doctors and nurses rotate their beliefs about curing pressure wounds. In reality theu almost never cure it. You turn up getting surgury or you go home and slap a chaw of tobacco on the wound and it heals and nobody ever believes you. Alowing Dogs to lick pressure wounds seems to work fast but its hard to get a script for it. Do not get depressed. that makes everything worse. Stop letting nurses dress your wound daily. the best they could hope for is infecting it and you simply die of sepsis. The medical community will never admitt you died from a pressure wound and the lawyers at Medicaid should be used as test animals.

As a trained RN who is now on the other side of the coin, I do want to offer my defense to some of the points you raised. Do not get me wrong, I have been on the receiving end of substandard 'care', perhaps as a result of the fact I am an RN. I think that they thought I should care for myself, at a time when I could not.

MRSA and other Nosocomial infections have been around far longer than people are willing to admit. the difference is that greater demands on staff means less time for the basics, because of cuts..years ago people who dies were labelled as dying from "Consumption" etc.

Yes, theories do change and that is one thing which is frustrating as a Nurse, I found. However, researching is the way to approach these things, its how we all learn, by looking atb the behaviour and properties of a said subject and improving or changing an element, or just studying how it is. We regards to the Dog licking the wound, there is much evidence to support this, much as there is to support other things.

Also, it is common knowledge amongst Nurses and wound specialists that changing a dressing every day damages the healing as it removes the granulating tissue and the environment the body has provided. Of course this is not always possible if the wound is draining profrusely or has a lot of exudate.

When I was a student Nurse, I was on a placement with a District Community Nurse. We visited an Elderly chap who had had cancer for many years. He had an ulcerated hug mass protruding from the stoma he had ( Colostomy). As we got there, he laid newspapers and carrier bags on the floor there was grease and dirt and general musty smell. The nurse dressed his wound in less than perfect surroundings as she had done for 5 years. By all accounts he should have been riddled with infection, However he wasnt. This was thought to be because the dirt and bacterium around him were 'his' and as such his body was able to function in that.

At the end of the day, I just felt this post personally today. I just felt that you see all Nurses as being worthless. Of course if one person "pees in the water" it contaminates it for us all, but I just wanted to defend the profession that I was proud to be part of. Its the only thing left that I can do for it.

Take care,

K

Edited to add: I am probably being over sensitive but I wanted to leave this anyway... as I don;t believe in deleting..

Edited by kewlcatkez, 02 January 2008 - 11:45 PM.

[john S.]

kewlcatkez, on Jan 2 2008, 06:39 PM, said:

john S., on Jan 2 2008, 08:08 PM, said:

As time passes doctors and nurses rotate their beliefs about curing pressure wounds. In reality theu almost never cure it. You turn up getting surgury or you go home and slap a chaw of tobacco on the wound and it heals and nobody ever believes you. Alowing Dogs to lick pressure wounds seems to work fast but its hard to get a script for it. Do not get depressed. that makes everything worse. Stop letting nurses dress your wound daily. the best they could hope for is infecting it and you simply die of sepsis. The medical community will never admitt you died from a pressure wound and the lawyers at Medicaid should be used as test animals.

As a trained RN who is now on the other side of the coin, I do want to offer my defense to some of the points you raised. Do not get me wrong, I have been on the receiving end of substandard 'care', perhaps as a result of the fact I am an RN. I think that they thought I should care for myself, at a time when I could not.

MRSA and other Nosocomial infections have been around far longer than people are willing to admit. the difference is that greater demands on staff means less time for the basics, because of cuts..years ago people who dies were labelled as dying from "Consumption" etc.

Yes, theories do change and that is one thing which is frustrating as a Nurse, I found. However, researching is the way to approach these things, its how we all learn, by looking atb the behaviour and properties of a said subject and improving or changing an element, or just studying how it is. We regards to the Dog licking the wound, there is much evidence to support this, much as there is to support other things.

Also, it is common knowledge amongst Nurses and wound specialists that changing a dressing every day damages the healing as it removes the granulating tissue and the environment the body has provided. Of course this is not always possible if the wound is draining profrusely or has a lot of exudate.

When I was a student Nurse, I was on a placement with a District Community Nurse. We visited an Elderly chap who had had cancer for many years. He had an ulcerated hug mass protruding from the stoma he had ( Colostomy). As we got there, he laid newspapers and carrier bags on the floor there was grease and dirt and general musty smell. The nurse dressed his wound in less than perfect surroundings as she had done for 5 years. By all accounts he should have been riddled with infection, However he wasnt. This was thought to be because the dirt and bacterium around him were 'his' and as such his body was able to function in that.

At the end of the day, I just felt this post personally today. I just felt that you see all Nurses as being worthless. Of course if one person "pees in the water" it contaminates it for us all, but I just wanted to defend the profession that I was proud to be part of. Its the only thing left that I can do for it.

Take care,

K

Edited to add: I am probably being over sensitive but I wanted to leave this anyway... as I don;t believe in deleting..

I hope I didn't hurt your feelings. I was commenting on the diffuse opinions I have run into over the years. Treatments that are designed to take money from the insurance companies and government medical community. If I have a wound and go see three wound specialists, I'll get three different treatments. the wounds become so depressing that even the nurses can't seem to show any enthusiasm for the doctors"great new idea". I still see people using caustic cleaning solutions after the debreeding. Then I see my uncle with neuropathy beginning and he opens the doctors dressing and adds a partially chewed chunk of tobacco into the wound and never buys the medicine but has the wound healed in 6 weeks. The man has healed a wound on a leg the doctors want to remove!
His dressing changes are done with three dogs licking the wound clean for about ten minutes and doing the tobacco thing again with a clean bandaid. I've let dogs lick cuts and scrapes and they do heal faster. Even I am a bit freaked out when it comes to a stage 3 or 4 wound.
I swear it had nothing to do with centering on nurses. it was about the system.
I do wish you a wonderful new year and I appologize if I hurt your feelings. I appreciate your pride and I'm sure you were a superior nurse. I would have deleted it if I thought it would cause any grief. It like myself, was intended to create a smile. I know how depressing wounds are to doctors nurses, and patients. Sometimes it is very hard to get a smile near the subject.
All my best wishes,

john

[kewlcatkez]

john S., on Jan 3 2008, 04:26 AM, said:

I hope I didn't hurt your feelings. I was commenting on the diffuse opinions I have run into over the years. Treatments that are designed to take money from the insurance companies and government medical community. If I have a wound and go see three wound specialists, I'll get three different treatments. the wounds become so depressing that even the nurses can't seem to show any enthusiasm for the doctors"great new idea". I still see people using caustic cleaning solutions after the debreeding. Then I see my uncle with neuropathy beginning and he opens the doctors dressing and adds a partially chewed chunk of tobacco into the wound and never buys the medicine but has the wound healed in 6 weeks. The man has healed a wound on a leg the doctors want to remove!
His dressing changes are done with three dogs licking the wound clean for about ten minutes and doing the tobacco thing again with a clean bandaid. I've let dogs lick cuts and scrapes and they do heal faster. Even I am a bit freaked out when it comes to a stage 3 or 4 wound.
I swear it had nothing to do with centering on nurses. it was about the system.
I do wish you a wonderful new year and I appologize if I hurt your feelings. I appreciate your pride and I'm sure you were a superior nurse. I would have deleted it if I thought it would cause any grief. It like myself, was intended to create a smile. I know how depressing wounds are to doctors nurses, and patients. Sometimes it is very hard to get a smile near the subject.
All my best wishes,

john

Hello John S,

I would like to sincerely apologise for my post last night. Unfortunately, I was feeling a bit sorry for myself yesterday, and when I do it tends to focus upon my lost Career which I believe was a 'calling' - corny and arrogant, I know.

When I read your post again, I really do not know why I took such umbrage! I try not to get sensitive about these subjects, but to be honest I am just grieving for the career I lost more than for any other aspect. In my case, I did go back and try to carry on. As a senior RN in a very acute area, much of my work was centred upon the treatment rather than the manual handling, anyway. I still performed 'mouth care' and other such tasks of personal care, and lots of roles can be undertaken sat down such as ECGs, Venepuncture and Cannulation etc, that it seemed doable. Unfortunately, because I have very frequent dislocations and associated pain as well as paralysis, it wasn't ever going to be simple. The hospital Trust was very opposed to Nurses in chairs, not matter if you could get around the issues. Although I undertook roles of teaching student nurses and overseeing their practice as part of my job anyway, they wanted me too just focus on that. That would never be the right thing for me to do, as I felt I was meant to have patient contact.

I DO appreciate you sharing your experiences. I do know that there is a lot of benefit from some of the things you mentioned. "Therapies" such as using Maggots to debride a wound, are procedures which have been used for Centuries. How fabulous are ones such as using Leeches to draw blood? Its both beneficial and wonderful and sometimes much more gentle and natural to go back to some of the basic therapies. After all, I for one believe that our World contains everything that we need to maintain and heal. I see some of the man made therapies as supporting the natural and of course for those situations and illnesses which would have been fatal in years gone by and of course to provide mass production of types of therapies ( such as the production of synthetic Opiates etc).

Anyway, to cut the story short, we came to a mutual decision that I should not carry on. It was a very emotional day for all of us. My manager said many things which I thought were platitudes but which I since have seen evidence that she truly meant.


With regards to my 'story' its here in the Stories thread, but I just wanted to explain here a little more about why I was so silly and over sensitive yesterday, whilst at the same time, without sounding like I am blowing my own trumpet, I hope its explains my silly-ness.
I loved my job and as a result I think it showed. I have scores of cards and letters addressed to me personally thanking me for the little things. I recall many many times staying on until 5 and 10 hours even after my shift ended to help out. One day it was to keep 'shocking' a man who I nursed on CCU who kept going into VT arrest. We had to shock him 60 times in one day ( 12 hour period) and did so until he had an internal Defib implanted.

Of course there were the (seemingly) little things to, like staying behind to perform the last rites b/c the family or patient themselves had requested that, or bringing in a client's fave fruit or snack because they had no one to do that for them,

I say all this here not to say how wonderful I think I was. I just want to share it, get it all out. I DO feel that I gave my all and that I was one of the better Nurses who saw my role as almost a Honour. Thats how it should be.

I've found this theraputic cathartic even...I HOPE that you understand a little of why I reacted in such a disproportional way. I do once again apologise to you and others who I may have upset or insulted.

Thank you for taking the time to reply to me,
Take care,

K

[sprintcar88h]

john S., on Oct 31 2007, 04:30 PM, said:

Can I ask how you get a low air loss mattress? Did you buy it yourself? Did you have private insurance? I had one about 14 years ago that lasted 9 years. I haven't been able to afford a new one so I have a $230 P.O.S. with egg crate foam. Its painfull, it leaves red marks on my skin and I haven't slept more than 2 hours at a time for a few years.
The pain I'm in just keeps getting worse. I layed on a low air loss mattress at the wound care center and fell asleep for45 minutes before they woke me.
If I don't get some relief soon I'm really thinking about suicide a lot.
If anyone knows how a medicaid/medicare client can get a low air loss mattress, I'd sure appreciate any help or ideas.

john

I know this thread is older but here it a site i found for a low air loss air mattress which is cheap as hell compared to what your paying for that p.o.s.
bed foam egg crate

http://www.specialty...elief-Surfaces/

http://www.specialty...cement-Pad.html

Edited by sprintcar88h, 31 July 2008 - 11:23 PM.

[sunset]

Hi, My father is a paraplegic and dealing with the same bedsore problem. What finally did work for you since it has been almost a year since you asked for help? Please help, it's the only way we can get straight answers. Thank you so much.

Sunset