[doublelibra]

Does anyone have any experience with puracol for a stage 4 pressure sore? Mine is at a standstill. It's been almost a year in bed and is still 2.5 cm. deep, although it's almost a pinpoint in circumference. My WC dr. is obsessed with doing flap surgery, which I'm trying to avoid. I'm SO sick of this!

[Somebody]

doublelibra, on Nov 13 2007, 08:32 AM, said:

Does anyone have any experience with puracol for a stage 4 pressure sore? Mine is at a standstill. It's been almost a year in bed and is still 2.5 cm. deep, although it's almost a pinpoint in circumference. My WC dr. is obsessed with doing flap surgery, which I'm trying to avoid. I'm SO sick of this!

I know exactly how you feel.

I layed in bed 5 yrs,
trying to get pressure sores healed on both butts (ishels)
Turning, packing, twice a day. To no avail.
I finally gave up & had flap surgery.
Everything healed up beautiful!
I was like, why did I wait?

I had a great surgeon. That's the key to it.
So I can't tell you what to do.
But it was the best thing in the world for me.

Why don't you want it?

[doublelibra]

Somebody, on Nov 15 2007, 04:25 PM, said:

doublelibra, on Nov 13 2007, 08:32 AM, said:

Does anyone have any experience with puracol for a stage 4 pressure sore? Mine is at a standstill. It's been almost a year in bed and is still 2.5 cm. deep, although it's almost a pinpoint in circumference. My WC dr. is obsessed with doing flap surgery, which I'm trying to avoid. I'm SO sick of this!

I know exactly how you feel.

I layed in bed 5 yrs,
trying to get pressure sores healed on both butts (ishels)
Turning, packing, twice a day. To no avail.
I finally gave up & had flap surgery.
Everything healed up beautiful!
I was like, why did I wait?

I had a great surgeon. That's the key to it.
So I can't tell you what to do.
But it was the best thing in the world for me.

Why don't you want it?

Thank you for your reply! The reasons don't want the surgery include:

I was told I will have to lie totally still in one position for 10 days after surgery
in the hospital. I am very susceptible to pneumonia, and would be in danger of that.

The hospital staff will not do proper bowel treatment for me. They wouldn't let me have magic bullet suppositories, and were afraid of doing digital stim. Last time I was in hospital for pneumonia I was incredibly backed up, to the point where my usually very low blood pressure was elevated enough that they were trying to give me blood pressure meds. I was having other symptoms of dysreflexia, as well.

Worse still. the WC DR. said I would have to spend 6 wks. in a nursing home to be on a Clinitron bed, which he said you can't have in your home. I don't know if that is because of medicaid rules or the weight of the bed. Shortly after my accident I spent 8 1/2 mos in a nursing home where I recieved very poor care in a morbid environment, with mostly inedible food. I came out of there with PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder). It is a miracle I didn't contract a resistant bacteria, because the place was only somewhat sanitary when they knew the State inspectors were coming, and these visits were rare and pre-announced.

Those are the main reasons! I am trying to consider it an option, though. Could you tell me more about your experience?

Does anybody else have any feedback?

[Brokeback Brenda]

You did not say where your sore is. I had one on my sacrum (top of my butt crack). After failed attempts with various dressings, bedrest, Wound VAC, and hyperbaric oxygen chamber treatments; after contracting many infections including MRSA, I was refered to a plastic surgeon for a muscle flap procedure. It was the best thing that could have happened to me. It was not without suffering though. (First off, you should make sure your anesthesiologist is well versed with AD-mine actually brought it up to me!!) After the surgery, I spent two weeks in a Clinitron bed, flat on my back. It was a circus act trying to eat! Someone would prepare my plate for me to eat and I would hold a mirror in one hand and my fork in the other w/ a towel on my chest to catch the mess!! It was hilarious, but it worked. They would have fed me, but I'm Miss Independant. They gave me meds to stop up my poo for a week to give the incision a chance to seal up a little. After that, they treated me to a daily Enemeez, which made me go pretty good, but I had to go on a Chux in bed as I could not sit yet. They did not do DS, but would check my rectum to make sure it was empty if I insisted. I didn't have many accident because I was so constipated from all the meds, that was good because they didn't understand my need to be on a schedule (with BP or meds so you have to be your own advocate, talk to you Dr about your concerns and make sure he writes orders for the magic bullet and DS or see if whoever usually does your BP at home can do it at the hospital). Unfortunately it took me months to get back on a schedule once I was back home. At two wks postop, they put me on a low loss air mattress and helped me turn side to side every 4 hrs. At this point I could also sit up a little so I could check my own damn rectum! lol At 3 wks postop, they let me sit in my chair for 20 min (I was never so happy to sit in my damn chair lol), and increased it by 5 min everyday (until I was cleared for unlimited at my 6 or 8 wk postop). I went home a few days after that. I was in the hospital a total of 24 days, so other than getting my bowels back in order, it only sucked for a little while and was totally worth it. I healed up great and have not had a problem since. I hope this helps!!