Followup: tissue infection

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Originally Posted by HipGnosis6

.... and plan on taking photos at each of my dressing change sessions. I know, a little morbid, but I want to watch Richard smother. Ha.

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It's not morbid at all. - Its actually a good way to track the progress you are making. Strange as it sounds I am trained as and worked for 7 years as a medical photographer. One of the things that I did each and every week was go to the wound clinic and photograph all of the wounds to put into the charts for progress checks. The doc/nurse sees so many wounds that it may be hard for them to remember the size and conditions of each individual person's enough. Sometimes I've seen them put a little plastic thing over the wound and trace it, but hey a picture really is worth 1,000 words. Put something in for measurement every time if you want to be really effective. (I used to work up in your neck of the woods Mimi - at the VA)

Good to hear you were able to get treatment Hip.

Thanks for being forceful & getting the treatment you require. Yes, please keep us updated.

C

well, this is the best news I've heard all day! a great relief.

Mimi

Yay!!!! Glad things are looking up - hopefully it will *feel* better too!

CA

Wonderful news Hip!! :) keep us updated and i think it is great you are watching him smother. :D

Most excellent! And I look forward to all the gory photos. Cause I'm geeky like that. :o

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Originally Posted by KnottedYet

Her family is here in the Seattle area.

Honestly, whoever suggested going to Canada had a good idea. Even if you pay cash (non-resident price for healthcare or medicines) it's often cheaper than what you would pay out-of-pocket here. The drive from Seattle would get expensive for the long-term care an infected wound would require, though.

I grew up right on the US/Canada border, and we'd often go to Canada for things that were just too expensive here. Sometimes I feel more Canadian than US. (and I'm told I sound Canadian, too.)

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That's funny Knott - we used to go to the states to buy gas and dairy products among other things. Of course, that was back before the exchange was so bad...

great news! smother him good!!!!!

Great news HipG! Sounds like they did a thorough assessment and came up with a sensible plan. Let's hope this drives the Earl off your leg fast and for good-and-ever.

Hello to all,

These are great news. Best wishes Hip. May Earl disappear promptly!

Best,

Patricia

How you doing hip? Everything still feeling ok? When do you go back in to the Dr's?

Dressing change #1 is today, and then weekly thereafter. :-)

Hip - How'd the dressing change go??

CA

Hip, you know that this is no excuse for you not to ride with us in, say, a month?

How's that for the power of positive thinking, eh?

East Hill

Hip, hope you're healing up quickly, I was scared for you reading this thread.

East, I'll be in bandages for at least twice that long. They're restrictive enough at the ankle that riding would be quite uncomfortable and I can't get my foot into my fashionable size 43 1/2 Sidis. Tres pout!

But anyhow, y'all, here's the latest. I didn't take pictures at the first dressing change, but I will at the next one, which is monday. They'll asses and change the wound dressings weekly or thereabouts. At this first dressing change, the ulcer itself was a little less yellow and gross and is still 6 cm across and shaped like Australia. The skin around it was MUCH improved, which gives me faith that these people know what's what.

Hoooray!!!!!!!

Do everything they tell you! Oh, I'm so relieved that you're finally getting some care!

Good to hear you can already see positive changes.

You could always rename it "Ulcer Australis" given its shape.:p

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Originally Posted by KnottedYet

I grew up right on the US/Canada border, and we'd often go to Canada for things that were just too expensive here. Sometimes I feel more Canadian than US. (and I'm told I sound Canadian, too.)

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Ehhh?

OK, kids, I've found the downside to this treatment plan. The dressings get changed weekly, but in the meantime it's a lot like wearing the same socks for a week straight.

Awwwwwwwwww {{{{{{{{{{{{{{Hip}}}}}}}}}}}}}

Try to look at the bright side. Hard to do at times, but that darned nasty thing is going to be cured, dirty socks and all.

hang in there!

Hugs and butterflies,
~T~

Yea Hip!!!

Pictures, we want pictures. That Earl is going down!!

hang in there! (don't worry, we won't breathe too deeply around you...:D ;) )

So I had another dressing change today. I know I said I'd take pictures, and today would have been a good day for it. The wound bed is slightly smaller, and the depth has changed. However, she used a little scraper and took of a thick layer of what she called "Wound Snot" - a layer of dead tissue. Underneath it was red, healthy tissue! Yay!!!!

However, that last post of mine suggested that the dressings develop quite the odor. Well, it turns out that they shouldn't, at least not like they had. The odor was being caused by a yeast infection in the surrounding skin. She used a powder treatment and set me up for a dressing change on Friday instead of waiting until next monday.

I am sooo glad you are finally getting good care!

yipeee!!!! i'm glad your seeing improvement and getting good care.

I am so pleased to her your wound is healing and you are finally receiving excellent care. :)

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Originally Posted by doc

Yea Hip!!!

Pictures, we want pictures. That Earl is going down!!

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Ditto on both counts! :rolleyes:

progress! great!! thanks for keeping us up to date. we don't need photos
as much as we need these reports!

So I seem to be a bleeder and have been continuing to soak through the dressings on my wound - so I'm still having dressing changes twice a week instead of once. However, the dead yellow gross stuff on the surface of the wound is coming away and the hole is shrinking!!!

Today I forgot my camera. Next time, pictures will be taken.

I am so relieved you are getting treatment. You have no idea how worried I was that you were gonna end up with an amputation!

Hooray (?) for U.S. healthcare!

Personally, I think if you're getting your dressing changed twice a week, even if it is from more bleeding than average, that's a good thing! All that bleeding is flushing the really yucky stuff out, right?

Yay! So glad you're making such great progress!

Hugs and butterflies,
~T~

Yeaaaaaa! progress! So cool! I am happy for you!

This is good news -- I am very relieved for you, Hip!

Healing wishes,
Emily

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Originally Posted by KnottedYet

I am so relieved you are getting treatment. You have no idea how worried I was that you were gonna end up with an amputation!

Hooray (?) for U.S. healthcare!

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Same for me. I was truly worried for you and couldn't believe what happened.

However I can't endorse the "hooray", I just can't believe how much you had to go through just to get treated. Geez, it would almost have been the same time for you to move to Canada as a student and become eligible for care!!!

I'm happy Richard is vanishing, and hope he'll soon be history.

(that's why I put a "?" after the hooray.;) )

As long as your leg heals, that's all I care about.

Hey Hip,

How's Sir Richard? I'll visit your blog to see if you've noted anything there.

C

There are new pics in my livejournal.

Today's valentine's day visit to the wound clinic revealed Richard to be down to 4.2 cm across (from 6.5!) and shaped more like a heart than ever. I heard it mentioned by the staff a number of times. :-)

keeps lookin better! good good.

Hip! Good to hear Sir Richard is decreasing in size. :)

How much pain are you in? Any idea of how long it will take to fully heal?

Take care of yourself

c