Followup: tissue infection

[Blueberry]

HIP???????

How'd it go??????

[Brandi]

I am going nuts here! I sure hope she is ok!

[Blueberry]

Me too! That is one mean looking wound. Reminds me how lucky I am to be in good health and have good health insurance.

[chickwhorips]

since we haven't heard from her, hopefully this means she's getting good treatment!

[Brandi]

since we haven't heard from her, hopefully this means she's getting good treatment!

I was thinking the same thing. We just have to be patient and hope for the best. Does she have any family around there? I can't remember if she has mentioned any?

[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.)

[kelownagirl]

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.)

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...

[spindizzy]

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.)

Ehhh?

[HipGnosis6]

LOL... all of you who are like, check in! check in! are so cute. :-) It's only just now 6, and I stayed at work until 5 like a normal person today.

Anyhow, the nice people at the wound clinic did the following things:

1. They took a new wound culture and will have the results when I go back early next week. They don't think there's serious infection left, but the damage was done by a MRSA infection so they want to be sure which antibiotics will be effective. They feel that this is primarily stasis ulcer caused by swelling and then excaberated by the MRSA infection, so they're going to treat with compression therapy.

2. They listened with a little microphone tool to the circulation in my leg and foot below the wound to check for problems. That was fine, which was kind of up in the air - the wound had its genesis in a car accident so there very well could have been blood flow problems.

3. They dressed the wound. And they were for serious about it, too. It's a compression dressing to force the fluids out of the limb. They started with an ointment on the cracked, irritated skin around the mouth of the ulcer and then topped the ulcer with a sponge covered with some sort of iodine paste (they told me the name but I forgot). They topped that with some sort of non-stick mesh, then wrapped me up in an absorbent cotton dressing from the ball of my foot to the knee. That was topped with an elastic wrap, and on top of that is a layer of self-adhesive stretch gauze. I go in for a dressing change on Tuesday afternoon, and then once a week thereafter.

4. They asked me to do my best to elevate my foot 10 inches or more above my heart for 1-3 hours a day, with more being better than less. And drink plenty of water, and walking is beneficial - it creates a kind of pumping action that helps move blood and fluids through.


And that, my friends, is all the treatment they think I'll need to clear up this miserable wound! No surgery, no grafts. It's a cost-effective solution, and we can all sleep better knowing that I'm not going to lose all or part of my leg. YAY!!!!!

I will keep you all informed if there's any changes, 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.

[colby]

Finally! Great news, Hip. People who know what they are doing are actually doing something for you for a change.

[Brandi]

Yeeeeessssss! That all sounds awesome! Very good. It all sounds really posative! Can't wait to see your progress! And thank you for keeping us updated and finally with some good news.

[Eden]

.... 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.

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)

[Brandi]

Me too! That is one mean looking wound. Reminds me how lucky I am to be in good health and have good health insurance.

I know exactly what you mean. My insurance isn't great but I am covered enough I wouldn't loose my house. I hope