Off the topic of travel for a moment.
Pressure sores. They used to be called bed sores, but obviously times have once again called for a new label that is more acceptable. This one actually makes sense to me. Tissue is damaged from too much pressure on one particular area of the body. While this may happen from being in one position in bed, it may also happen because a person is wheel chair bound.
Dennis is beginning to develop pressure sores. What do I do? I call the doctor, I look up information on the Internet, I check out the Mayo clinic site and blah, blah, blah. What do I get?
A bunch of contradictory information.
Keep it dry. Keep it moist. Bandage it. Don't bandage it. Move the patient every 15 minutes (yet another toil on my sleep). Again, blah, blah, blah.
It seems to me that bed sores have been around as long as man has existed. How can it be that there is not a real treatment for such an every day occurrence? Have we, as a medical field and a society, just ignored the pain a patient must be in once bound to a bed or a chair? Why hasn't anyone warned me about this before it became a problem?
Okay, I am frustrated. I am sick myself, and since it is a holiday, I have no help. My sister and brother in law are not here because of bad weather (3 inches of snow) in London and some paper work that the US requires for visitors (Ralph is still considered a visitor). I invited Hamed and Ashley over for Christmas Day, and I feel like shit. So perhaps this is not the best time for me to write about such a common ailment.
Maybe I should just make myself a hot brandy (I actually do have brandy in the house for my "famous" Christmas coffee) and try to go back to sleep.
And, no, there will not be a picture today!
Until later,
Ann and Dennis
10 comments:
Well, Merry Christmas anyway.
Ugh, I too am awake.
This forum is mainly for spinal cord injured people - they have tons of information on pressure sores, how to avoid them and how to treat them.
http://sci.rutgers.edu/forum
If you can't find what you need, and post a question, the SCI nurse will probably answer you - they are true experts on the subject.
I think the 15 minute pressure reliefs are while in a wheelchair, not sleeping. There are special beds in some cases, or at least special mattresses.
Pressure sores can be very serious - if he has a significant one, you might need wound care people.
I'm sorry you have this to deal with now.
I am sorry you are up at this hour, too. Thanks for the information, I will check it out when I am finished lamenting on the situation. Tomorrow at the latest.
You are right - the suggest 1/2 hour switches at night.
We will visit the doctor after the holidays if it does not clear up soon.
Happy holidays to you, also. Care to share who you are?
We had a lot of luck with using lots of Calmoseptine lotion and varying my Dad's position in his wheelchair (it was reclinable). He also got a special mattress that uses variable air pressure. I also had to be careful to avoid scooting Dad on his chair when most of his weight was on his but. The nurses said that what my Dad primarily had were shear sores from scooting him across the chair (I'd pull on the back of his trousers to get his back against the back of the chair).
Our nurses primarily went the no-bandage route and that always seemed to work very well for us. I think varying the recline on his chair on a regular basis is the most important thing. You can usually tell from the position of the sores whether they are related to sleeping or sitting. My Dad would usually sleep in the same position all night with his special mattress and we didn't have to move him. Unfortunately, Medicare would only pay for the mattress when he actually had the pressure sores. When they went away, the nurses were forced to take the mattress away, which makes absolutely no sense to me.
Hoping and praying you have a Merry Christmas in spite of your difficulties (and get some relief soon).
Tom, there is no insurance that makes sense to me. Too many rules. We want to start Dennis on hospice, but they don't allow feeding tubes. We can afford the food but we can't afford the changing of the tube - it's 3 grand each time.
I did purchase some calmoseptine, but the nurse didn't think it would be the best thing. I think I will ignore her and give it a try.
Thanks, once again, for sharing your knowledge.
Ann
My wife, at 72, has had MSA for 6 years. She has a G-tube and a trach. She has pressure sores occasionally. Recently a nurse suggested she use Juven, a specialized nutrition powder made by Abbott, makers of Ensure. This is supposed to help build new tissue and reduce pressure sore potential. I can't verify results yet as she just started.
Thanks, Norm. Keep me posted, please.
Hi - I'm the first anon - I really must figure out how to get myself a name on blogger, I just haven't yet.
My name is Tracy, I just came across your blog somehow. I know several people with a lot of medical issues, and have friends and family in medical professions. So I pick up some useful things on occasion.
I've posted on your blog before a time or two - apologies for not introducing myself properly.
You are amazing, what you accomplish with what you two have. Just amazing.
I hope Dennis's sore heals soon.
no apologies necessary. It is always nice to know the names of the people that are answering and reading, however. I did check out the site you mentioned and it had some good information. Thanks.
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