Every week when I go to the wound clinic

[Curt Leatherbee]

The Doctor scrapes out the pressure sore on my foot, it is taking forever to heal. Is it best just to not mess with it and let it heal? The Doctor claims you gotta get rid of the dead grass for the new grass to grow. I'm starting to wonder if I'd be better off just not going to the wound clinic and letting it heal on it's own?

[lynnifer]

Not sure how small your wound is, but shouldn't be a need for debridement more than every 4-6 weeks (just in my own experience). Try it for two weeks?

[Bonnette]

It seems to me that debridement every week will not only remove dead tissue, but also the delicate new granulation tissue that has developed since the last appointment - thus defeating the purpose. I agree with Lynnifer, you might consider spreading the appointments a little further apart and see if the wound starts healing faster.

[SCI-Nurse]

Is this a real wound clinic, or a podiatrist office? Are they experienced in SCI pressure ulcer management, or do they do mostly diabetic foot ulcers? What treatment are you doing between these debridements?

Sounds like a cash cow for this physician (doing a debridement gets him a much better insurance reimbursement than doing a wound check and dressing change only).

How is your nutrition? What is your CRP? Your pre-albumin level? Have you been tested for possible osteomyelitis?

(KLD)

[Craig80]

Curt, I have trouble healing pressure sores on my ankle area and they will heal only with a cast, it keeps edema down and keeps the sores from any pressure. Still have to see the wound therapist weekly at first, later about 10 days or so. It still takes 3-4 months to heal a 18mm sore.

[Curt Leatherbee]

Originally Posted by SCI-Nurse

Is this a real wound clinic, or a podiatrist office? Are they experienced in SCI pressure ulcer management, or do they do mostly diabetic foot ulcers? What treatment are you doing between these debridements?

Sounds like a cash cow for this physician (doing a debridement gets him a much better insurance reimbursement than doing a wound check and dressing change only).

How is your nutrition? What is your CRP? Your pre-albumin level? Have you been tested for possible osteomyelitis?

(KLD)

It's strange because I've never had this sort of thing before. A black spot appeared on the left side of my left foot around 5 months ago and got all red around it (half the size of a dime) so I spent all this time trying to heal that and around a month ago the same thing happened same foot only in a totally different spot (just below the big toe on the foot where the bone sticks out) and the exact same thing. Black spot which he said was dead skin and he cut it out and it is hopefully healing now.

But ya, I'm really starting to wonder if this place is a cash cow, it is a wound care clinic with lines of people waiting to get in and I'm sure all being scraped every week like me. I had a 2:15 appointment weds and waited 2 hours to get in and no apology or anything. Why even bother having an appointment?

He has me on cipro now because it looked like the skin around the wound was getting infected (red) and looks better now since I've been on cipro the past few days (skin is peeling a bit). I think at this point I'll just stay on the Cipro for the ten days he wanted me to stay on it, cancel my appointment for next week and try and let these things heal. He has me putting that cloth silver stuff over the wounds with a bandage. Was using the silver ointment but the wounds were getting to damp and forming a white skin around them.

I'm getting really tired of all this. In fact I even feel wiped out. What does the test for Osteomylitus involve? I did have a bad infection same foot on the big toe for a couple months this past winter, toe was all red. I think it from a skin crack in between the toes.

[Craig80]

tests for osteomyelitis, bone scan or mri.

[Curt Leatherbee]

I guess maybe I should have that done on my left foot, maybe it spread into my body because it seems lately my wrists ache a lot. There is no swelling of the foot and I've had no fever or anything. Thanks Craig.

[Craig80]

A non healing wound that continue to get infected despite antibiotics is why my doctors suspected osteo. If osteo is the diagnosis, important they get a culture and get you on the right IV antibiotic. No problem Curt, hope you get to the bottom of this, your wrist stop hurting, and you can go on bombing down the roads with your power pod.

[smashms]

i would seek advice from another doctor curt, debriding a wound every week i would think would be worse than letting it heal, just my opinion. good luck