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Riverdale Asked July 2019

Has anyone dealt with taking someone to a wound care facility?

My 69 year old husband was successfully recovering from knee surgery 2 months ago. He was at the beach with our daughter and granddaughters and cut operated leg on a rock in the ocean. He went to Urgent Care that same day but it has now become infected. The stitches have been removed so that it can drain properly. He has been on massive doses of antibiotics in all forms. A doctor yesterday said she wanted him seen there. It is swollen, red although the pain has lessened. Sometimes a lot of things seem to just go wrong. He also has prostrate cancer and has to deal with it being removed soon. On another note we can't sell our house. Just a last minute whine I had to add for some release from all the angst.

Riverdale Jul 2019
To update with positive news: husband was taken in the middle of the night for a cat scan because if there was an abscess they were going to do surgery first thing this morning which I find positively somewhat amazing given that it is a major holiday. That was ruled out and he is responding well to the treatment. His leg looks much better today. They are not in a rush to release him which is also a bit amazing these days. So it seems as it will all work out. He is missing spending time with visiting family but will be alright which is good news. Thanks for all the advice.

Countrymouse Jul 2019
Riverdale, when I say "deep penetrating wound" I didn't mean the surgery - in every case, it's been a minor(ish) injury but it's the depth of skin the bacteria could get through that should have been looked at and wasn't. Mine was a cat bite, SO was clearing out his garden pond, slipped and cut his elbow on some stones, Nephew got knocked off his bicycle and was "grazed" - but every time, the wounds were cleaned, disinfected and dressed and we all got sent home. Only to return 24-60 hours later to far more drama, when we could have been given prophylactic antibiotics immediately and kept out of hospital.

Next time if it involves anything or any place dirty and the skin is broken right through, full thickness, I'll know to jump up and down and make a huge fuss about it.

Of course, it is also a heads-up about where will we all be when antibiotics stop working, and I do respect current policies related to antibiotic resistance, but for heaven's sake!

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BarbBrooklyn Jul 2019
((((( hugs)))))))) Riverdale. All good things to you and DH!
Riverdale Jul 2019
Thanks for your kind wishes.
Riverdale Jul 2019
Thanks for all the advice. My husband has been admitted. They aren't concerned with the wound but the infection that has set in. It is very red and swollen. Since this leg was operated on 2 months ago it was hard to understand it at first. Now he will be on 24/7 IV antibiotics and hopefully will heal.

AlvaDeer Jul 2019
A wound care facility is the place that you need to be, as if there IS an answer they will have it. When you have the hardware in it, and if the infection goes deep, this can be pretty bad. The antibiotics can be really bad as well, because of the danger of C-Diff, but there is honestly at this point no choice. This may come down to daily wound dressings and packings and healing it from the inside out. So sorry for this complication. So very sorry.

JoAnn29 Jul 2019
My daughter is a Unit manager for a woundcare facility. That is where you want to go. His healing will be so much faster.

rocketjcat Jul 2019
Yes. Wound care is an awesome specialty. I had to take Mom twice a week for 2 months when she had a huge gash on her leg from a fall. And that was augmented by dressing changes in between visits. After a fall in the NH causing a huge head bump her nurse practitioner brought in a different NP with wound care specialty who helped her tremendously.
And my DH got a life threatening infection after back surgery. Multiple trips to wound care, and I was taught how to pack it at home. IV antibiotics at home for 2 months. This is nothing to mess around with. Those specialists know what they’re doing.

Beatty Jul 2019
Agree with Ahmijoy, I'd wait to be infection free before more surgery (if possible).

Only had 1 experience with specialised Wound Care Nurse - but very pleased! Emergency care put steri strips on my sister's small head wound. Over hair! (As she refused to have it shaved - another story.. I wasn't there to insist). Useless & fell off. Deep wound appeared underneath within days.

Wound Nurse very thorough, f/up appointments, photos taken to compare. Instructed us how to manage at home. We also used the silver tape to be packed into wound until it healed up to top layer. Would use this service again.

Countrymouse Jul 2019
Oh Riverdale, I'm sorry.

They do say "it never rains but it pours."

House selling is hard on the nerves.

I'm not going to say anything rude about urgent care centres, except that this is the one two three four FIFTH time I've heard of Band Aid treatment for a deep penetrating wound leading to a person being hospitalised. One of those people being me. And another of them jolly lucky not to be dead. Anyway. Bit late to grumble about that now.

Well, given the doctor's advice; the importance of getting DH fully fit; the right tools for the job principle; and an abundance of caution - specialist wound care facility sounds like the best idea, no? Is there anything about the idea you're not happy with?

Ahmijoy Jul 2019
Where did the doctor want him seen? There are lots of different treatments for wounds that won’t heal. When my husband went to wound care, I had to insert a “tape” with colloidal silver on it into the wound. It’s a long process while the specialist tries different things, but I would go along with whatever the doctor says. He probably shouldn’t have the prostate surgery until his body is free from infections.

Re your home, are you working with a realtor, or are you saying that you don’t want to sell?
JoAnn29 Jul 2019
She said "can't" I am in that situation. I now live in a depressed area. DH and I should have sold when he retired. May have gotten 200k. Now we r lucky if we would get 100k. Doesn't even cover improvements made. We can't buy another house without having a mortgage. At 72 DH says no mortgage.

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