Infected Wound

[JSixpack]

covered it with loose gauze to let it breathe but keep airborne crap out of it.

Many Thai pharmacies sell a transparent "second skin" product that is much, much better for this purpose. Read up on it.

[smokie36]

Not very Hi Tec, but it worked.I had my foot skinned by a broken bottle,and an old Farmer poured Iodine over it.It hurt but clared it quicker than fancy stuff id used before.Cant see how not smoking will help,unless your nearly dead anyway.Try it its very cheap to buy.

Before the OP checks out of hospital and heads off to the pub to continue her rehabilitation it might be worth you reading this article.

http://www.twca.com....KateCassidy.pdf

Or this one.

http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/1298196-overview

Edited August 2, 2011 by smokie36

[RickThai]

When I was in the hospital a few years ago, I asked a nurse about Betadine, and she replied that it was out of favor in the US, because it is not as effective as some other antiseptics.

I have been using Hydrogen Pyroxide for years without having any problem. About 4 weeks ago, I removed a pre-cancer from my right arm, by lifting the skin up with a binder clip and then slicing away the entire section of skin with a razor (I had cleaned everything with alcohol first).

After halting the bleeding by use of a sterile pad, I flushed the wound (which was about 2 inches long and 3/4 of an inch wide), with hydrogen pyroxide a couple of times, and applied a waterproof bandage that had an anti-bacterial ointment on it.

I repeated the flushing with hydrogen pyroxide and putting on a clean bandage every day. Today the wound is almost completely healed except for one small area in the center about the size of a pea. I will continue to flush this with hydrogen pyroxide and put a clean bandaid on it for another 2 or 3 days.

I have used this process on many large and deep wounds. I agree that you should not soak an open cut in hydrogen pyroxide, however I have been told that if you have a toenail fungus, you can soak your toes in hydrogen pyroxide and it will eventually clear up the toenail fungus. I don't know if this is true or not.

I also read a book by a dentist that recommended using a solution of water and hydrogen pyroxide to rinse out your mouth occasionally. This was supposed to clear up gingevitus and cold sores. I do this occasionally.

That's just my experiences.

Regards,

RickThai

Edited August 2, 2011 by RickThai

[sbk]

Holycow RickThai, are you sure you arent my brother in law? You sound very similar, of course he was a medic in the Navy so had experience and training but has always also been very fond of self treating.

[Sheryl]

Actually washing a wound with a mixture of betadine (or other iodine preparation) plus hydrogen peroxide (1:1 mix) is an excellent means of preventing or treating infection, just need to follow it with a normal saline flush to reduce injury to the tissue as the iodine/peroxide is harsh and can damage healthy tissue as well as kill bacteria and help debride the wound of dead tissue and pus.

Give it a few minutes (you'll see froth and foam develop as the peroxide comes into contact with dead tissue/pus etc) then rinse out well, cover with gauze or other "breathable" wound dressing.

If a lot of redness develops around the wound (say more than 1 cm in any direction -- a small margin of redness is to be expected) and/or there is any swelling of the affected limb, or fever, then medical attention should be sought at once. Likewise if the wound does not appear to be improving with home treatment.

[RickThai]

Holycow RickThai, are you sure you arent my brother in law? You sound very similar, of course he was a medic in the Navy so had experience and training but has always also been very fond of self treating.

sbk:

Prabably not. Two (out of three) of my brothers are divorced! The other one never steps foot out of the USA.

Actually, I was in the Medical Branch of the US Army for a time (Gulf War 1990-1991), but for the most part I am just a "cheap" engineer. If I can save myself a couple of hundred bucks by doing a little "self-surgery" I'm all for it.

I have a suture kit as well, but so far all my surgeries have been on hard-to-reach or hard-to-see places. If I can ever have a reason to remove some tissue from the front of my thighs, than I'll try my hand at suturing.

:jap: Lots of Respect,

RickThai

Kids please don't try this at home.

[eek]

eek,

My injuries are really light compared to what you are going through. Abridement is not a lot of fun. As for having tissue cut away, you must have really been cutting it close (bad bun) when it came to your infection.

I wish you a speedy recovery.

Rick

Hi Rick, Yes it would seem i did cut it close. I am lucky that my brother has a friend who is a top doctor in Switzerland. He sent him all my details/photos along with my answers to a long list of questions he had. Apparently had it hit my bloodstream..well id be in a serious mess right now. His friend stated that i am in fact very very lucky. Glad to still have a foot, glad that im dealing with this and not something more serious. But i was fighting for a while with the antibiotics.

Im still in hospital. Its been over a week now, and seems i have approximately a further week to go. My wound is now on a vacuum dressing, which will stay on for 3 days to promote healing. Today is day 1. So bed bound for another 2 days. After its removed, if the wound has responded well, i can have the graft done. After that another day or so in here, then i can wear some kind of protective restraining cast (cant remember what they called it), to prevent the graft from stretching. I believe after 2 weeks, that can then be removed and then its just a few months of continued healing, then..life finally back to normal.

Typical in that my boyfriend just got back from working away for 4 months, and now we have this, instead of being able to enjoy the plans we had. But, well, such as life, and i guess times like this is what makes bonds closer.

Thanks again all.

Oh and smokie, thanks for the reading material. will take time to read it all in a bit. I dont smoke though, or hang out in pubs. Eat a very healthy diet and i am physically very fit. Exercise is on hold for now, and will need to build up gradually. But im eating a high protein diet at this time, taking a good multi-vit, plus lots of water (which is normal for me anyway). So, hoping this combo will keep my body fighting fit.

[Patsycat]

Sorry to hear this, eek. Life can really be a bummer, but glad you are are getting better.

Take care!!

[Raesum]

Eek It must feel like a bit of a never ending story but hopefully this will be the end of the long road. My (Thai) brother in law had a simple foot operation about 5 weeks ago.(He had major heart surgery-valve replacement- about 4 months ago) So after sailing thru the heart op he decided to get his troublesome under foot seen to. Unfortunately like yourself his worsened-however from what I can gather it took a couple of weeks for the Dr to prescribe antibiotics during his daily dressings at a local hospital.The story at this point is-the Dr has now told him he has cancer and not only will he need to get his foot operation re-gouged(I forget your technical term) but the Dr has also said it has led to him having postate cancer and will be operating on him for that!!! I know for sure that my BIL will wish he never had his foot seen to in the first place after survivng the major heart surgery. I myself am a bit skeptical about the postate thihg as according to his wife the tests were very minimal eg blood pressure.

Anyway at least you have a hand to hold at your bedside with the boyfriend back in town. Wishing you a speedy recovery and let us know the outcome.

Cheers

Rae

[harrry]

Eek, hope it goes well. You should probably have a tetnus booster as it is a nasty disease. Check you are up to date with them. Oops sorry I posted before I saw it got worse.

I hope things get better sooner. We miss you on here.

Edited August 5, 2011 by harrry

[RickThai]

eek,

You seem to have a very positive outlook. Keep it up. It really will help!

You have a lot of TV friends who are thinking of you, and if even one of their

blessings is answered you'll be back out on the town with your boyfriend before

you know it.

Rick

[smokie36]

Glad to hear you have such a good basis for healing well eek. Be patient and hope everything goes well for your recovery.

[eek]

Have been hooked up and bed bound for several days by a vacuum/negative wound dressing to help promote wound healing. Yesterday i had been scheduled to have the graft done, but was told due to an emergency procedure on another patient, i have been rescheduled for Monday instead. Bit of a setback, sorely disappointed, but at least the wound is healing and progressing. Of course i understand that more pressing cases must come first.

So, i asked if i could be put on a regular dressing instead of the vacuum one in order to have time at home for a few days. Im finally off the IV's and on oral antibiotics, so im home until Sunday and just have to go into hospital for wound redressing each day.

13 days in hospital, and 4 days of that hooked up to a machine on my bed...was driving me pretty much round the bend. Its a government hospital, so being the only farang there is a constant source of entertainment for everyone. Im getting a bit fed up of being gawped at on a constant basis. Cant even eat my dinner without it being considered fascinating. Glad to have a few days respite at home to recharge my batteries before going back in again.

Its a joy to be home. Just want to get my life back in gear again. Gonna take a few months for normalcy. Gonna take longer i imagine to sort out the bills/court stuff..etc(there is an issue with my insurance, so looks like i need to pay the bill myself, and i will probably need to take the driver to court..but will focus on that later. Thankfully have an untouched credit card). Such is life! Glad im not facing worse. Apparently the risk of losing my foot was high. So i can only be grateful. Glad nothing hit my bloodstream thats for sure.

Will update later for those interested.

Safe driving all!

Edited August 11, 2011 by eek

[rixalex]

Have been hooked up and bed bound for several days by a vacuum/negative wound dressing to help promote wound healing. Yesterday i had been scheduled to have the graft done, but was told due to an emergency procedure on another patient, i have been rescheduled for Monday instead. Bit of a setback, sorely disappointed, but at least the wound is healing and progressing. Of course i understand that more pressing cases must come first.

So, i asked if i could be put on a regular dressing instead of the vacuum one in order to have time at home for a few days. Im finally off the IV's and on oral antibiotics, so im home until Sunday and just have to go into hospital for wound redressing each day.

13 days in hospital, and 4 days of that hooked up to a machine on my bed...was driving me pretty much round the bend. Its a government hospital, so being the only farang there is a constant source of entertainment for everyone. Im getting a bit fed up of being gawped at on a constant basis. Cant even eat my dinner without it being considered fascinating. Glad to have a few days respite at home to recharge my batteries before going back in again.

Its a joy to be home. Just want to get my life back in gear again. Gonna take a few months for normalcy. Gonna take longer i imagine to sort out the bills/court stuff..etc(there is an issue with my insurance, so looks like i need to pay the bill myself, and i will probably need to take the driver to court..but will focus on that later. Thankfully have an untouched credit card). Such is life! Glad im not facing worse. Apparently the risk of losing my foot was high. So i can only be grateful. Glad nothing hit my bloodstream thats for sure.

Will update later for those interested.

Safe driving all!

Hang in there, and make sure you stay focused on dealing with one problem at a time. Health first. All the other stuff can wait.

[sbk]

Have been hooked up and bed bound for several days by a vacuum/negative wound dressing to help promote wound healing. Yesterday i had been scheduled to have the graft done, but was told due to an emergency procedure on another patient, i have been rescheduled for Monday instead. Bit of a setback, sorely disappointed, but at least the wound is healing and progressing. Of course i understand that more pressing cases must come first.

So, i asked if i could be put on a regular dressing instead of the vacuum one in order to have time at home for a few days. Im finally off the IV's and on oral antibiotics, so im home until Sunday and just have to go into hospital for wound redressing each day.

13 days in hospital, and 4 days of that hooked up to a machine on my bed...was driving me pretty much round the bend. Its a government hospital, so being the only farang there is a constant source of entertainment for everyone. Im getting a bit fed up of being gawped at on a constant basis. Cant even eat my dinner without it being considered fascinating. Glad to have a few days respite at home to recharge my batteries before going back in again.

Its a joy to be home. Just want to get my life back in gear again. Gonna take a few months for normalcy. Gonna take longer i imagine to sort out the bills/court stuff..etc(there is an issue with my insurance, so looks like i need to pay the bill myself, and i will probably need to take the driver to court..but will focus on that later. Thankfully have an untouched credit card). Such is life! Glad im not facing worse. Apparently the risk of losing my foot was high. So i can only be grateful. Glad nothing hit my bloodstream thats for sure.

Will update later for those interested.

Safe driving all!

The songtaew driver will have insurance through the transport co co-op. Try contacting the co-op company and suggesting to them that you don't want to have to sue the co-op.

[eek]

Oh thank you. Any advice like this on where to start is most appreciated. But yes, as for now focusing on health first. Thanks again.

[Sheryl]

Glad to hear you're back hiome Eek. Do be very, very careful and keep a sharp eye on the wound.

All the best!

[eek]

Only temporary Sheryl. Back in on Sunday to prep for the Skin graft on Monday, then i guess a few more days stay after that.

Im home because they needed to postpone the surgery due to an emergency case superseding mine, which of course i understand, although sorely disappointed. I asked to go home for this duration instead of sitting in hospital waiting (for that would end up being over 3 weeks permanent stay in a gov hospital..not fun! My sanity was only just hanging on in there as was).

Will be glad when the last piece of surgery is completed then i start finally properly healing and getting back on track!

Edited August 12, 2011 by eek

[Sheryl]

Understood. Be sure to follow, to the letter, all the advice and instructions given regarding the graft. Remain on strict bed rest for as long as you are told to, however unpleasant it may be. Ditto remain in the hospital for as long as they advise. You can't afford the graft not "taking" nor another infection.!

[sbk]

Only temporary Sheryl. Back in on Sunday to prep for the Skin graft on Monday, then i guess a few more days stay after that.

Im home because they needed to postpone the surgery due to an emergency case superseding mine, which of course i understand, although sorely disappointed. I asked to go home for this duration instead of sitting in hospital waiting (for that would end up being over 3 weeks permanent stay in a gov hospital..not fun! My sanity was only just hanging on in there as was).

Will be glad when the last piece of surgery is completed then i start finally properly healing and getting back on track!

Here's hoping skin graft went ok and you will be able to go home soon!

[eek]

I finally just got my skin graft this morning.

My foot is in a half cast and will be cut open one week from now to see if the graft has taken or not, unless i have any problem before hand.

Im in a LOT of pain. A LOT. Much much more than i had anticipated. Ive taken some pretty potent pain killers, but the pain is pretty excruciating at this time. Im hoping will ease off.

The graft donor site is larger than i had expected, but wont know the full damage also until one weeks time when they will check it, so long as no problem before that date.

Im hoping this is the last hurdle to improvement. Im on antibiotics and have painkillers. Feeling pretty emotional and sorry for myself at the moment.

Thats it really. Just keeping my fingers crossed.

[FBN]

The pain generated by a skingraft procedure is usually underestimated!

The reason for the severe pain is that the skin taken from the donor site consists only of a very thin top layer of skin; only a few cells width. This exposes the underlying nerve endings which makes them super sensitive and causes the pain. Usually this will not last for more than a day or so, fortunately, as the skin covers the exposed layer fairly quickly..

Best!!

[Thaddeus]

Im hoping this is the last hurdle to improvement. Im on antibiotics and have painkillers. Feeling pretty emotional and sorry for myself at the moment.

I hope it's the last hurdle for you too babe, and I wouldn't stress too much about feeling sorry for yourself, I expect most people would.

(It be only 30 slumbers a till pirate day, the crew be needin' ya Cap'n..... arrrr)

[Sheryl]

Hang in there, EEWk, I'm rooting for you

As is kadan who sends his love.....!

[Raesum]

Eek glad you are keeping us updated.My brother in law is going in for his prostate gland op and also at the same time they are going to redo the wound in his foot and apply a skin graft .Sounds very similar to yours.They are taking the skin from just below back of the knee.Where was yours from?.I don't know whether to tell him or not about how painful its going to be - what do you think? When my sister in law was describing the skin graft she mimicked something about something being joined to his nose!!Can you elaborate or was I reading the mime wrong?(I have still got a long way to go with my Thai) .Anyway chin up and all that. Don't worry you are not alone.(Just to confirm-you are in Chiang Mai?) If you were in BKK I would make it my business to come and visit you. Cheers Rae

[eek]

Hi Raesum. I had my graft (at my insistence!)taken from my bum. That way i can still wear short skirts, bikini, etc when the scar is fading (yes, even in times like this vanity prevails!). Its a split-thickness skin graft, and not deep. I have seen patients with the tube up their noses, but i didnt need this. I wasnt even given general anesthesia, i had localized pain injections to numb the areas. The pain did get less each day, but i had a bit of a panic yesterday because i had some sharp stabbing pains in my food (still have), but turns out that is the nerve endings reconnecting. I am resting at home (update below), but i do appreciate that you (and others) willing to visited me. Thank you. I wish your brother in law a good recovery, im not sure whether to mention about the pain or not, but whatever you decide, his pain should lessen each day. Best of luck.

--

This morning i went to hospital to have the graft checked. Its a day earlier than should have been, but i was worried because of a stabbing pain sensation in my foot. Was concerned the graft had failed. To my relief i was informed it has taken 100%! So...its been redressed and the half cast replaced, and have to have redressing every other day. It will (and the donor site) will be then rechecked on tuesday and all going well the cast can be removed.

Im relieved about the graft, but the wound itself looks terrible. I think im going to have a large dented area on my foot. Im sad about how it will look cosmetically speaking. I also wish to make sure it doesnt contract too much as it runs up to my ankle. I love to exercise, and im getting frustrated about the lack of it. I dont wish to have any issues regarding contraction etc when i do finally get to run/do weights etc. Any thoughts on this would be great..

So well, at this point im relieved as well as a little excited. Excited that im progressing towards getting my daily life back. Not sure yet how long it will be before i can start exercising again tho.

Oh..and my oral antibiotics run out in a days time, but they said i should not take more.. the fear of infection is still on my mind. Im hoping coming off them will be ok.

Well..thats it for now! Hope to give more (positive) feedback later.

---

Thanks again for the well wishes. Pass on a hug to Kadan for me please Sheryl and hope to be wearing my capt'n hat again soon

[RickThai]

Glad to hear the pain is lessening and things seem to be getting better.

[moe666]

Haven't read your tale of late but it really escalated. What hospital did you have your treatment in and what is the quality of treatment. Hope all is well and you get back to normal soon. My best wishes to you.

[Patsycat]

Glad you are getting better!!

[Raesum]

Still keeping an eye on your progress.Let us know how you're going.