The State of the Hole

[billroper]

Well, I still have a big hole in my leg. This is not a surprise. I'll likely have this hole for months. *sigh*

But the infection in my leg appears to have been cleared up by the surgery and antibiotics and that's a very good thing. The hole continues to slowly leak blood, but it's apparently the correct color down there (red) according to a phone conversation with Dr. Bob earlier this week. And my knee is only barely swollen now.

So it seems to be getting better. I see Dr. Bob and the surgeon again on Tuesday and they'll take a look at it and tell me what they think then.

Comments

[dave-ifversen.livejournal.com]

At least they didn't have to put maggots in the hole. (I knew someone who had a wound on their arm that wouldn't heal - the doctors put maggots in the wound to eat the dead flesh, then took them out once they had done their job.)

[artbeco.livejournal.com]

Some of the wounds that are deep like this one need to heal from the inside out, so that it doesn't just trap any infection inside. Mine took almost five months (from a deep internal infection in the breast, which also happened to contain cancer cells) of packing the wound with gauze deep inside and then changing the packing and dressings twice daily. It was... well, certainly agonizing to deal with for the first few months. It did finally heal, though, so keep the faith; yours will too. I'm very glad you're not having to pack your wound.

[billroper]

Actually, I do have to pack the hole, but it's less than an inch deep, so it's not too difficult. I just wet a 4x4 with saline and stuff it in.

Thanks for the info and I'm glad your hole healed up well!

[jrittenhouse.livejournal.com]

When we got Mere home, she had a huge boil where an inocculation had gone south, and the first week here, she was in and out of the doctors and the hospital, culminating in an operation to clean out and open the boil area. Big hole in her hip/butt area, and it seemed to take forever to heal up (she still has a scar that they boys may notice at the beach in about 8-10 years) with constant dressings and the like. The docs and so on these days are wizards at wound care. Good luck!

[blaurentnv.livejournal.com]

Glad yours is progressing well. My father was operated on a couple weeks ago for celluitis. The infection isn't clearing up and they are now using terms like "hospice care".

[qnofhrt.livejournal.com]

Cellulitis in older folks can be hard to get rid of. My aunt let hers go until she couldn't walk. She wound up in the hospital for the better part of 6 months, skin graphs and the works. It could take awhile but the key is a good wound clinic with docs who know how to deal with this stuff.

[markbernstein.livejournal.com]

Obviously, someone needs to invent flesh spackle.