On 22 Sept - last day of my holiday in the lovely UK Lake District, my shin collided with a really stupid wooden footstool thing when I was cleaning up the holiday cottage kitchen. I skinned it badly and bled profusely. So off we went to the local cottage hospital (which was truly outstanding) who did their very best to tape up the skinned skin and wrapped me up in bandages, gave me a tetnus shot etc… They warned me it was possible the skin wouldn’t take though and advised me to see my GP when I got home. Which I duly did.
It’s now 10 November and this hasn’t healed yet. The would is still open and the skin still isn’t growing over and the skin didn’t take so I’ve got a surface wound about 5cms x 4.5cms, which is being dressed with bandages with silver nitrate since. I see the nurse around once a week. Sadly around 10 days ago one nurse dug a bit too deep at a dressing change and 48 hours it was clearly infected. So I was given antibiotics, which end today.
However I’m getting worried. They tell me because I’ve got a inflammatory arthritis things take longer to heal. But I healed two stress fractures in my pelvis this summer in the standard time. They tell me because I took an 8 day steroid course on that holiday - that would also slow things down. They tell me because I’m max dose (6 per day) of sulfasalazine, that doesn’t help either. I’m not that trusting of my GP’s surgery presently as simply they’re overworked and understaffed.
Given the meds are working so well for PsA issues now, I’m increasingly active, although I do earn my living sitting a computer all day. But I walk the dog and generally am normally active. Certainly far more capable now that I was even on that holiday.
I don’t have diabetes, I’m only 55 not 85, like the rest of my GP patients who attend the wound clinic. Is this normal? Is there anything else I should be doing? They said potentially I should have compression bandages but the position of the wound means they can’t take the blood pressure of my leg and without that they can’t give me these compression bandages.
It doesn’t feel right that after all these weeks, the wound is still open and not healing. Any thoughts before I start really hassling them with the mother and father of an Irish tantrum?
Have the wound clinic mentioned high UMF manuka honey at all? My husband had a small but tenacious ulcer on his leg which didn’t respond to high strength steroid cream but did heal super quick when he applied a dressing smeared with the honey. Either it did the trick or else he started using it just at the point the wound had decided to heal on its own. I think it is used in conventional medicine over here, I’ve heard it’s used in German hospitals for bed sores amongst other things.
Do you put your legs up a lot? I have no idea whether that would help but I think I’d do so instinctively, not that that is worth much!
Hmmmm, interesting…one time I got a second-degree burn about that size just above my knee from the muffler on our riding mower. It hurt so bad but I thought it would go away so I didn’t go to the doctor. After about a week of it not getting better, I finally went in. The doctor said burns require a “special” antibiotic. This was about 25 years ago–long before I was diagnosed with PsA and I wasn’t taking any immuno-suppressants (well, just some topical stuff for psoriasis). Anyway, whatever antibiotic he gave me worked because the sore finally healed.
I’m thinking your injury is sort of like a burn. IDK if that’s how your doctor is viewing it. But, maybe you just need a stronger antibiotic. Just a thought from me, who isn’t an expert on anything…I can’t remember if he also had me put something topical on it, I’m sure he did.
My expert way of healing a lot of things (like my sore ingrown toenail) is soaking in super hot salt water (Epsom salts), but I think that would be nearly impossible for the type and size of sore you have!
Thanks both of you. I’m definitely going to investigate the honey issue. I changed the dressing yesterday - I think it’s starting to look a little less infected. I only think though. It’s not a ‘sore’ though, it’s a wound from an injury. A stupid and ridiculous injury.
I had a very light scratch on my arm… one that for me usually takes 3-4 days to be almost impossible to spot and on Clemens is gone completely the next day… It’s been a month and I can still see the red line as if it’s an actual scar… it was only just deep enough to bleed just the tiniest bit… no actual droplets! I’ll take your story as a warning to never clean anything again! Hahaha
But seriously it has me worried… What will happen when I actually hurt myself… I really hope it will close soon! Sounds so incredibly annoying!
Thanks Cynthia. It is a total pain in the backside and I simply loathe it’s taking so long to heal. As regards hurting oneself - everything else has healed up just fine so my default status is that things do - other than a magor shin skinning issue…
It’s a leg thing right? As in legs and feet can take longer to heal I believe. I may have mentioned ‘exercise’ a few times before lol, and I know you love getting out walking etc. but maybe anything that stimulates circulation that bit more might help(?)
Changed the dressing yesterday - it’s truly starting to look like it’s healing up some more. I am now on the otherside of the hill - I’m hoping at any rate. And yes exercise does at least keep the blood moving around. I’ve taken to being restless when sitting at my laptop - all and any movement just has to help!
I am soo very pleased to hear you are noticing some improvement!!! You have been through enough already without throwing this sort of thing into the mix too. Keeping fingers crossed that from here on improvement with this will be rapid… Hugs to you @Poo_therapy
Next GP nurse wound dressing appointment is tommorow. My guess is that the said nurse will be pleased and who knows I might just graduate out of the weekly clinic into the maybe fortnightly clinic??? As the appointments get longer in time between each, the age of my fellow patients in the waiting room get younger. Presently I’m in the bracket from about 75 upwards. I’m hoping tomorrow I graduate to 60 to 65 year olds. Being only 55 years old these last 8 weeks at the wound dressing clinic have been sobering in the extreme. Not at all
Not good news on the leg wound after all. The surrounding skin is now kicking off in total protest. As only it appears my body can do. In order to stop ulceration issues of the surrounding skin, my leg from my knee to my toes is now encased like an Egytian mummy. No showers. No fitting into any shoes. No ability to exercise. No nothing. I broke down today. Truly and utterly. Stupidly like I can so always do. But honestly it’s enough now - isn’t it?
Since 8 June I’ve endured not one but two utterly unexplained fractures in my pelvis, despite dexa scans and whole spine and pelvis MRI, giving no cogent reason at all. And on 22 September I badly skinned my shin on an utterly dangerous wooden step thing in the kitchen of our rented holiday cottage which I now wish I had burned on the fire as I shuddered when I first saw it.
I am so effed off. Not helped by my GP surgery’s triage non english speaking alledged GP yesterday who literally told me since I had another nurse wound for Friday I should ‘suck it up’. I of course complained and got seen yesterday anyway. But really? By the time I’ve finished with her she won’t be employable anywhere. That’s for sure. What if I wasn’t such an assertive personality, though? And believe you me being so assertive takes shedloads of energy too. I’d be ulcerated by Friday or at least the skin around my wound would have been, Beggars belief doesn’t it?
So lots of Irish words begining with f and ending with f is all I can say presently. Of course the 4 tabs a day of sulfasalazine up to mid October hasn’t helped healing issues and the 6 tabs a day since then certainly doesn’t help either. Last week the rheumatologist told me it wouldn’t be good to stop sulfasalazine now either. She’s right too but glory be. What else do I have endure just right now. Just what the eff else?
But I know what you mean about things taking longer to heal anyway. I got a skin infection about ten weeks ago, probably from an insect bite, and no more than half an inch in size. I was given antibiotic cream for it, which got rid of the infection. But even so, ten weeks on, and it still hasn’t healed up fully. And it was only a tiny thing. When I was on Sulfasalazine, I got a skin infection on my face, and that took three months, and still left a scar.
So sorry, Poo…I’d be effed off, too! I totally get why you broke down and just hoping that leg heals now that it’s wrapped so completely. It sounds like one nasty infection–those things are getting more and more common and antibiotics are becoming less effective! I’m not so sure I’d agree with your rheumy about the sulfasalazine, but then he’s looking out for your PsA! I hope this new wrapping completes the job and your leg heals quickly now. For pete’s sake–what else, right???
Hang in there!
