Debz Posted July 22, 2013 Share Posted July 22, 2013 Mary have you heard about having a course of maggots for treatment? Is this something they do in the US? There have been a few cases here where they used clinical grade maggots in a dressing for clearing up infected tissue. Maggots only eat the infected bits so they were really good for clearing infected, hard to heal areas. It was just an idea and not for everyone because some people can be quite grossed out by that thought. I'd be happy to try anything if it meant keeping body parts in good health. If nothing else you can always watch your doctors reaction when you make a suggestion like that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Selkie Posted July 22, 2013 Share Posted July 22, 2013 Mary have you heard about having a course of maggots for treatment? Is this something they do in the US? ..... If nothing else you can always watch your doctors reaction when you make a suggestion like that. I have heard of this being used in the US. It does have some value to think about since you are trying to preserve the leg. I'd presume every case is different and it is appropriate for some cases and not for others. It can't hurt to ask about - the MD would know the best thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted July 22, 2013 Share Posted July 22, 2013 Deborah, this process is used in the US; some nursing homes for debriding necrotic tissue in open wounds. In hospital where I worked as a nurse (after age 50, when I finished nursing school) debriding with Dakin's solution (10% sodium hypochlorite) and hyperbaric oxygen seem to be treatments of choice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woodland_miniatures Posted July 22, 2013 Share Posted July 22, 2013 Yes, I have heard of maggots being used in that fashion, but I'll admit the idea hadn't crossed my mind. I'd be grossed out - hey, who wouldn't? - but ya know, I could live with it if it meant getting this mess cleaned up and finally healed. I will most definitely bring the idea up to my doctor tomorrow. Actually, I have a couple of thoughts to bring to the examining table tomorrow. One is that where I'm really having trouble is staying totally off of that foot - I do my best, but unless I have someone to do my cooking, cleaning, help me in and out of the tub, etc., it's just about impossible to not at the very least touch down with that foot. One thing I did last Thursday was to talk to my old case worker at DSHS about re-applying for whatever benefits they might give me (food stamps, medical coverage, IN HOME CARE) and he said do, and do it online which I did that night. Well, early Friday afternoon my application had been processed and I got a call from the woman who will be my permanent case manager and I DO qualify for in-home care and she will be coming out to see me this Thursday and assess exactly what I need and how many hours of help per week I need; apparently I will have to make a co-pay, but that is based on my income and she's already able to tell me how much that would be and it's manageable. So it looks like I'll be getting the in-home help I need pretty soon, and that makes possible one of my ideas. Which is to stay home, stay flat on my back and let my helper do absolutely everything, including dealing with a bedside commode so I don't even have to get in and out of the bathroom. I've spent the last couple of days lying in bed, reading mostly and not doing much of anything else and you know, the condition of the bandage is much less nasty and the ankle/foot swelling is less - so it's not necessarily a bad thought. The other thought was that I be admitted to a nursing home and do the same thing. The advantage there would a full staff, including rehab folks who could work with me to keep me from going to mush, hot and cold running everything, and nursing care of the wound itself. The downside is, well, being in a nursing home - UGH!!! Been there, done that waaaay too much and would rather not do it again. But, hey, if that's what it takes to get the wretched thing healed, I'll do it. Then of course there is still the possibility that things have just gone too far to be salvaged, but I'm not completely convinced of that yet. After all, I have managed to stay infection-free for a year, and if there's a stay at a nursing/rehab place in my near future, at least this one won't start with me at death's door and needing to have a hideous infection cleared up before any healing could begin. Haven't given up on the foot yet..... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted July 22, 2013 Share Posted July 22, 2013 Mary, the downside of staying flat on your back in bed is accelerated osteoporsis because at our age weight-bearing is the best way to keep our bones from demineralizing; and staying inactive also accelerates the onset of pneumonia; so you'd have to learn a lot of coughing exercises to keep stuff from puddling in your airways. The nursing home may be the nursing home, but it'll prevent an awful lot of lingering health problems you don't need. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Debz Posted July 23, 2013 Share Posted July 23, 2013 You wouldn't want to be in bed too long and risk pressure sores either. They get infected so easily and are a nuisance to try and get rid of. Thinking of you at this challenging time but at least you still have various options to consider. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roxxie2 Posted July 24, 2013 Share Posted July 24, 2013 I am reading everything in the forum in an attempt to catch up! I live in the desert in New Mexico now. Its HOT and DRY!!! This is suppose to be the "monsoon" season which by definition means rain??? We get lightning and thunder and 40 drops occasionally. I still have my dollhouses packed in boxes for over a year now out in the garage. I need to open them one of these days and see how they fared. I may be moving to yet another house soon so I was holding off unpacking.....what's another year? I mentioned somewhere in the forum that I set up a small work station yesterday so I can start to piddle with my crafts and minis again......I missed it! I missed all of you too! Just polk me if I don't come in and post enough please! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted July 24, 2013 Share Posted July 24, 2013 Roxy, honey, I am just so glad to see you back! :hug: We've been in our house in AL for two years and I still don't have a workshop... I told DH if he can't find us a builder this yeaqr to just go ahead and sell off the power tools I can't use and I'll try to find new homes for the kits I know now I won't live long enough to build, if I can even still hear them tell me what they want! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woodland_miniatures Posted July 25, 2013 Share Posted July 25, 2013 Been a busy couple of days, and I'm pooped LOL. Doctor appointment Tuesday was....WONDERFUL!!!!! His reaction was, oh, hey, you're healthy overall, we can heal that bad ol' foot wound no problem, hey presto it's clean and infection-free, yes, there is a little swelling and odd color in the ankle, so let's pack you off to the "big" city for an ultrasound to see if there's a blood clot. They set me up for that ultrasound late Tuesday afternoon, got it, got the results this morning when I went in for a fasting blood draw, and - WHEW! - no blood clot. Doc said if it wasn't a clot then most likely there may be a little low-grade infection in the tissues of the ankle/calf, and he knew of a wound care specialist in that same "big" city (Ellensburg) that would treat me right. I see him again Friday morning when he'll have all the test results, and we'll work out a battle plan. BTW, he said I'd done a magnificent job with my bandaging and use of honey and herbal oils to keep it that clean and nice, and oh yeah, there's all KINDS of things we can do for that foot and leg before ever even thinking about amputation. Now, every other doc I've been through during this horror show has made me feel like a big pile of dog-you-know-what and told me I was a bad girl and a non-compliant patient, and a couple of them out-right fired me. Now, I'm looking back and seeing that it wasn't me who was at fault, but the docs who couldn't stand a patient who actually bothered to do the research, understood what was happening to them, and wanted to take a proactive stance, and didn't necessarily take their word as gospel. One of the central things they all said was that I needed to basically stay off the foot, not walk, preferably stay in bed, gobble antibiotics like candy (which I've since wondered if that hadn't contributed to the MRSA - hey, early on I had this, that and every darn thing in the way of antibiotics thrown at me) yadayadayada...which I could (thank God) never get the household help to allow me to do. This gentleman, when presented with that idea, said OMG, NO!!! You want to stay as active as you possibly can, keep the blood moving, your muscle tone up, your spirits up. Get up and move just as much as you can, so you don't end up bedridden and/or wheelchair-bound the rest of your life.... Where was this man two and a half years ago????? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted July 25, 2013 Share Posted July 25, 2013 Gotta love these younger doctors! I wish Deb could find one as good and sensible as yours sounds. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grazhina Posted July 25, 2013 Share Posted July 25, 2013 Yippee, glad to hear the good news, Mary. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Selkie Posted July 25, 2013 Share Posted July 25, 2013 Great news Mary. So glad to hear it. I agree, wish we could also find Deb and Heidii some good MD's. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chapchap73 Posted July 25, 2013 Share Posted July 25, 2013 Wonderful news, Mary! Finding the right doctor is beyond price:) Wish they were all like that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woodland_miniatures Posted July 25, 2013 Share Posted July 25, 2013 Oh, Lord, yes, if we could only find a Dr. Gravotte for Deb.....SIGH!!! Well, can't remember where Deb is in the country, but if she could get up here to Roslyn/Cle Elum.....Deb, girl, you can camp with me if you can ever get up here. Don't know where the man was before, but he's been here only a year, and his background includes graduating from the Bastyr Institute and over 20 years worth of education in holistic, herbal and whole mind/body medicine, as well as being a Dr. of Osteopathy. I think we're extraordinarily lucky to have him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GirlPiper Posted July 25, 2013 Share Posted July 25, 2013 Wahoo! Great news! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KathieB Posted July 25, 2013 Share Posted July 25, 2013 Mary, what wonderful news! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anna Posted July 25, 2013 Share Posted July 25, 2013 Mary what wonderful, wonderful news!!!! Sometimes it is just (and just is not a little thing at all) meetin THE right person at the right time! Hugs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jrchob Posted July 25, 2013 Share Posted July 25, 2013 Mary, sounds as if you found a doctor who still believes in the art of a patient-doctor relationship instead of sitting in the room with computer on lap typing. I never could understand how they can actually hear what the patient is saying as all the non verbal components are lost. Computers and technology is so important in many areas, but something has really been lost in others. Getting ready to have all four girls (2 in state, 1 Syracuse, 1 Atlanta), son-in laws, 9 grand children plus 1 grand dog and my 94 year old Dad here on Sunday! Atlanta arrives today, Syracuse tomorrow. All beds clean and ready to go!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chapchap73 Posted July 25, 2013 Share Posted July 25, 2013 Janet, sounds like a full house! Have a wonderful time with all your family. After more than a month of temps over 80 round the clock, it is 62 degrees here this morning I have all the windows open , getting the house aired out, then errands and minis! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CheckMouse Posted July 26, 2013 Share Posted July 26, 2013 Mary - so glad you found a good doctor! It makes such a difference! I've been reading fast here on the forum trying to catch up with all the news. :bookread: I won't be around much for the next month or so. The County Fair circuit starts this weekend, so I'll be working as a Product Demonstrator for a remodeling company. This weekend is the first of 6 country fairs - most of which run from Wed/Thurs to Sunday; two of which will take me out of town far enough to require a hotel. After the 6th one is over, the State Fair runs for 17 days. They won't let me work more than 40 hours a week anymore so I guess I'll take the three weekends (Fri-Sun) which run 13 hours each day. I've been working hard on my Spring Fling to get as much done as possible while I still had time. Also working on my micro house. But that all screeches to a halt now. On my days off I'll hop back on the forum to see what's going on - 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grazhina Posted July 26, 2013 Share Posted July 26, 2013 Since my son sent me pictures of my 2 year old granddaughter the other day, and several people got a kick out of tiny tot photos, here are 2 of them. Miss Minnie is my favorite pose. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted July 27, 2013 Share Posted July 27, 2013 Wow, she's growing into a lovely young lady, Grazhe! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GirlPiper Posted July 27, 2013 Share Posted July 27, 2013 Oh, she is a cutie! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muriel Posted July 27, 2013 Share Posted July 27, 2013 So cute! Love her mini pose Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
morgansmith Posted July 28, 2013 Share Posted July 28, 2013 Too adorable for words Minnie's my favorite too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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