Mothering Forum banner

Wounds that won't heal? Update in Post 15

2K views 20 replies 11 participants last post by  KatWrangler 
#1 ·
Anyone else have a kid with this problem? Gabrielle has a sore about the size of a pea on her calf (left leg that has no feeling/movement below the knee). I can't get this thing healed. She has had it since July.

So I called the Spinal Defect Clinic coordinator and she is out till the 29th, so I called the clinic and they referred me to Rehab Med. But that was this morning and still no call back.

Right now I have been using neosporin, but I think I need something stronger.
 
#4 ·
Is she also diabetic? I have NO personal experience with diabetes, but my friend's daughter is diabetic and she'd have bandaids on the same scrape or cut for weeks at a time. Her body was always very slow to heal, and her mom mentioned several times that it was a common problem.
 
#5 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by bdavis337 View Post
Is she also diabetic? I have NO personal experience with diabetes, but my friend's daughter is diabetic and she'd have bandaids on the same scrape or cut for weeks at a time. Her body was always very slow to heal, and her mom mentioned several times that it was a common problem.
No. She has nerve damage to that leg. So she is susceptible to wounds and when she gets them, they are difficult to heal.

ShaggyDaddy,

The clinic wants to see her tomorrow. I will ask about calendulla! Thats a great suggestion. I haven't used it before, is it an oil or salve? Does it keep, so I could keep some on hand? The clinic coordinator is also a wound specialist. I didn't want to wait till next week to see her.

Also, they will look at her brace tomorrow to see what caused it. I think it might of got pinched by the hinge on the outside of her leg.
 
#6 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by KatWrangler View Post
I haven't used it before, is it an oil or salve? Does it keep, so I could keep some on hand?
We get it packaged and non-refrigerated from our "natural food store" (I bet whole foods would have it) We have had creams and ointments before, and just plain oil too. It seems to keep just fine.
 
#7 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by ShaggyDaddy View Post
We get it packaged and non-refrigerated from our "natural food store" (I bet whole foods would have it) We have had creams and ointments before, and just plain oil too. It seems to keep just fine.
The closests WF is in Overland Park. We do have a natural food store here in town. If they don't have it I will head over to Overland Park.

Thanks for the info! I would love to keep some on hand.
 
#8 ·
Rebakah has a hard time healing if she gets a sore. The skin where her ear meets her head spit and it took 8 months to heal. She also gets diaper rash that takes forever to heal. The only thing that has helped her was a homeopathic ointment called Derkut Ointment. I was never a big believer in homeopathy until we tried this. It healed the sore on her ear within a week. We continue to use it anytime she gets a sore and it heals so much faster.
 
#9 ·
Charlotte gets this wound on her big toe in the fall/winter. I think her skin gets really dry and it just splits open something fierce. I tried all kinds of things to heal it last winter and nothing worked. I finally put some TTO on it and it healed within a week. I just noticed it had split open again today (it's been healed since last winter so it's just gotten dry again I guess). I put some TTO on it tonight.
 
#10 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by KatWrangler View Post
Anyone else have a kid with this problem? Gabrielle has a sore about the size of a pea on her calf (left leg that has no feeling/movement below the knee). I can't get this thing healed. She has had it since July.

So I called the Spinal Defect Clinic coordinator and she is out till the 29th, so I called the clinic and they referred me to Rehab Med. But that was this morning and still no call back.

Right now I have been using neosporin, but I think I need something stronger.
not reading below this post... is it possible that she has a pressure ulcer from braces or her chair (if she uses one) putting pressure in the wrong spot??
 
#12 ·
Every time I read in SN I feel so comforted. I learn more and more about tricks to use with my 3yo (undiagnosed SPD). He has the ear split and it has been forever. Liquid bandaid with tto has helped some but he just keeps scratching it. I have felt so alone trying to get this healed and it can be so frustrating when it is so close and then injured again. I just have to say how much I appreciate this forum and how much I learn.
Wendi
 
#14 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by want2bmoms View Post
not reading below this post... is it possible that she has a pressure ulcer from braces or her chair (if she uses one) putting pressure in the wrong spot??
We wonder if the henge on the brace somehow pinched her. Thats the only thing we can think of. I am going to check her KAFO and her AFO again.

Quote:

Originally Posted by 3_opihi View Post
Have you had the wound cultured?
No they didn't. But thats a possibility.
 
#15 ·
So I took her to Childrens Mercy in their Special Care Clinic (this is where we go for Spinal Defects Clinic). The nurse gave us Mepilex Ag. She said it has silver in it. If its not better by next week to call the Clinic Coordinator (who is also a Wound Specialist). She will be back next week and will look at it.

Here is a pic of what it looks like. It has a scab but what we have noticed is a red outer ring. That wasn't there before. Thats appeared in the last couple of days. I mentioned it to my husband and he said he noticed it over the weekend.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...r2008001-1.jpg

I am going to get the Calendula to have on hand for the future.

Oh, this is what happened to her foot when she was 15 months old. She had been playing in her baby pool and I brought her in and got her changed. But it was hot so I didn't put her sock and brace on . Well she was crawling and this is the damage it caused.
Never will I let her got without a sock and brace.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...Picture030.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...Picture032.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...Picture031.jpg
 
#17 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by lactationlady View Post
Those last pictures just make me want to cry for her. Poor baby. Poor mama too. I can't imagine how awful you must have felt.

Oh I did. The Wound Clinic at the Hospital said it was like a 2nd degree burn. Luckliy once I got her to the Clinic and the medicine it healed in about 2 weeks. Completly gone within a month.

I learned my lesson the hard way on that. So I am very careful with her braces and keep her brace and sock on her at all times.

ETA - Eventhough it looks bad, she couldn't feel it. She has no feeling or movement in that leg below the knee. She wasn't in any pain.
 
#18 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by KatWrangler View Post
Oh I did. The Wound Clinic at the Hospital said it was like a 2nd degree burn. Luckliy once I got her to the Clinic and the medicine it healed in about 2 weeks. Completly gone within a month.

I learned my lesson the hard way on that. So I am very careful with her braces and keep her brace and sock on her at all times.

ETA - Eventhough it looks bad, she couldn't feel it. She has no feeling or movement in that leg below the knee. She wasn't in any pain.
Well thank God for that! That would have been PAINFUL!
Poor mama! HUGS!!!!!!!!

The new wound - the ring looks and sounds like Staph. Make ABSOLUTELY certain that the docs stay on top of it!
 
#20 ·
um... looking at the pics... is there any rust on the metal thing that holds the strap on her brace? could it be that that was scratchy at some point, or rough, and made a raw spot? I was looking at my GF's AFO's today and notinced a brad-looking thing holding the strap onto the actual brace, if that was scratched, rough, rusted, or otherwise damaged, I could see it rubbing a raw spot pretty quickly, or even just making a cut, then irritating it constantly so that it just couldn't heal. With the pressure that the brace puts there, if the thingy was loose or a poking our just a little, I could see it also becomming a pressure sore that would open starting where the thingy is pressing and spreading from there.

Could you cut some ring out of foam to cushion that from her brace, like a donut? Just to keep the brace off it, while still letting it do it's job.

I can also DEFFINATELY see where the pp could see lyme disease... we had a scare with MIL, this is good to know:

Quote:
How can my doctor tell if I have Lyme disease?
The best way to find out if you have Lyme disease is to talk to your family doctor about your symptoms. Blood tests aren't always necessary to make the diagnosis. They can often give false results. People who have been sick with Lyme disease for less than a month often don't yet have antibodies to the disease. This means they won't have a positive blood test. Also, if a person with early Lyme disease takes antibiotics, he or she may never have a positive Lyme disease test. However, the blood test is almost always positive in people who have been sick for over 4 weeks and haven't taken antibiotics.

People who have joint swelling or nervous system problems may need to have special tests. Your doctor may need to take some fluid from the swollen joint or the spine to check for clues to your condition.

http://familydoctor.org/online/famdo...erial/257.html
IOW, the simple blood test doesn't always show it, you may need to push for more testing if you feel like she may have lyme disease.
 
#21 ·
Quote:

Originally Posted by DaughterOfKali View Post
Could the new wound/spot be Lyme disease?
No, I don't think so. I think its just a sore that won't heal on its own.

Want2bMoms,

No, no rust. In fact this is a brand new brace. She just got it at the end of June. All of the screws on the inside are covered with a tape like thing. Also, I always keep her sock on her. Its one of those AFO/KAFO coolmax socks.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top