Wound Vac
- 7 hours ago
- 3 min read
A necessary step to come home
I have 5 wounds/surgical sites. One on each side of my neck (from carotid artery bypass), my left upper chest/shoulder (from my subclavian artery repair), my left arm near my elbow, and my left groin (from the stent placement). The neck incisions are healing nicely - the glue has come off and they are now a nice pink color, the upper chest/shoulder had a drain in it and is still covered with bandage, the incision on my arm looks amazing and is healing really well, and my groin - well it's a problem. Apparently the surgical site in my groin had opened back up, and started to heal from the top/outside. Ideally wounds heal from the inside out to prevent further infection. They drained the wound and the packed the wound with betadine for a few days. There was very slight improvement. They packed it again with a different ointment. Ultimately it was decided that they would place a wound vac.
A wound vac, or negative pressure wound therapy is described in this link:
Basically it facilitates healing from the inside out. The dressing gets changed three times a week, instead of daily with regular wound care/packing. It is also intended to reduce infection and speed up healing. I was pretty upset about having to get a wound vac, but now that I have it it is really no big deal. And, it will be switched for a portable model so I can go home with it. Because it will be with me for several weeks I am working on what I would like to name it. Any thoughts?
Speaking of going home....I am getting so close. I will come home with oxygen and a wound vac. Palliative Care will continue, and help with my pain management.
I did 8 stairs today at PT (we have 7 at home to get upstairs). I will have to do a "6 minute walk test" to prove that I need oxygen support, and I still need to have a CT scan.
I think I have been here 25 days, so I am grateful to be inching closer to the finish line. I know that it will still be a journey - I will have home health: nursing for wound care, OT and PT. I will also have Palliative Care. And there will be follow up appointments, of course. But, I will go home with oral antibiotics! No more infusions.
We have worked hard to make sure everyone on my medical team understands that I would like to live my life - being at home with family and friends. This means limiting the # of dr. appointments if possible. When you are chronically ill, leaving the house for an appointment can be exhausting. I would much rather be exhausted from going to the movies, or the store, or hanging out with friends. I have a limited amount of time left, and I want to be in control of how I spend that time.
Baby steps, one foot in front of the other....slow and steady.
We are continually reminded of what a great team we have supporting us, praying, checking in, planting flowers, dropping off gift cards, sending cards, etc. THANK YOU!
Please continue to pray as things get wrapped up at the hospital and get set up at home (when the time comes).