The Wound Saga continued...

For those following along in the saga of surgical incision gone bad, well it's just that:  bad.  I went back to the dermatologist on Monday to get a wound check and a dressing change.  My wound did indeed culture staph, but not MRSA.  Praise the Lord!!   Unfortunately the antibiotic I was taking was not on the list of drugs that the staph was susceptible to so she switched me back to the old antibiotic and then to start my whole family on mupirocin ointment in all of our crevices.   (eye roll)  She is trying to make this all my fault.  :(  And I am sure part of it is, but I think her office wronged me when I was there on Tuesday during the day.  So she's doing this little song and dance act.  Whatever.  She did want me to get dressing changes in between my visit with her Monday and my next scheduled appointment which is next Monday.

So I call the primary care doctor to schedule wound dressing changes only to be given the run around.  It figures.  That's very typical in this town unfortunately.  But I decided not to take no answer and run around, I just figured going in person would work in my favor.  Score one for me!  Hard to tell a woman with a large hole in her side that you can't help her when you are a doctor's office.  By law you are required to help me find help if you can't. :)  So the doctor takes a look, says he really isn't comfortable with treating it and referred me to a Wound Care Specialist.  :)  YAY.  Someone who actually deals with this stuff everyday.  The PCP got my referral in same day and I had an appointment with the wound care clinic the very next day.

The Wound Clinic people were fabulous..  Super nice and professional.  On top of the insurance issues, and also had a doctor who wasn't in and out of the room in 2 seconds.  The nurse took a thorough history, and then unpacked my wound and poked around in it and photographed it. *insert major OUCH*  She then put burning lidocaine solution in it topically and left me to sit for 10 minutes.  The doctor came in and introduced himself, asked me about myself, and made a little chit chat before starting in on the procedure.  He assured me that they would be able to help me heal and that they would definitely make a plan of action.  The nurse assisting him in debriding the wound said she was guessing he'd use a wound vacuum (aka negative pressure wound therapy) and he said yes.  So that is being delivered here tomorrow.   It's a portable device that I will wear and carry.  Bill will have to learn how to help me change the foam.

So we'll see how it all goes tomorrow.  I need to call and move my appointment back a few hours so that I can be sure that the vac is here.

PS>  I am not going back to the derm clinic.