Have to leave SNIF and go home with a wound vac what level of home care?

[wheeliegirl]

Insurance has denied my appeal to continue staying at a smilled nursing facility. Ive already incurred 17 days of "private pay" wich i cant afford after a 3 month ordeal with fightkng MRSA i. A stage IV left ischial wound. Im doing better. The wound vac has decreased the width and depth from about 7cm to 6cm in approximately 3 weeks time.

I have an infectious disease doc who has me on doxycycline to prevent osteomyelitis but i need to find a new wound doc.
I feel the one i had before didnt treat my wound apprpriately nor act quickly or agessively enough when i had obvious signs of infection.

So i have a lot of decisions to make, the biggest one is how much care giving will i need? Once home can i return to my normal bowel routine or should i continue to stay in bed and evacuate into a disposable brief. Can i go back to using my snower bench? I have no hoyer lift and cant afford one.

The wound vac dressings often develop leaks when im not even sitting. I e been laying on my side for 90% of my time here. I know the dressings will come lose when i have to go back to transfering with my transfer board to bed and bath. I know i wont be able to fix it myself. Do i need 24/7 care or a few jours a day, in the am and then pm to help me with meals, chores, etc?

I am a t2 para and i live aolone with NO possibility of family or friends to come stay with me. I was going to go home tomorrow but i can see its not possible. I dont even know how to arrange and find the right care giver, let alone determine the level i need. I was thinking hiring somone to cook and clean and help with wound vac if it leaks, 4 hours am 4 hours pm so i can stay in bed except for bathroom and doc appointments.

Please help. I cant afford many more days here. My medical bills are already unsermountable due to two hospital stays a surgery to debreed the wound and out of network doctors.
Thank you!!

PS: Ive been using an indwelling foley catheter for nearly 3 months now. Will there be issues going back to intermittent cathing after this long? Should i keep the foley in to save trips to the bathroom?

[lynnifer]

I went through somewhat the same thing. My sister gave me two weeks though. My niece bailed on me after two days, lol.

It was rough. Do you guys have any kind of visiting nurses? With the wound vac, I had someone coming every single day. That helped a lot.

Would going back to a sliding board transfer help keep the dressing on? Not a co-worker, neighbour who could come an check on you? It really sucks to be alone in that situation, but mine was on my foot so much more manageable.

Wonder if any CareCure members live nearby?

[wheeliegirl]

I went through somewhat the same thing. My sister gave me two weeks though. My niece bailed on me after two days, lol.

It was rough. Do you guys have any kind of visiting nurses? With the wound vac, I had someone coming every single day. That helped a lot.

Would going back to a sliding board transfer help keep the dressing on? Not a co-worker, neighbour who could come an check on you? It really sucks to be alone in that situation, but mine was on my foot so much more manageable.

Wonder if any CareCure members live nearby?

I didnt mention that i will have home health nurse visits but only every other day a d they will only deal with the wound vac. They dont cook nor clean.

So what did you do for your ADLs?

[lynnifer]

Ordered in! Or made a large batch of something like lasagna that would last for 3 days. Snacks like nuts, fruits - things I could keep by the bed. I'm still thinking about installing a tiny fridge to keep water cold! lol

My sister went on a giant grocery shopping excursion and packed my freezer with lots of frozen dinners as well. Those were quick and easy but get tiring real quick.

My foot was a bit more manageable so I would get up for an hour at a time at most ... eff the cleaning, other than changing the cat litter. I'd sneak out at night to throw my garbage out so no one would see me ... that's a whole other issue though. I suspect I have a bit of agoraphobia or anti-social personality due to poor experiences with people.

I did have a friend who would grocery shop for me and bring over the occasional meal. This friend was quadriplegic with a healthy familial support system from which I benefited ... and have for almost 25yrs. That's why I wonder if there's another CareCure member around ... or someone from your rehab days that would understand.

Sorry wish I lived closer!