After surgery for Stage IV pressure sore

[Aspen]

Surgery for stage IV pressure sore ( to remove piece of bone for osteomyelitis) was at the end of June...then wound vac, 6 weeks of antibiotics and closure surgery (Dr said flap not needed cause wound vac did so well). So its 8 weeks after last surgery and there is still an opening at the incision. Total bedrest the whole time...
How long does it normally take an incision too close...still using calcium alginate and mepilex bandage over that...change every 2 days due to bowel program
tiny spot of drainage very time. Anyone had this happen? Can the tissue die again? Is there anything that will speed up the closing? Collagen bandage?
Any advice appreciated!

[Patrick Madsen]

After my flap surgery, I had the same issues with complete closure. Finally he did a second flap; never closed up completely. A short time after being released from the Clinitron 6 weeks bed rest; I lost blood pressure to where they couldn't get up past 40 bpm. They finally were able to bring it up and was admitted. Was about to release me but I insisted on getting an MRI to determine if all was well below. Turns out I had an abscess beneath the original wound site. Another two weeks of hospital. After it closed up within a week. I figure it was the abscess that caused all the trouble. I asked the doc about it and he said with the amount and strength of the antibiotics I was given, they figured it would have knocked out any infection so never did a MRI or whatever xray it was. If they had done it I firmly believe it would have saved me months in assisted care and almost passing away. You may want to ensure there's no abscess going on.

[baldfatdad]

Protein, protein. I drink a couple shakes made with plant based protein in Soy milk a day. You can dam near watch it work. Days when I miss drinking I loss ground and even feel bad mentally. Weird.

[SCI-Nurse]

I would definitely encourage you to have a CT or MRI of the area. If the truly got all of the infection, it should heal. I, personally am not keen on no flap, but I do know many people who have done it that way and had no problems. I think that you need to make sure that nothing else is going on in that wound.
ckf

[Aspen]

After my flap surgery, I had the same issues with complete closure. Finally he did a second flap; never closed up completely. A short time after being released from the Clinitron 6 weeks bed rest; I lost blood pressure to where they couldn't get up past 40 bpm. They finally were able to bring it up and was admitted. Was about to release me but I insisted on getting an MRI to determine if all was well below. Turns out I had an abscess beneath the original wound site. Another two weeks of hospital. After it closed up within a week. I figure it was the abscess that caused all the trouble. I asked the doc about it and he said with the amount and strength of the antibiotics I was given, they figured it would have knocked out any infection so never did a MRI or whatever xray it was. If they had done it I firmly believe it would have saved me months in assisted care and almost passing away. You may want to ensure there's no abscess going on.

Patrick...thanks for the information...sounds like a scary situation. I was just wondering what were the last two weeks in the hospital just antibiotics to treat the abscess or was there another surgery?