My stage 3 pressure ulcer closed, but then turned dark purple

[eecsflyer]

I developed a stage 3 pressure ulcer about three months ago. I discovered as hardened scab on my right IT. A doctor debrided it and after almost two months of bed rest it finally closed up. I have remained on bedrest for the last three weeks as the closed wound turned purple. It started on the outside, where the skin grew back first, but a few days after the center closed up (as pink skin) it also turned purple. I have been very careful not to put pressure on it, but likely do exert some when I shower on my shower chair where I also do my bowel routine. It looked like the purple was starting to fade on the outer rim of the wound, but yesterday it seems to have regressed again.

My questions are as follows:

1. Have you seen this type of healing before? If so, what is the purple coming from. My doctor thinks it is a bruise, but I have tried to be careful not to apply any pressure.
2. I have been massaging the wound gently. It feels somewhat hard, but the texture feels like skin. I was told I can massage it when I went to the wound care clinic (which I visited weekly for eight weeks). Should I stop massaging it?
3. How long should I expect it to stay purple? How long do you think I'll need to remain on bedrest?

I attached a picture of the wound progression over roughly two and a half months. The top row is the first month and a half and the bottom is the last month. My wound closed on Nov 8th (The first image on the bottom left is Nov 1st and the second one is Nov 8th). I can provide a link to an album with the daily progression if you dm me.

Thanks for the help!

[Lavender lady]

Looks a lot like mine. A year later it is still colored like your last picture only a bit lighter.

[eecsflyer]

Does it still feel hard? Have you had any issues with it opening back up? Is it blanchable?

[Lavender lady]

Mine is now just a year old. I can feel it, the skin is different but it never opened. Had to look, it is still purplish, got a heating pad burn just before thanksgiving. It took about 4 months to heal. I own my own business so I could not stay off it

[Scott C4/5]

Might be a weird question but I wonder if when it has that purple look to it (after its healed over) if using medical leaches could remedy the problem.

[pfcs49]

I definitely wouldn't call the professional boil sucker for this

The boil sucker beats this but the is the best I could do!https://www.ebaumsworld.com/jokes/gu...cker/80637028/

[nmireles]

I would try medihoney on it and then adaptic non adherent dressing. Then top it off with a island dressing. I bet it would be healed up in less than two weeks. I have a lot of experience with wound and pressure sores. t-10 para 26 years have had 3 pressure sores last 3 years. I have healed two of them myself and one had to go to the wound clinic. I also own a dme store so have the capability to purchase all types of wound dressings. At the stage that sore is medihoney in my opinion would heal it the fastest and best.

[SCI-Nurse]

It is not a stage 3. Due necrotic purple color , the depth is not determinant from a picture. You need to see a wound specialist ASAP. Determine how deep and if osteomyelitis is there(won’t heal) and if debridement needed. CWO

[eecsflyer]

It is not a stage 3. Due necrotic purple color , the depth is not determinant from a picture. You need to see a wound specialist ASAP. Determine how deep and if osteomyelitis is there(won?t heal) and if debridement needed. CWO

I have been going to a wound clinic for the last two months. As the wound has closed they stopped seeing me. I saw my SCI doctor yesterday and she said I can start to increase my time in my chair to three hours twice a day. She did say it is not common for these to turn purple. I was just wondering if folks here have any experience with pressure sores closing up and the turning purple like this. This is my first stage three pressure ulcer, so I don't have much experience here. My goal is to avoid a life of being constantly stressed if this thing is going to open up.. Have you seen this type of healing before? I am attaching a picture from this morning. It kind of look better, but from what I noticed, it can look different depending on the lighting and angle of the camera..

[K_Soze]

I had something like this but it wasn’t wound related. I had a deep purple color in the area between anus and groin. It was just a bruise, it disappeared in a few days. I know Nurses here would say it was DTI. Every purple or maroon spot on the body is a deep tissue injury!

I would follow your doctor’s advice, just be cautious and watch the spot after every episode of sitting. Hope it heals well and redness will fade with time. I had a flap surgery and redness faded within a year. It takes a lot of time.

[Rook98006]

At least it healed over. I think all you can do on your own is watch it carefully and make sure it doesn't get worse. Good Luck

[Donno]

That is likely caused by the body's healing process of supplying additional blood to the area. Has the purple area gotten any smaller since your last post?