Chronic Wound Care - What Products do YOU Use?

Great list @mlemieux! I'm tagging @gonefishinmt @angelasmom @spence @prairiesmoke @ceejay to see if they'll share what has worked for them.

This list will also be an incredibly helpful resource for new members joining Connect.

Judging by your avatar, you don't let this condition slow you down. Great attitude!

Thank you @kelseydm ! It's a combination list that works best for me after years of trying new methods, not only to help my wounds to heal, but most importantly, to allow some comfort living with this on a daily basis.

Like most people, I've battled my up's and down's, but now I try to help others with my experience with this type of "suffering" I will say, which has led me down a path to a vast network of knowledge on attempting to heal wounds, among other illnesses (i.e. Factor V (DVT's/Clotting), LV-Livedoid Vasculopathy).

Thanks for including others in this discussion. I'm curious to see, what, if anything will get posted here. Although, the 'type' of healing-management will vary from country to country depending on the resources provided and the health programs available to them, It's always nice to read success stories and their attempts.

Have a great day!
Martin.

What I use for pain and thinning blood are 2 aspirins at bedtime and 2<br />
naproxin sodium or 2 ibuprophin in the morning for pain. I place a small<br />
amount of medihoney (manuka honey/ calcium algenate) on ulcer, cover it<br />
lightly with a piece of Telfa pad (latex free) and slip on a compression<br />
stocking to hold pad in place and keep uniiform pressure on leg from knee<br />
to toes. At night I keep a small piece of old stocking on my ankle to keep<br />
pad in place. I Use a mild vinegar wash when I clean the ulcer daily.<br />
Stress and not eating right are not good for the ulcer. If the pain gets<br />
bad at night I place a bag of frozen peas in a towel and place it over the<br />
ulcer to numb the area. I watch very carefully what new creams that I place<br />
on the skin near the ulcer. It helps to keep skin in the area from getting<br />
dry and flaky. Stay away from creams containing cortisone or its<br />
derivatives because continued use of them thins the skin and weakens the<br />
area, and the area near ulcer will start getting small blood clots that<br />
will break and enlarge ulcer. Standing in one place for very long causes<br />
blood to pool in ankle and foot and can slow healing of ulcer. Driving long<br />
distances in a car does the same thing, so get out and walk about every 100<br />
miles or so. And if your wound specialists tries out sonicater /water<br />
treatment have them make sure they DON'T use something that uses rpms above<br />
300. The sonicating equipment sold today is at 3000 rpm (10 times what<br />
current research says is optimal for helping wound healing)<br />
<br />
good luck.<br />
<br />

That's some great advice @prairiesmoke thank you so much for sharing. Even a thing or two in there that I hadn't considered thus far, so thank you.

Cheers!
Martin Lemieux
@Martin_Lemieux

Hello Martin and nice to connect with another Canadian. I live in a smaller town in a remote area and finding bandages has been a challenge. I did find a bandage on Amazon.ca a few months ago which I am loving. One it is soft, seals great and supports faster healing...which we all know is a dream for most of us suffering from this dreadful disease. They are made my All-Health and they are called Advanced Fast-Healing Hydrocolloid Gel Bandages. The ones from this company are larger than any others I have seen and they actually seal 100 times better. Easy to remove with no sticking to the wound area or tearing on your skin. They promote faster healing and if the ulcer is caught early and is smaller, at least for me, this did work faster than anything else from before. I live in a remote community in B.C. and finding bandages that can work has been a huge challenge. And especially so when both feet are involved at the same time.

All the best,
Merry in B.C.

My husband has a wound that keeps coming back after 20 years. The wound clinic showed us how to care for it. However, I don't do the debridement and if it is a layer of skin deep or more, he has to go back. We use sterile saline (there is DIY online) to rinse it. Prisma (online)can be bought online. I soak a Prisma piece (cut to size) in saline and put it on there. Then, cut a strip of oil emulsion gauze (online purchase). Then, it gets wrapped in gauze and I use 1" paper tape to hold it closed and also to adhere the gauze to the skin. I prefer to do this after a shower. We change it every couple days, and I wash my hands thoroughly between steps. No peroxide or alcohol.

I lost "my shorts" investing in the company Organogenesis (another story) BUT their primary product Apligraf may help with a wound that will not heal.

Yes, he has had two grafts over the years. One was his own skin and the last one was Apligraf - pretty incredible. If I can remember to cream the place, it is better about not opening again. We also went for infra-red light treatments that helped that heal initially.

Thank you marye2 Are you in the US? And you said an online purchase, is there a specific place you order these?

Wow! I visited the website but this looks like it is available to US health care providers only. How amazing and how fortunate for all living in the US. Thanks for making us aware.