Day 27 (SDH+26, PAO+21): heel sores

While in the hospital my heels started getting very tender. Because I could only lie on my back, there was constant pressure on my heels. Plus the TED hose (compression socks) add a lot of pressure over the heels. Add to that a long hospital stay due to having two surgeries.

At home I sit up for large portions of the day, but I still have to lay on my back all night and during naps. And I'm supposed to wear the TED hose until my Fragmin (anti-coagulant) shots are done.

So my heels have gotten worse. My friend Scott who's a nurse considers my left heel to have a deep tissue injury. The dark spot is about the size of a nickel and is basically a deep bruise.

My right heel is worse. Scott calls it "an advanced stage two ulcer." It looks like a big blister and oozes a lot. For a few days my whole heel would throb when I would stand up.

Scott gave me a stern talking-to, telling me how fast these can get out of control, and told me to call my doctor for advice. He explained how pressure (the heel laying on the bed) and shear forces (the heel sliding back and forth on the CPM machine) and TED hose can restrict circulation, leading to this problem. He also helped me to adjust my CPM machine so it doesn't rub my right heel.

So I called Dr Mayo's office and emailed some pictures. It was a clinic day for him so his schedule was full, but in typical Dr Mayo fashion he still managed to shoe-horn me in the same day, calling me back around 9 pm. He told me to stop wearing the TED hose even though it's a bit early (yay!) and suggested getting off the CPM machine as soon as I reach my target (60˚, which I can probably hit but haven't gotten around to measuring yet, naughty me), and of course keeping pressure off my heels.

It's been nice not to have to wear the TED hose the last few days. My left heel isn't bothering me any more, with no swelling, though it still has that big round dark spot. My right heel no longer throbs when standing, so I think it's making a difference, though it is still red and swollen. Also, the last two or three nights I've not been sleeping in the CPM machine, which increases circulation because my right leg isn't elevated above my body all night. We're also going to try to experiment with lying on my side; having another sleeping position would help a lot. I'm trying to get up and around more, since movement and activity improve circulation.

Also, my sister sent me Herbal Ed's Salve which we apply every time I change my socks, which is a couple of times a day because of the ooze.

All this has made me realize how difficult it must be for people who are bed-ridden, and yet again how many blessings I take for granted.