Pressure sores are a very serious topic for wheelchair users. They can develop quickly and get worse even faster if proper action isn’t taken. And in some cases, even with the best care, surgery may be the only answer to healing. TJ shares his story about discovering and dealing with a pressure sore.
How a pressure sore developed
TJ wanted to lose weight for his upcoming wedding, so he began working out and eating well. And he lost 28 pounds! TJ was so focused on seeing the weight loss results in his face and belly, that he forgot about an important area: “I totally forgot that I was going to lose weight in my butt which would affect how I was going to sit,” writes TJ. “With no sensation, I had no idea that I had developed a small pressure sore.”
TJ went to a doctor and changed his wheelchair cushion to a new one with a pressure sensor to ensure he was sitting correctly, and the pressure sore began to get better. So TJ began sitting on it more. But then the sore got worse from all the sitting.
Treating a pressure sore with a wound VAC
TJ dealt with this routine for several months. He finally talked to his doctor about a wound VAC, “a machine about the size of a clock radio that can hang on the back of your chair and usually holds a charge for eight hours,” explains TJ. ” The wound VAC has sponges that you put on or inside your wound to bring in blood to keep the tissue healthy.” A wound VAC is typically used when a wound isn’t healing as quickly as it should or when the skin in and around the wound isn’t healthy.
Pressure sore treatment via flap surgery
Sometimes a wound VAC can completely heal a pressure sore. But that’s not what happened in TJ’s case. After dealing with the sore for seven months, TJ opted for flap surgery to heal and close the wound. TJ’s surgeon told him that once a wound gets to 3.5 to 4 cm deep, oftentimes flap surgery is the best route as it will help strengthen the damaged area. Flap surgery is reconstructive surgery that typically leaves an enormous scar. In TJ’s case, to close the pressure sore on his right buttox, his scar runs from his right hip all the way to his inner thigh.
Healing from a pressure sore
TJ had to spend four weeks lying mostly flat on a special bed filled with silicone sand to minimize pressure on the surgery site. After a month, he began a seating schedule or seating program. This is where the individual sits up (either in bed or in a wheelchair) for a short period of time per day and gradually increases sitting time and pressure on the healing surgical site. Seating programs vary by individual and what doctors recommend.
For TJ, his seating program started with 5 minutes sitting up in bed. Dizziness is common for people healing from pressure sore surgery. “It’s amazing that I was in bed for four weeks and as soon as I sat up, I was so dizzy because I have not done anything but lie flat for a month,” shares TJ. After he was able to sit in bed for 30 minutes, TJ was able to begin sitting in his chair. “I’ve been told the seating program will last until I’m able to do four hours up in the morning, rest for an hour and then sit for four hours in the afternoon,” shares TJ. “Once I can do that for three or four days, I am back to sitting up as much as I want.”
TJ concludes with a reminder on the importance of pressure relief:
“I need to be vigorous about my pressure releases, which I have to do every 15 to 20 minutes while I’m doing my seating program.”
Please share this post with someone who is dealing with a pressure sore.