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pfllh

Here we go AGAIN

pfllh
15 years ago

Took Phil to the wound specialist yesterday. A little over a monthe ago he got an open sore on his big toe where the slipper had rubbed as his toe is bent. I've been taking him to the podietrist and we've been using topical and oral antibiotics. The area keep getting bigger and opened more.

This is upsetting to us as this is how it all started with his leg that had to get amputated. No, he is not diabetic. Phil has COPD and is in the last stage of heart failure. His circulation is so poor, he does not heal well. He is on cumidin, plavix and aspirin among all the other medicines that thins his blood.

5 years ago, he got an ingrown nail but said nothing about it. When he showed it to me it was a mess and all infected. After treating it for some time, he was referred to an orthopedic surgeon. After 5 surgeries as gangrene kept setting in, he lost his right leg.

The wound specialist deadened his toe, took a surgerical tool and started cutting out infected bone and tissue. I've seen a lot of things but this was gross. They then packed it with a treated piece of gauze of antibiotics and wrapped it. We go back Monday.

When the doctor was done he talked to us and left. The nurse did the packing. We were talking and she asked which Ortho doctor he had gone to. She shook her head and said they had treated some of his patients with success. In fact they just had a lady the surgeon had told her toe needed amputated. They did pretty much the same thing as Phil just had done and she's doing fine.

My mind started flashing back and going a mile a minute. God, was his leg amputated for nothing? I thought we did as we should and did as the doctors said. Has he gone through all this pain and the horrible treatment at the hospital where I filed complaints. What had I done???? I got tears but was able to not let them roll. The nurse looked at me and said. "you just never know".

I had a horrible time driving all the way home, 45 minute drive. My mind racing and fighting back tears. God forgive me, I just didn't know.

When we got home I got Phil situated as best I could to take a nap. He was just plain wore out.

I called my youngest daughter as she keeps up more on us than the other 2. I had to leave a voice mail. She called a few minutes later as she had just left work and was in the car. I told her I needed to talk to someone and to call me when she got home. She told me to talk now and what was wrong. I explained everything to her. She told me that her daddy was in his right mind back then and that we followed doctors' advise. She said there was not any way I should feel guilty as I'd done nothing wrong.

I told her that when the nurse said that I just kept saying to myself, what if we'd seen this wound specialist. He may have not lost his leg. Maybe that surgeon's answer to infected tissue is cut it off --- period.

I am having a hard time dealing with this. Thank God Phil is hard of hearing and his aide is broke. He didn't hear any of it. I can't give him back his leg. I don't know if the new wound specialist could have saved it. I just don't know anything right now. I should have got a 2nd opinion but the ortho doctor is one of the best in the area.

How?? How do you deal with something like this?

Lynn

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