Diabetic wound

[piller]

Friday I finally got in to a Doctor for treatment. Started as a scratch that got infected.

IMG_20220304_111834412.jpg

[AJMD429]

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How many days ago was the wound?

I'd be getting on HEAVY antibiotics systemically and topically ASAP, and the usual stuff to assure reasonable sugars and that homocysteine and methylmalonic acid are kept down.

[Sixgun]

My MIL had the exact same wound in the same place...medicine didn't work........another doc told her to eat steak nearly raw and it cleared up in two weeks.

[earlmck]

Yikes! That looks nasty.

[Blaine]

darn, Buddy.....Take care of yourself!

[piller]

Blood sugar staying an average of 115. The wound care clinic has me packing it with some blue stuff. I had never heard of it, and did not see the name written down. The wound started with a scratch that became infected.

[octagon]

I might ask the folks at Wound Care if you are a candidate for hyperbaric oxygen threpy, if the wound is tunneling, surely you might benefit from hyper O2.

[Bill in Oregon]

Sorry to hear about this Brian. Have you in my prayers, my friend.

[wvfarrier]

A buddy of mine works in a tattoo shop. The owner is a diabetic and has a tattoo of Wilford Brimley thst says "Diabeetus"

Hope ya feel better soon

[.45colt]

I sure hope that heals up completely. I have some health issues as well and am holding my breath day by day. .
like All the Old guys said growing up , Getting old isn't for sissies. Prayers Up.

[AJMD429]

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I agree on considering hyperbaric oxygen. I've even had patients use a regular oxygen tank and run a couple liters per minute to the wound under a bulky dressing. It's not 'hyperbaric' but should have some benefit to surface cells and high oxygen is toxic to most bacteria. No 'controls' to compare, but it seemed to help, and was FAR easier to get going than hyperbaric treatments, plus inexpensive.

[piller]

I can uncover it in about 8 hours. Will look and take another picture then. The cleanout hurt bad! I am wearing a compression sleeve over my leg. Not on any antibiotics. Was told that there is not any infection. I guess treating it with Polysporin and Hibiclens soap was helpful. Not enough, as that is tissue necrosis, but not infection.
Being type one diabetic ever since a round of ciprofloxacin kicked off an autoimmune reaction which killed my pancreas has been difficult.

[Grizz]

I can uncover it in about 8 hours. Will look and take another picture then. The cleanout hurt bad! I am wearing a compression sleeve over my leg. Not on any antibiotics. Was told that there is not any infection. I guess treating it with Polysporin and Hibiclens soap was helpful. Not enough, as that is tissue necrosis, but not infection.
Being type one diabetic ever since a round of ciprofloxacin kicked off an autoimmune reaction which killed my pancreas has been difficult.

my MIL went thru something that sounded like that. it was called MRSA and required the use of some machine to supply [oxygen i think. or something else. took weeks but finally got her healed and discharged]

Prayers UP for complete healing. sri but wife doesn't recall the exact treatment. i'm guessing you know from these scant clues, but if you want i'll find out the exact thing that dealt with the problem.

†

[AJMD429]

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Perhaps the 'blue stuff' is a silver compound of some sort that has antibiotic and hydration effects. We use several of that sort.

[Sixgun]

This stuff...prescription only......will heal anything......applied liberally and covered.....change dressing everyday.......it'll even stop a fever blister near instantly.---006

[AJMD429]

This stuff...prescription only......will heal anything......applied liberally and covered.....change dressing everyday.......it'll even stop a fever blister near instantly.---006

Yep. Even kills the dreaded 'MRSA'.

[piller]

I did some research. What the wound clinic has me using is a foam pad with Gentian Violet and Methylene blue made into it. Two ancient medicines in a new technology. Kills all Gram Negative bacteria without killing any new epithelial growth. This stuff does not need to be changed more than about once a week.
That silver sulfadiazene is the best stuff for burns that I have heard of. This blue stuff I am using is supposed to be even better for the type of hole in my leg that I have. It is not something that I can order at work. Hospital or Doctor's office only. Retail Pharmacy is blocked from ordering it. Maybe it is new enough that the FDA still wants patients using it to be forced to see a Doctor. It would keep the people who need it from avoiding being seen by a Doctor.

[Bill in Oregon]

That silver sulfadiazine looks like a miracle drug. Are they restricting availability out of fear that bacteria might become immune to it as they do to the various antibiotics?

[AJMD429]

That silver sulfadiazine looks like a miracle drug. Are they restricting availability out of fear that bacteria might become immune to it as they do to the various antibiotics?

Not that I know of. It is a prescription item in the U.S. but seems widely available.

[Sixgun]

My wife has restricted circulation in one leg and like you Piller, a small wound can get big if not treated and cared for.....this silver stuff was originally developed for burns but our doc prescribes it for her wounds if they should arise.

And naturally, I use it...works better than any triple action ointment I've seen or used.....

Like I said earlier, just apply it liberally and cover it, keep the wound clean and change daily.....you can see the skin growing each day.......

We even use it on the dogs for tick bites, etc.---006

[Ysabel Kid]

darn!

Heal up soon!!!

[AJMD429]

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Update us so we know if our prayers are working....

[piller]

Pain has subsided from 7 on a scale to 10, down to a constant 2.5. I will be changing the dressing soon. Pictures to follow.

[Bill in Oregon]

Brian, sounds like cause for hope!

[piller]

Here it is right now. Off today, and changed the dressing.

IMG_20220317_123529064.jpg

[piller]

You can see the faint outline of the blue healing pad. Gentian Violet leaves a stain.

[Rimfire McNutjob]

I'm diabetic and had something similar. I used this Promogran Prisma Ag on it and it slowly filled in. Took months.

[piller]

Slow is what I am experiencing.

[gamekeeper]

Slow but steady improvement is much better than the opposite, heal well piller...

[AJMD429]

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Looks better to me...!

[CowboyTutt]

Pillar, just saw this. PLEASE be careful! I have seen tragic loss due to these diabetic infections. One personal friend lost his lower leg due to infection, and Peggy McPherson to MRSA that was not properly diagnosed. I think you will be OK now, and lots of good information here too, but PLEASE be pro-active! -Tutt

[piller]

I think this was my wake up call.

[AJMD429]

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Lots of stuff to get checked and fix if needed:

Homocysteine (ideally check the MTHFR gene, but either way a product like Methylguard Plus will usually lower homeocysteine down below 8 where it should be)

LDL particle count (NMR; other lipid tests are not nearly as important, and you can't rely on LDL cholesterol)

Trig:HDL ratio (should be less than two but if it goes over four it's a clue things aren't controlled)

Estrogen (goes high in diabetics and triggers blood clots and makes prostate disease worse; anastrozole fixes it).

Testosterone (it's all marketed concerning bedroom function, but if it's low a male will make fat instead of muscle which worsens diabetes, and in addition the PSA is suppressed if the testosterone is low, which can mask prostate cancer; it isn't unusual to find out that guys had prostate cancer nobody had found because the PSA was suppressed until we put them on testosterone which enabled us to finally find out they had a smoldering prostate cancer).

Essential Fatty Acid profile (we use Boston Heart Labs for that test and it's only $13 if you pay out of pocket). It will show if you're getting enough of the three most common omega-3 fats, and most of us are not. Getting those levels up helps healing and circulation and reduces inflammation and all sorts of neurologic and cardiac benefits.

Thyroid (you CAN'T rely on just TSH because often the pituitary gland is effective not just the thyroid gland; check not only the FREE T3 but also the REVERSE T3, as well as the T4. I also check thyroglobulin antibodies and thyroid peroxidase because the teaching was that you only find them in teenage girls, but that's probably because it's self-fulfilling in that the only people we tested were teenage girls. Adults and males certainly can have thyroid antibodies. RT3:FT3 should not be over five using the testing most laboratories use. I see patients with resting heart rates in the 50s, no lateral eyebrows, thin hair, and absent ankle reflexes with shin edema, RT3:FT3 ratios of 12, but because their TSH is low the endocrinologists tell them their thyroid is high and they shouldn't take any, or if they're already on it they should stop it ).

There are also lots of legitimate supplements that can probably help. I have a friend who's a compounding pharmacy step one of the stores near me whoever for patients to for consultation on that sort of stuff. He knows way more than I do about that sort of thing, plus against your patience towards legitimate brands as opposed to just whatever is marketed most aggressively or is a fad.

We are also using a lot of low dose naltrexone for inflammation in just about every condition. It really seems to negate a lot of the negative forms of inflammation.

[piller]

Got put on Naltrexone for weight loss. It worked ONLY because i was throwing up every 5 minutes. Stomach pain was causinge to pass out.
The rest sounds doable