Joyce's KP Adventure mikepasini.com headlines
The Wound: An Update
7 April 2021
Yesterday was the second session at the Plastic Surgery Clinic with Dr. Tong since we've been doing the new routine. That routine is soaking the Kerlix gauze in Dakin's Solution for the morning dressing change and Vashe for the evening. Then an hour before the clinic debridement, I coat the wound in Lidocaine.
Joyce doesn't scream as much, Dr. Tong told me with a smile when she finished the session. She's very happy about that. Me, not so much, I confessed. She screams at home, I told her. And the neighbors think I'm murdering her.
Which is not a problem at the clinic.
That's not the only reason Dr. Tong is pleased. She sees tissue growth now. We were treading water for a while, she admitted, but now things are moving along.
To show you what she means, I took a photo of the wound this morning as I was doing the dressing change. And you can compare it to what the wound looked like five weeks ago.
You can also skip this entirely if looking at wounds is not your cup of tea.
In the Feb. 28 image you can see the wound is entirely covered in the yellow slough that was insulating the pink skin from the healthy benefits of the Vashe.
After a few debridement sessions at the clinic, the April 7 photo shows much of that removed and the pink tissue that will fill the wound emerging. The Dakin's Solution, a diluted bleach, inhibits the growth of the slough. The Vashe encourages the growth of the pink tissue.
So Joyce's is finally making progress.
Dr. Tong doesn't think she'll require another hospital stay, although I suspect the final skin graft may require one.
But between then and now there will be twice-a-week debridements and perhaps a return to the Wound VAC, this time with black foam. Joyce has told Dr. Tong she doesn't want the Wound VAC again. But, as I told Dr. Tong, she also wants this over as soon as possible.
So we'll see about that.
Meanwhile, let's try to think of some way to celebrate a little progress!
