I am a pressure wound survivor

“Man 'rotting alive' from bedsore dies of infection” read the headline of a recent CTV news feed. 

Bob Wilson, from Burlington, Ontario, died on Saturday, 8 June, as a result of complications of a preventable condition — a pressure wound.

What those in authority need to answer to is how this man could have gone for so long without anyone noticing he was in trouble; in an acute medical crisis? How? No excuses!

After sustaining a fall and concurrent head injury, Mr. Wilson was hospitalized in one facility, to be then transferred to another for surgery related to that head wound. It was then the issue with his backside was discovered. In both facilities, where was his access to health care professionals who should have been doing their job on a daily basis? No, I’m not being harsh; I’m being real. Mr. Wilson was failed by the very people charged with his care. How many people across this province, across this country have died as a result of preventable pressure wounds?

Several years ago, my own father, while in a nursing home in this province, suffered through a skin ulcer that went unreported and therefore untreated until a family member stepped in, but not before Dad experienced excruciating pain. Where was nursing staff? How many others in just that one facility had a similar experience?

I am a pressure wound survivor; shearing wounds on both thighs that took two years to heal — for normal skin colour to return as wound surface area shrunk. Shearing occurs when skin is repeatedly dragged across a surface and sustains an irritation. In my case, I did not feel anything happening. By virtue of the way I position myself while seated, shearing wounds are possible but don’t always happen to people in my circumstance. Prevention and wound care is an ongoing process.

Prevention should be the gold standard in every nursing home and special care facility where people with limited mobility or those who are bed-ridden live. As example, a basic daily requirement if we are to stay well, is to be clean, with a daily check of ‘at risk’ areas, followed by cleansing, drying and applying antibiotic topicals as required. That should be a given in all health care settings treating patients on a daily basis. Full stop!

If Mr. Wilson had been properly washed every day, even a slight discoloration on his skin would have been observed and charted — or it should have been. Then there’s the smell of rotting flesh. Who could miss that? 

Health care professionals owed Mr. Wilson a duty of care he did not receive. My late father was owed a duty of care he did not receive.

In my case, what alerted me to a problem happened while I was showering. While washing the wound site (unseen at that point), I felt a sting. My skin, like paper,  had torn.  It was then I looked, turning my head to view in the hall mirror. After that OMG moment, I called the doctor. The skin break was very minor but the discoloration was expansive. I went into action, applying what I called my ‘war wound’ salve.  In a glass bowl with lid, I squirted a healthy gob of aloe vera gel into which I added a really good squeeze of polysporin ointment. Then, 10 drops of tea tree oil, blending really well. Four times daily, after cleansing the area, I applied a thin film of the salve, which is kept refrigerated.

Within a short time, while the salve was healing the wound, I began using a Roho (air cushion) on my desk chair and in my wheelchair during outings. As well, I used an air-filled mattress topper on my bed. Both were new to my health care management protocol and significantly contributed to wound healing. Contributing to pressure wound prevention, chair cushions and mattress toppers should be standard issue in every nursing home across the province.

For the next few months, over a period of visits from  Extra-Mural Occupational Therapists and then a nurse, measurements of wounds, along with photographs, were taken. One OT explained that the biggest concern was with ‘tunneling’, where damage travels below the surface to the muscles and bones. Mr. Wilson’s wound was to the bone.

Knowing how Mr. Wilson died and having read my story, it’s time for all of  you to let the medical community know that you understand the seriousness of this often preventable condition and you’re not going to accept their cavalier attitude any longer. That is your right. If you have a relative currently in a care facility in this province or any other, it is your right to demand skin checking; if an area is suspect, treat it. Taken further, to be a good neighbour, make it your duty to encourage checking of other patients who may not have frequent visitors. You’d expect no less for yourself. You are your brother’s keeper.

Carla MacInnis Rockwell is a freelance writer and disability rights advocate living outside Fredericton, NB with her geriatric Australian silky terrier and a rambunctious Maltese. She can be reached via email at carmacrockwell@xplornet.ca