Getting your leg chopped off. Food for thought.

[GordonJ]

Thanks for sharing Dien...I think the future will be HOME Hyperbaric treatments, a boot similar to the one you wore, but it also has compressed oxygen (hyperbaric is used in diving decompression chambers, we had one of the larger ones in the Navy aboard the Grayback, LPSS 574).

My brother made the mistake you too made, not getting the help early enough and by the time he was in ER, not much to do but cut...and after the first one, just half the foot, the infection was still there...so, they could have taken just the foot, about the ankle, but with no assurances, or take the lower leg.

You know, speaking of Bros, you might want to ask yours about any research he has on these companies doing HBOT home therapies. More and more are coming online. A boot which acts as a hyperbaric "chamber" for the foot.

Also, I told him (and anyone else who will listen, always get a second opinion, maybe not from a fellow surgeon, because they almost ALWAYS WANT to cut, cut and cut)...send your endocrinologist a cookie thank you.

It just seems astounding to me, how many of these things take place and that ridding infections is so hard these days.

Gordon

Originally Posted by Dien Rice

Hi Gordon,

Wow... My thoughts and prayers are with your brother, that he'll be able to deal with this in the best way possible...

As you know, I had a diabetic foot ulcer, and went to hospital for it, a little over 2 years ago...

In my case, they think something pierced the bottom of my right foot, and I was unaware of it, which enabled bacteria to enter my foot. The bacterial infection spread, from the bottom of my foot, to the top of my foot. Stupidly, I left it... By the time I reached hospital, it had gotten to the stage they were recommending partial amputation...

I didn't tell the whole story here before (I don't think). At the first hospital I went to, the head guy dealing with diabetes was a vascular surgeon, who wanted my consent to partially amputate my foot, to get rid of the infection...

We organized to go to a different hospital (this was recommended by my endocrinologist)... This other hospital had a specialized diabetic foot unit, headed up by an endocrinologist. This endocrinologist had written a Ph.D. thesis on how to reduce the frequency of diabetic foot amputations!

At the second hospital (the Royal Melbourne Hospital), the vascular surgeons there recommended partial amputation of my foot (like the first hospital). However, the endocrinologist in charge said a slower approach, using antibiotics and what they call a "vacuum dressing," could work...

Despite the pleas from the vascular surgeons to be allowed to amputate my foot, I opted for the second option!

I still had surgery... They did what they call "debriding" to cut out the infected tissue. That left a large part of the top of my foot without skin... After that, I started taking antibiotics... They did tests to determine the exact bacteria which were infecting my foot, so they could target them more specifically with the antibiotics. They also put on a "vacuum dressing" which puts negative pressure on the wound (it sucks the air out), which apparently helps it to heal faster...

In my case, it was a good ending... it literally took months, but the bacteria were all killed, and my wound healed... (I was in hospital for 2 weeks, and the rest was recovering at home, but with regular visits to the hospital as an outpatient.)

When I was in the second hospital, for part of the time I shared a room with a lady who had a leg amputated below the knee, also due to a diabetic ulcer that got out of control... She seemed to be taking it well. One day, I mentioned to her that she was taking it well... and she broke down and cried. She had been putting on a brave face... That really made me realize the trauma she was under...

It's not an easy thing. I contemplated what would have happened in my case if it had gone for the worse. It still could happen in future if I'm not careful, or if I'm a little bit unlucky...

On the positive side, losing a leg is better than losing your life... You still have your loved ones. You still have your functional mind. You still have your hands. Things could be a lot worse... I'm a huge believer in counting your blessings!

Thanks Gordon, I hope and pray that the Merciful One helps your brother...

https://gofund.me/89a29254

Best wishes, Dien