in shock my daughters life on the line need your help!!!

Liddle Noodnik · Mar 28, 2008

I cant believe what just transpired today!! I brought my daughter to the ER after her pca's called me and said you need to come look at this wound(bedsore) We have been trying to get it healed for some time. She sees a wound care specialist every other week. My daughter has spastic cp and is wheelchair bound. She is 30 years old and lives in her own home. anyways I am trying to make this a quick question. The bedsore went from a small pinhole wound to being the size of a fist and to the bone i can actually see bone, in two days due to neucrotic tissue, when i looked at it at her house i almost fainted (and i work in the icu at Maine Medical Center not as a RN yet but I am a student anyways the sore is HUGE and infected. I asked the surgeon what was the plan and he said oh just have her go home and have the pcas pack it and have them call a plasic surgeon!!! I was so in shock I just said what??? THen i told him i worked in a hospital and he said oh is that right, then he said well it is so deep and infected that we cant handle it here so we need to send her to Maine Medical Center. What the !!! it wasnt so bad a minute ago. She has had them before because she hates to go to bed but NEVER this bad, we were aquaciling it the wet to dry but to no avail. Can you believe this?? So tomorrow she is going to Maine Med because their are not any beds available tonight there she is in the local hospitals icu right now. I just needed to vent and know that my faith mostly are in nurses not Dr.s
I know you cant give medical advice but how dangerous is this if it is so deep and infected?? PS when the RN looked at it upstairs her face turned white and mouthed oh my god to me of course so my daughter couldnt here but what the ** was the Dr. thinking?? He did smell alittle like alcohol and no i dont mean rubbing alcohol. Sorry such a long rant but i have such a faith in nurses I work with amazing ones. how worried should i be, and was i overeacting??

Hi hon, when it is your kid there is no such thing as overreacting. Anyway - sorry you are going thru this - and glad that she will be going to the hosp. With the new dressing supplies they have nowadays they should be able to work miracles on that wound. Just make sure you keep monitoring it. Take care!

GingerSue · Mar 28, 2008

Good that she is in the local hospital icu at this time.

Hope things go well for her.

sharann, BSN, RN · Mar 28, 2008

We never overreact when it is our child. Hope it works out. I hope venting helps you. If you suspect a physician of abusing a substance then there is a place to report this to(outside of the hospital).

You sound like a great mom!

BrokenRNheart · Mar 28, 2008

Good thing you stepped up. Can't even begin to imagine where that was going.

It's also a good thing she is going elsewhere. Maybe depending on the outcome of the treatment, you can request a wound vac in the end.

Good luck and hang in there.

nservice · Mar 28, 2008

I'm sorry your daughter is having to go through this...you too. The whole area probably had deep tissue damage that you just couldn't see until everything opened up. The good news is now that it's open, it can be treated. Make sure you ask for home health to take over once D/C'd from the hospital. They can come a few times a week to do wound care and the PCA's can do it in the interim. I have seem great results from wound vac therapy. Also don't forget nutrition. Make sure she gets a dietary consult while in the hospital. She will need good protein to aid in wound healing. I'm sure you know that, but when you're the mama, it's hard to think sometimes. Wishing you and your dd the best. Keep us updated.

cathleenrmermaid7 · Mar 28, 2008

Thank you all so much for getting back to me so soon I have been sitting here crying. I didnt want to show emotion to my daughter because i knew it would freak her out god bless this website it is the sliver of sunlight on the darkest of days. I just got off the phone with her father( we have been divorced for 15yrs(alcholism him) but he is still the love of my life. It is really hard for him because he is the chief engineer of a fishing vessel off Dutch Harbor, Alaska, He is really on the boats that have the deadlist catch episodes on tv anyways again God bless you all that responded i will sleep better tonight knowing that Nurses are on this earth and all will be ok because of this gift.:redbeathe:nurse:

allnurses Guide · Mar 28, 2008

Your daughter now has nurses caring for her.

Maybe one of them will be able to help her understand how important it is for her to take care of herself.

A nurse did that for my adult daughter.

We Moms care so much. Sometimes a professional relationship gets through to a loved one.

You and your daughter are in my prayers.

Home Health Columnist / Guide · Mar 28, 2008

Anytime there is necrotic tissue, you can not tell the extent of damage underneath. For those with limited mobility/paralysis, constant pressure and shearing forces over any boney area can start as reddened area to crater type bedsore in as little as 24-48hours....seen plenty develop before my eyes in 20+ years in homecare. Many times patients are unaware or in denial regarding the need to change position and shift body weight at minimum q 1-2 hours to prevent skin breakdown.

Kudos to you for being there when your daughter needed you most and advocating for her best interest. Sepsis is the biggest threat and treatment with IV antibiotics most likely reason for ICU admission.

When she comes home, please make sure HOMECARE with visiting nurse ordered along with CETN (wound care specialist nurse) to follow her at home. I've seen some CETN's get wounds to heal that doctors gave up on.

PS: Have staff check out need for pressure reduction devices. After several years, wheel chair cushions and hospital bed mattresses tend to get compressed/flattened and need to be replaced.

Sending healing thoughts your way.

nyapa, RN · Mar 28, 2008

What I findfreaky is that the treatment was initially "oh just have her go home and have the pcas pack it and have them call a plasic surgeon" to requiring treatment in icu. One extreme to another! Where would your daughter have been without you???!!!! You are a brave lady...

:flwrhrts:

It seems to me that the thing to do would be what you are already doing; support your daughter, and advocate for her. It's horrible to have to mention your occupation in order to get proper treatment, but it obviously had to be done...

bollweevil · Mar 28, 2008

How is she today? I'm very glad that you kept them from discharging her. And if you truly think the doctor was impaired, I hope you will speak up. You can contact the Chief of whatever service he is on, you can contact the state board that licenses physicians, you can talk to Administration at the hospital. You can do it without using your name if you want, I should think.

As Karen said, get a wound care nurse involved. Raise hell with the insurer to pay for it if necessary. And do get her new pressure relief devices if needed. This is your daughter and you are doing battle for her. Bless you.

chadash · Mar 28, 2008

I would absolutely be reacting the same way you are...

She is your precious child!

I am praying!