The Start

Below is an article I had written that describes an experience I went through over a year ago.  Interestingly, it was a personal struggle which eventually became the catalyst to a new chapter in my life...and what led me to here.  Thought it would be fitting to share as my first post.

Pressure Sores...They're Not Just Skin Deep
Anyone living with a SCI has to deal with the risk of skin breakdown. A small red spot can turn into an open sore within a day if conditions are right, and into a crater in a few days if unattended. Pressure ulcers left untreated can lead to bone infections and in the most serious cases death.

Prevention is always preferred but is often sidetracked. Then there is the healing game, and that can be a long rollercoaster of a ride. Long amounts of time staying out of your chair for sometimes weeks at a time. Believing that it’s healed only to have it open back up again. Then there’s the option of a skin flap surgery which adds at least 2 more months of healing or more if infection is found in the bone.

I heard of people trying to heal a pressure sore for 1, 2 sometimes 3 years or having reoccurring ulcers even after surgery. I shamefully admit that at one time I would think to myself, "What are they doing? Why can’t they get rid of the sore and keep it from coming back?"  Well, I guess I found out first hand that it’s just not that simple!

In 25 years of living with a SCI, I’ve avoided getting a full blown pressure sore up until two years ago. I had no idea how long the healing process could take, nor what changes I’d have to make in my life because of it. Probably the biggest impact though has been the strain I felt on my emotional state.

At first I was very angry with myself. I went 23 years without a problem with skin breakdown. Did I think I was invincible? Then I had to deal with being lectured on how I needed to stop doing my own transfers and stay out of my chair until it was healed. Was that even possible? I live on my own and only have help in the mornings. I have students to tutor, and I have responsibilities! Do I put all that on hold? For how long?

Do people who are overweight stop eating food they shouldn’t? Do smoker’s stop smoking? How many of us speed knowing we could get into an accident? Why does anyone do things we know could have a lasting negative impact on our life? One word…PRIORITIES!  I’m not advocating to be reckless, but there is something to be said for the choices we make.

No one made the message clearer than Jean Kluesner, RN, MSN, who I saw in the Wound Clinic at UW Hospital. Reflecting on her 16+ years of wound care experience, she took a different approach. She would say that addressing my emotional needs was an important part in healing a wound, "There’s what you should do...and then there’s the reality of needing to live." She would describe what conditions the wound needed in order to heal, and then she would tell me to work my life around that. It actually made me look at my priorities differently so I could make better choices about what I was willing to give up and what I felt I needed to do.

Most of the sore healed quickly, but there was a tiny track that just wouldn’t close. After 9 months of trying different things, we started making arrangements for surgery. About 19 months after the initial visit to the clinic, the wound was finally repaired and healed.

How did I pass the time? I kept my mind busy...I read, watched cooking shows & movies, tried to learn Spanish, played games on the computer, and exercised. I stayed connected with friends. I took on projects by helping to plan and organize upcoming races and I became the editor for a SCI newsletter. I also took the opportunity to reflect on my life. Then I got offered an opportunity to write about outdoor recreation for a website for disabled hunters. Suddenly, I had something to look forward to and my life didn't feel like it was passing me by...it had purpose again!