The VAC is on!

Hi all! After a week of phone calls and proding,the wound VAC was put on my son late Friday afternoon!  Prior to that, we were back to the same hospital that we vowed to never return to, because my son took a shower...looked down and saw the blood dripping on the floor...and past-out.  When I told the doc about it at his appointment that day, they ordered an H&H blood test at that hospital because they could do it STAT and the regular lab took 4 hours.  I didn't realize at the time that the H&H was to see if he needed a blood transfusion.  I'm glad I didn't know cause...I would had sat and worried about how hard it would be to find an AB Negative blood match...there is just too much going through my head now.  Anyways, his blood was good!  and the wound vac was put on by his plastic surgeon.(who also didn't the wound reopening)  We were told that he could get his wound dressing changed at a hospital 5 minutes from our house, Mon, WEd, Friday.  Yesterday we were told that they would NOT help us because "they" weren't the ones who originally put the vac on..OYYYY!! I'm putting my son on auto-pilot and heading back to work..less drama there..well.....a "different" drama anyways!  Thank you guys for all your help and support...plastic surgery or any kind of surgery is not for whimps!!! Huggs and smiles Ginger

I'm so glad the wound vac is in place - it will help him heal much faster, although it will still take time.  Hopefully most of the drama is over, and you and your family can settle into a nice routine now.  My thoughts go out to your son for speedy and uneventful healing! Kellie

Hi Ginger, Im so sorry about everything you and your son are going through. I sympathize totally because I was in his shoes 7/06 when I had my hernia repair and TT. I ended up with the MRCA staff infection buy my wound was not deep, it was long accros my abdomen. When they measured it each week, they had to use those long Q-tips and the wound was longer then the QTip so they couldnt even measure it in the beginning. I had a pic line put in for IV antibiotics and I had the wound vac. The nurse came out 2 days a week to change the packing and then every Friday I went to the wound center and the Dr had to debreed the wound That was fun. It was a pain, but it worked and the wound healed in a little over a month.  If the tape gets loose before it is time to change the dressing, just cut some of the extra tape they provide and stick it on top of what is there. I learned to do it myself after a few weeks, and him being so young, he will  be able to do the same. My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family. If you have any questions, feel free to email me and I will give you my phone number and we can chat. Hugs, Suz

Good Lord, Ginger! Be sure to contact Patient Services at the hospital where your son received substandard care.  They need to know you found the care less than adequate.  A copy to whoever oversees hospitals at the state level in Arizona is a good idea, too. I'm not surprised the other hospital wouldn't do the wound care.  When I had a PICC line placed for cellulitis treatment a few weeks before my WLS, my WLS surgeon said to keep the PICC line in so they could use it at the hospital.  Of course, no nurse would touch it at the hospital where I had WLS because it hadn't been placed by them.  Stupid!   If I lived down there, I'd come help with the wound care.  I'm not all that busy right now and wounds don't gross me out.  I'm one of those people who moves in for a closer look.  Kix

OOOOh Kix, Wish you did live nearby to help with the wound care!  I watch the doctor and/or nurses do his wound Vac dressing and it's so hard for me not to get emotional..it is just sooo long...sooo deep..and sooo bloody, but they tell us that the redder (is that a word?) it gets... the better...they say it looks soooo good!  Ahhh, I'll take their word for it!  Let's just say I won't be cooking a roast in the crock-pot for a very long time!!!  Huggs, Ginger

Kix : I'm one of those people who moves in for a closer look.

Me too Kix! Glad I'm not the only one.

I'm so glad to hear things are improving, Ginger.