AIBU - Is it fair for me to live like this?

Yes, good idea, Charleygirl, phone 111.

Ferry, You have my sympathy. However I don't quite understand why you can't change the dressing yourself as and when it gets too wet for comfort. Even if is a sterile dressing you could do it surely?Maybe do without the stockinette bandage that seems to be the problem which needs two people. Try a big bandage and some adhesive tape instead.

Also, are they putting barrier cream on the sound skin around the wound? Even Vaseline would be some protection for your skin.

Best to RTT, Caleo

Anyway, a wound like that needs a medical professional to dress it.

Do not attempt to try to do it yourself, Ferry23!

Just wanted to express my sympathy for all you are going through. No advice as I have no experience of your problems but feel sad that it is taking so long to heal.

Veering off topic but I’m just reminded of a situation I found myself in several years ago when I was full time carer to a family member.

The NHS chiropodist would only allow him 3 monthly appointments. I asked her if she might see him 6 weekly and I would pay her privately but she declined. Then informed me that we couldn’t visit a private chiropodist in between her appointments, it had to be one or the other but not a combination.

Her reason was that the private chiropodist might cause a problem eg an infection and it could be attributed to her. So we had to abandon the NHS chiropodist as 3 monthly wasn’t nearly enough and then pay for 6 weekly private chiropody .

Yes, that has crossed my mind too if ferry employs a private nurse. It’s a bloody awful situation!

Just remembering I had 3 visits from D/nurses following my THR -April .. when they saw my swollen purple foot, they said I needed to see GP as this was a medical problem .. so believe the rules have changed. Altho I did see an experienced D/nurse for a wound check @6wks and she was lovely .. think services are so stretched, you have to be very assertive to the staff @surgery and shed a tear or 2 … I couldn’t cope with my late mother’s shin ulcer .. she ended up in hosp and then caught MRSA - dire situation and I had to be swabbed nasally and throat because I was visiting daily . took mths for ulcer to heal

Grannynannywanny

Veering off topic but I’m just reminded of a situation I found myself in several years ago when I was full time carer to a family member.

The NHS chiropodist would only allow him 3 monthly appointments. I asked her if she might see him 6 weekly and I would pay her privately but she declined. Then informed me that we couldn’t visit a private chiropodist in between her appointments, it had to be one or the other but not a combination.

Her reason was that the private chiropodist might cause a problem eg an infection and it could be attributed to her. So we had to abandon the NHS chiropodist as 3 monthly wasn’t nearly enough and then pay for 6 weekly private chiropody .

Crikey!!!

I've been doing a bit of "mixing and matching" between private and NHS for my feet recently. Just as well that I think I didn't mention my private visits to the NHS people.

I know there is in fact a podiatrist (that top level of 3 types of foot people) that does both - and she came to see me at home privately and did some footcare work - but refused to do nail surgery (ie dealing with ingrown toenail) in my home...but said it could be done in the NHS (and she herself might be the one doing it!). I would say - from that - that your particular NHS chiropodist was being even more "cautious" than need be.

I abandoned the NHS anyway eventually for footcare - because one of the podiatrists here (West Wales) seemed like she spoke perfect English - but she messed-up when referring to Lidocaine local anaesthetic (which my body is okay with) with LANAcane (which my body reacts to) and she would not have it that they were two different words - covering two different things and literally called me "mad" !!!!!!!!. Hence I then saw a private podiatrist that I knew for a fact was "first language English" as it's called here ..................

So - yep.....I would expect I could still go and visit an NHS podiatrist in the relevant NHS location here if I chose to - and, in fact, I had an appointment to do so. But I cancelled that appointment myself - as I didn't want to risk it being with Mrs First Language Welsh who had yelled at me and called me "mad".....and threatened me with having to unnecessarily have that ingrown toenail dealt with with a full general anaesthetic operation - and it would be elsewhere - and it would be months?/years? before I got it.

Not surprisingly I won't risk going anywhere remotely near the NHS here for my feet again - in case I got the harridan, rather than the more normal one.

Allira

^They always make sure I've got a supply of everything I need at home in case I do find someone to help out with the dressings.^
I hope they included surgical gloves too!

This really is a sorry state of affairs, though.
I think the District Nurses should be ashamed, but I suppose bending the rules to help a patient in need at the weekend is more than their job's worth.

Yes probably- because they won't be insured.
I wouldn't ask anyone to risk being struck off.

NotSpaghetti

Allira

They always make sure I've got a supply of everything I need at home in case I do find someone to help out with the dressings.
I hope they included surgical gloves too!

This really is a sorry state of affairs, though.
I think the District Nurses should be ashamed, but I suppose bending the rules to help a patient in need at the weekend is more than their job's worth.

Yes probably- because they won't be insured.
I wouldn't ask anyone to risk being struck off.

Seriously?!!!!!

Would they really be penalised in any way (eg struck off) for what they did in their OWN time?

....That would be rather odd (as well as wrong) - and very different to the way there must be quite a few airline pilots by now that have made an announcement mid-flight asking if there's a doctor on board (ie because someone has just had a medical emergency situation). One time that meant half the people on the plane piled in to help - as there was lots of doctors flying off to some medical conference....

I wasn't suggesting they go in their own time as free-lancers.

District Nurses should have a weekend rota too. Surely if a patient needs daily medical attention, they should cover, especially in a case like this?

After DD2’s foot problem, we went three times a week to the local hospital to have the wound measured and re-dressed:-different methods and with different results, depending on which Nurse we saw! After a few months it was reduced to twice a week, until they were happy with it. At this time, she was told she’d be referred to Chiropody/Podiatry and never to attempt to cut her own toenails. The first 2 or 3 appointments were cancelled at very short notice, then she was told that the service wasn’t available for her. That’s 3 years ago.

I only know about this because of threats from what was then known in this area as the Chief Divisional Midwifery Officer, CariadAgain.

So yes, I was serious.

NotSpaghetti

I only know about this because of threats from what was then known in this area as the Chief Divisional Midwifery Officer, CariadAgain.

So yes, I was serious.

Crikey!

Maybe it was just the person in that position in that Health Authority - but other people in the same position in other Health Authorities would have been more normal? (ie helpful).

Health Authorities do seem to vary so much and then there's what part of the country one lives in (ie I've learnt by now to look up the English part of the NHS if I want any information - as it's often difficult/maybe even impossible to find on the (separate) Welsh NHS website.

Followed by I must check out the Scottish NHS website - after I managed to find something I was looking and looking for - and found it from a Scottish NHS board the other day.

How are things today, ferry?

I agree Allira I don't understand the 9-5 pm and Monday-Friday mentality.

One has a duty of care on and off duty, and in this litigious society, this is why many people walk past if there is an accident.

Ferry has mentioned before why she cannot redo her dressings. Her hands are weak because of arthritis, and she needs at least three hands.

Once the leg has healed and the dust has settled, I would look for a surgery closer and with more sympathetic and proactive staff.

Oh my. This all beggars belief.

Arrive at surgery feeling a bit more upbeat, very little discomfort since yesterday and not much in the way of leaky yucky stuff. This trimovate cream seems to be weaving it's magic.

My usual, lovely nurse goes to the cupboard to get my huge box of goodies. When she comes back she asks me if yesterday's nurse gave me anything to take home. No she didn't.

Anyway, cut a very long story short - the specific barrier cream that took ages to find as it causes me no irritation AND the trimovate cream are nowhere to be found. The nurse I saw yesterday isn't in today (I believe they tried to call her). They don't keep trimovate on the premises as it contains steroids.

She did find a barrier cream and changed the dressings. Gave me a printed prescription for the trimovate which I had to take to the chemist and wait for it in the slim hope that I can find someone who can change the dressings and apply the cream over the weekend. Which isn't looking promising - I spent 4 hours googling and making calls this morning to no avail.

And to add to this perfect storm, a large part of my route to my nearest Urgent Treatment Centre is completely closed due to replacement of either gas or water pipes, can't remember which. The diversion is 22 miles long. I can't drive that far right now, the cost of a taxi there and back will probably be more than a private nurse for the whole day!

In all probability I'm not going to get the cream on again until Monday - fortunately, cross fingers,touch wood, the nurse who did the dressings today does them the best and the most secure - coupled with a reduction in fluid - may mean it won't be as bad this weekend as last.

You couldn't write it could you?

Allira

Best to RTT, Caleo

Anyway, a wound like that needs a medical professional to dress it.

Do not attempt to try to do it yourself, Ferry23!

Indeed yes, if a medical professional can be had at frequent enough intervals. I would think most DIY efforts would be better than an old wet clump of pads that don't even cover the wound.

Obviously the medical care that Ferry gets is scarily ineffectual.
What does RTT mean?

What does RTT mean?

Read the thread 🙂
It's often used, but not always the polite version that I used! 😯

Hopefully Ferry the dressings will hold till Monday. But if they dont then a call to 111 over the weekend would be the best idea. You couldn't invent this. At the moment you want to get to the healing stage before you raise a complaint with PALS or whoever.

Take this weekend to write out exactly what has happened to date so that you will be good to go to take it further when you have the headspace to cope with a complaint.
I wonder where your box of medical stuff has disappeared to. In a GP surgery not many people would have access to a cupboard in a treatment room surely in such a short space of time. Your good nurse must make enquiries next week. That really is not fair on you.
Fingers crossed all will be well till Monday.

Have you tried to ask for an appointment/referral to the Ulcer clinic? In the area I live, you can go online and do a self-referral to the Ulcer Clinic nurses. I have had a very difficult wound/ulcer for over two years and after being fobbed off at my GP surgery, or had it dressed at the GP surgery (when I could get an appointment) by practice health care assistances who really did not know what they were doing, I did a self referral to the Ulcer clinic and they have tried everything and the ulcer is now starting to heal. Might be worth a try.
Good luck.

Yes Helter Skelter, my mission over the weekend is to get this all written down chronologically as I think I am going to have to invoke the complaints procedure.

It wasn't the whole box that went missing, just the two creams. We wondered is she put both creams on the sterile pad and then just scooped everything up and threw it away. I couldn't say if that was the case, I wasn't looking.

I'd be wondering if that box of medical stuff had gone missing because there's someone else in the same position - and it got removed by another medic to use on them?

In which case OP probably has a potential ally out there somewhere - ie someone else in a similar position - if she can figure out a way to locate them......

Oh dear ferry!
You really couldn't make up such a series of events.
I hope this weekend passes painlessly, peacefully and the dressings stay dry!

Please do keep us updated about how you are feeling and how the weekend passes.
So many on here are wishing you well, thinking of you and following your progress.