Hello everyone with this distressing issue (and there seem to be many)
About 6 weeks ago I had a bad one. The large parasol in our garden got blown over in a huge gust of wind. That was ok but while trying to move it, one of the large 12kg weights rolled off onto my lower leg making a big hole with muscle visible and a flap.
The hospital did a brilliant job getting the flap edges together but a few days the leg had swollen due to the impact and forced the steri-strips apart. To cut a long story short the flap skin all died and after multiple dressing visits it has become ulcerated. One hospital doctor said you now have a similar wound to people how have diabetes.
Now I rarely have preds but have been on the brown small dose steroid pump for 40 years, which has to be the cause of my skin issues.
I wonder if anyone has had anything similar?
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TwoPuffsAl
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Did you say you now have diabetes, unclear in your post? Blood test would tell. I bruise like a banana, have DVT and oedema , so they can tell you what/ why by test and treat accordingly.? Hope you heal soon whatever the cause.🤗
That sounds awful. I had similar, a chunk to the rear of my upper arm was bitten by a dog. I had to wait ages in a French clinic for stitches by which time the large flap of skin was drying out. She stretched it as well as she could and did 25 stitches then dressed it. She told me I must do tona 'nurses cabin' near my home every day to be redressed, which i did. (A bit horrible really, they never washed their hands or wore gloves, once just came ot of the loo without washing (he didn't close the door, heard him peeing & flushing and he came straight out. Another time the nurse was very late and sopping wet, asked him if he fell in the filthy harbour he said no, he'd got in voluntarily today rescue his scooter. He didn't wash either or change his clothes 😳)! Sorry, I digress as per.....once scab formed they shaved it off every day, when I asked why they said it would reduce scarring. The skin flap had died as well. Left me with a scar that looks like a big burn and a horrible memory.
Vitamin C really boosts healing and fighting infection. I drink effervescent vit C 1000mg 3 to 3 times a day, it does help me enormously. Also do ankle turning exercise when sitting, everything you can to promote blood circulation.
Someone here said its essential to keep the skin flap moist before sticking Steristrips so it doesn't shrink.
So sorry, I didn't reply to your actual question. Sorry to go on too about my own experience - lost control of my waffle meter (very stressful days at the mo). It is a scar but I can't see it on back of upper arm On reflection they used nebules of sterile saline to rinse over the wound, my French family use them a lot from dripping up newborn baby's nostrils to wound flushing.
Regarding the chronic thinning skin, maybe half can be down to natural aging and half to using inhalers for 40 years? My skin is very thin, many scars however on a change of inhaler was very much improved. I wear double thickness tubigrip on arms when gardening/pruning.
I'd speak to a respiratory expert to get their views on it and also GP on best way to improve circulation in your legs to help heal. Or helpline: 0300 222 5800 09.15 to 17.00 hrs Mon to Fri re thin skin and inhalers.
Very best wishes on your leg wound healing TwoPuffsAl
2 years ago I had a wound on my lower leg caused by a dead raspberry cane about a foot long, acted like a knife wound. It wouldn’t stop bleeding & eventually A&E did manage to stop it. I wasn’t given antibiotics. It became infected the steristrips couldn’t be used. It took 4 weeks of antibiotics (several swab tests). It was twice weekly dressing changes, don’t get the area wet & skin flap died. Skin had to heal from wound area slowly. Lower leg & asthma related skin thinning made it a horrible wound that took 2 months to heal & for me to stop having flannel washes! Hold in there but prioritise healing with good food & rest. Thank you peege for the tubigrip advice for gardening👍.
Thanks Inhale, that sounds very similar and a very b ad wound indeed. I haven’t had wound swabs as yet but will get this checked out. I am the same with very easy bruising but rather have that than the cuts. Looks like I might be in for a long haul like yourself with this one. It’s reassuring to hear I’m not alone with this, s o thanks again for responding.
Oh dear, how things can change in an instant! I’ve had lots of skin tears but just two major episodes eg when lift doors closed on my arm, but thankfully have avoided major ulcers though I had twice weekly dressing visits for months. There’s a very small area on my leg from 2yrs ago which has never healed properly & I doubt ever will - it seems to heal, then bleeds again - I just keep an eye on it. Have you been offered a skin graft? The problem is they involve more skin damage.
Thanks for your response and similar tale of woe janedivney. Funnily I enough I had a similar arm injury a while ago while getting on a tube train and the doors shut on me.
No I haven’t had a skin graft for this injury, but had one 30 years ago and the recovery from the rectangular skin donor site was much worse than the the wound. The donor site is still ten shades lighter the rest of my leg. A funny story to lighten the mood - After a tennis session with my mates and in the showers, one of them said to me ‘have you had an accident with a sander ? ‘ 😀 it is a dreadful problem and these days I’m not sure which is worse, the asthma or the skin. I wish you all the best agains future cuts and hope you may get some resolution with the existing problems.
my skin goes purple at the least little knock and sometimes I brush against the wall and it pushes my skin back, then its blood everywhere. Been like it for a couple of years now x
Thanks Poshcards, I instantly recognise those symptoms. The only thing that helps a bit is moisturise, moisturise, moisturise. I use E45 spray which is quick to apply and soaks in well. Good luck.
I’ve previously some years ago made an ulcerated hole in my shin by walking at speed, whilst rushing annd not looking, into the corner of my open dishwasher door. Painful, bloody and very ugly! It was dressed with some steri strips at my local A&E, but became infected and created a horrible, slow-to-heal ulcer and ugly scar.
Fortunately, since then, dressing protocol has much improved, vital for us with our fragile skin.
Earlier this year I managed to skin almost all my forearm by slipping forward and scraping it on the edge of a sharp coffee table whilst on holiday in France 🤦♀️ There were a couple of large flaps, it bled copiously and looked a right mess; I took myself off to the nearest hospital A&E, with Google Translate to help me out! It was scrubbed clean (blooming painful!) and dressed, with instructions to get it re-dressed on my return to the U.K.. It took 2 months with dressing changes every 3/4 days, but it has healed better than I could hope for.
Allevyn dressings were used, and they were great. I’ve now bought them in several sizes from Amazon to use myself at home; no antiseptic or anything, wound cleaned with sterile water, but they absorb fluids, keep the wound moist, and have silicone adhesive that can be removed from our very fragile skin without causing more tears or bruising. Worth reading up about them 👍 My favourite plasters now!
Along with other posters I echo their advice to moisturise your arms and shins really well every day. It makes your skin more flexible, less fragile and less easy to tear. I’ve found it really helps.
Thanks Beech, sorry you’ve had some really bad ones and the doc in A&E on a Greek Island also scrubbed mine, very painful.
I’m certainly going to try those dressings you recommend, much appreciated. Also I’ve applied to go on a medical trial for new leg ulcer treatment which sounds promising. I’ll report back in here.
Good luck with the trial 👍. Unfortunately leg ulcers are a devil to heal, but with good care you get there in the end. It just takes far longer than you think. Please do let us know how you get on 🤞
Check the size of the Allevyn you choose - there’s quite a good range, but they’re pricey. They are intended to stay on for several days, even up to a week, so don’t generally need frequent changing. The overall size is fairly large, but the sticky edge is a translucent pink, and they’re not too obvious, plus slightly padded to protect the wound. That’s for home care of smaller wounds - obviously for bigger ones get them checked at your GP or A&E!
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