DEAR DR. GOTT: In November 2009, I pulled a rib muscle in my back while working out in the gym. It later became abscessed and subsequently burst, discharging a cloudy liquid. The following month, I saw a surgeon who thought it could be infected. He cut into the wound to remove the fluid and bad tissue. At home, we had to pack the wound and cover it two times a day. This created tension with my wife, as she had to do it because I could not reach the area.
In June 2010, the surgeon decided the wound was not healing. He suggested that he reopen it, remove additional tissue and sew it up, turning it into a primary wound. The initial wound was 5.5 centimeters deep by 5 centimeters long and 4 centimeters wide. Now it is going to be made even larger.
We met with another surgeon who suggested he would make the wound even bigger and “dishpan” it so it would be easier to pack. I’m at my wits’ end. I have had two open-heart surgeries that healed in weeks. Six months later, I’m starting all over. I still have no infection, but no one can seem to get the wound to heal. Do you have any advice?
DEAR READER: There are a number of reasons why wounds do not heal, but it often gets down to a lack of blood supply. Blood transports oxygen, platelets and plasma to heal wounds. That’s why people with diabetes (diabetic ulcers), infections (from bacteria or foreign bodies), smokers (vascular disease) and a host of other conditions have difficulties healing wounds. I’m not sure why yours has persisted for so long, but it’s time for a change.
Get a referral to a top-notch surgeon at a local, well-respected hospital. Explain the length of time you have had the open wound and the circumstances leading up to it. If there is an underlying cause hampering your recovery, be sure to address and correct it. Then ask about treatment with IV antibiotics; vacuum-assisted closure; stem-cell therapy, which can provide the injured tissue with cells that can develop into healthy tissue; and skin grafting.
Millions of dollars are spent every year because of non-healing wounds. Add that to the trauma you and many other people suffer on a daily basis, and it’s hard to put a price on. You need the help of a wound-care specialist, who can determine the reason your wound isn’t healing and take the necessary steps to ensure it does.
To provide additional information, I am sending you a copy of my Health Report “Diabetes Mellitus.” Other readers who would like a copy should send a self-addressed stamped No. 10 envelope and a $2 check or money order to Newsletter, P.O. Box 167, Wickliffe, OH 44092-0167. Be sure to mention the title or print an order form off my website at www.AskDrGottMD.com. Good luck.
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