You learn something new every day. Yesterday I learned that the wound vac freaking stinks and that it's normal. I was actually relieved to hear that the wound vac will have an odor because I almost drove myself nuts on Sunday trying to figure out what I was smelling. Smells that reek like ass are anxiety causing for someone with an ostomy, because we assume it's something gone horribly wrong with the appliance or the pouch. The wound nurse suggested shoving dryer sheets around the canister that collects the drainage and stuff, and it sort of works. So I'd like to apologize in advance if you hang out with me and smell something assy...it's the wound vac.
Are you on pins and needles wondering how the dressing change went yesterday? It went about how it always goes. I'm fine until the nurse has to put the sponge back into the wound, and then I pretty much lose it. I should tell the nurse that the crying is only partially due to the pain. It hurts for sure, but some of the tears are about my situation and feeling frustrated and sad and tired. I don't like to cry too much in front of the kids.
Hopefully I'll get to a point where the dressing change isn't so painful.
I'm sorry it's still hurting. How is the wound healing?
ReplyDeleteThe nurses will measure on Wednesday. One of them did say she thought it might be a little shallower, but she perhaps said that to help me feel better (I always cry at some point, I can't help it, it hurts). I'll try to remember to ask them to write down the first measurement and the measurement on Wed.
ReplyDeleteOverall, this is expected to be a long process, as in a couple months at least. No one has said specifically how long, but the wound is pretty big and it's in a difficult to heal place. The fact that I had radiation in that area makes it even harder to heal. But people keep telling us that wound vacs are magical, so hopefully things will progress quickly.