And now, the progress report on the leg....
Insert teletype noises, as if listening to 1010 WINS! :) Scratch that.
I saw Dr. J yesterday. I was honest with him, that I haven't used the debridement ointment twice a day every day. It's impossible to do that and work full time. I explained that it is not an option for me to be off from work and/or screaming in agony while working. He then informed me that if he'd had his way, I would have been out of work for three weeks and in the hospital for debridement when I'd come in back in December. He's a damn good doctor because he listens to the patient's needs in figuring out treatment plans.
So, I graduated to an Unna Boot. This resembles a soft cast. It's a layer of medicated gauze, then an ace bandage, then medical wrap. The average boot uses a layer of calamine permeated gauze, but I'm allergic to that, so mine is a zinc oxide layer instead. They wrap it tight. Very tight. It's like Arnold Schwartzenegger is giving my leg a bear hug with all his might. However, Arnold will not let go of my leg.
The Unna Boot has to stay dry and gets replaced once a week. Fortunately for me, the office is now 5 minutes from work, so I can take a break or go on my way in for the now weekly appointments. Better than it being on the other side of town, especially with the funky traffic that we've got here in Tampa.
This already made me pretty happy, as the boot means we're getting closer to the ulcers going away. To top it off, the nurse taking me back is the one who weighs everyone. She'd weighed me back in March (Scary number), then again at the first visit in December (down almost 30 pounds) and then yesterday (down another 11). It's very gratifying to see that a change in eating habits and not a diet is what's doing all this. I know it's not going to all melt off, but heck, I'm still losing without doing any exercise. I'm shooting for another 35 to 40 pounds off.
So, good news all around. I'd say we're at mile 20 in the marathon of healing...Yes, that is typically known as 'the wall'. I'd call that bear hug on my leg a wall, but I'm climbing it...
I saw Dr. J yesterday. I was honest with him, that I haven't used the debridement ointment twice a day every day. It's impossible to do that and work full time. I explained that it is not an option for me to be off from work and/or screaming in agony while working. He then informed me that if he'd had his way, I would have been out of work for three weeks and in the hospital for debridement when I'd come in back in December. He's a damn good doctor because he listens to the patient's needs in figuring out treatment plans.
So, I graduated to an Unna Boot. This resembles a soft cast. It's a layer of medicated gauze, then an ace bandage, then medical wrap. The average boot uses a layer of calamine permeated gauze, but I'm allergic to that, so mine is a zinc oxide layer instead. They wrap it tight. Very tight. It's like Arnold Schwartzenegger is giving my leg a bear hug with all his might. However, Arnold will not let go of my leg.
The Unna Boot has to stay dry and gets replaced once a week. Fortunately for me, the office is now 5 minutes from work, so I can take a break or go on my way in for the now weekly appointments. Better than it being on the other side of town, especially with the funky traffic that we've got here in Tampa.
This already made me pretty happy, as the boot means we're getting closer to the ulcers going away. To top it off, the nurse taking me back is the one who weighs everyone. She'd weighed me back in March (Scary number), then again at the first visit in December (down almost 30 pounds) and then yesterday (down another 11). It's very gratifying to see that a change in eating habits and not a diet is what's doing all this. I know it's not going to all melt off, but heck, I'm still losing without doing any exercise. I'm shooting for another 35 to 40 pounds off.
So, good news all around. I'd say we're at mile 20 in the marathon of healing...Yes, that is typically known as 'the wall'. I'd call that bear hug on my leg a wall, but I'm climbing it...
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