Pressure sore on head?

[Nan]

Hello everyone and Happy (and Healthy) New Year!

I was just wondering if anyone else experienced a pressure sore on their head after valve surgery (or actually any surgery).

I have a spot about an inch + in diameter on the back of my head. It is sort of crusty like a scab on the outside "ring" and has an indentation in the center. It doesn't really hurt...it's just really ugly. Initially it looked as if it had been bleeding and also had a bruised look around it.

Hospital staff and doctors just sort of said, well, try and keep off of it, etc. No real explanation.

Honestly, I was beginning to think that they dropped me at some point as I also have a really sore place (getting better, though) on my rear. But the head never really hurt, so It can't have been from a fall or a blow....

Description is from other folks as I can't see it very well, just feel it.

I am now about 3 1/2 weeks out of surgery and it doesn't seem to be getting any better.

I will bring it up to the surgeon on 1/4 and to my cardio and my primary the week after.

Just wondering if anyone had similar issues.

Thanks.

 

[pedimed]

pressure sore

pressure sore

Hi Nan,

I have not yet had smy valve surgery but often deal with addressing pressure sores in hospitilized children. These sores can result from poor positioning intra-operatively or from prolonged period of time spent in one position, for example in ICU while sedated. We often have our wound care nursing staff address these sores and there are various treatments that aid in healing. Primary prevention by frequent repositioning and careful positioning in the OR is optimal to avoid developing these..

I would suggest bringing up the issue to your PCP or asking for a consultation with wound care or dermatology if no one has any suggestions..

sorry I do not have any personal experience to share.. hope this at least leads you to someone who can help.

Best wishes

Leah

 

[Nancy]

Nan-

Joe had some pressure sores from being in the hospital, when he was in for 2 months. They take a while to go away.

We had all kinds of people looking at them, visiting nurses, wound care specialists, etc.

The most important thing that they told us was to keep it clean, keep pressure off that particular spot. That should be easy with your head, the one on your rear may be more problematic. Try to move every hour or so, so the pressure is not in that one place for too long, and put some barrier cream on it such as Calmaseptine. We were told to NOT use a ring type of seat cushion because that could make even more pressure to the area. Just keep on moving and walking as much as possible.

Some people have told me that A & D ointment works wonders too.

The problems is from cut off blood supply to that area, so you want to try everything to keep circulation moving there.

I believe they take months to go away.

You should measure them both from time to time to make sure they are diminishing and not enlarging.

The Visiting Nurse told us that if the sore "blanched" when you pressed on it, that was good. If it did not, that was not good. That would mean lack of circulation.

Keep a very close eye on them both, and if you can't see them, other people should be checking them out.

We tried all kinds of wound dressings on them, Duoderm and gel dressings, the Duoderms just bunched up into a sticky knot after a while, and caused more problems than they helped, plus they tore up Joe's skin. The gel dressings, the same. I finally just used barrier cream and a non-stick telfa pad to keep the wound from getting irritated.

In the hospital, the wound care people just gave up and kept all dressing off, used barrier cream and repositioning often.

You should alert your doctor to them, because if they do not diminish, they can enlarge quite fast.

 

[Nan]

Hello Leah and Nancy,

Thank you both so much for your answers to my question. I now have a much better idea of what may have happened (ICU and operative time) and how to monitor and what to do about these two areas.

Fortunately the first visiting nurse did measure both areas, so I have basic information on that score.....no one since has even looked. I will ask the visiting nurse on Tuesday to please measure them again! And will also follow up with my doctor(s).

Thanks again.

 

[StretchL]

Hi, Nan! Hope you're feeling well! I love your Tawdry Shirt picture!

I gained a second bald spot on the back of my head over the last three weeks since surgery. Noni still laughs when she looks at it!

Happy New Year to you and your family! It was a joy meeting all of you!

 

[Nan]

Hi Stretch...good to hear from you!

Loved that picture of your new bald spot!

Sorry you had to acquire it though. But in some way it makes me feel better about my ugly sore.....I guess we are in the same position either during surgery or in ICU long enough to do some damage.

Hopefully your new bald spot will soon be growing hair!

You looked great in your Tawdry Shirt Picture!

Happy and Healthy New Year to you and Noni.

 

[hensylee]

My dear Joe had cancer and was in bed a lot of the time. His wife had passed from Lou Gehrig's disease (ALS); he was her caregiver so he knew what the wound looks like and what it is. He discovered one on his hip and recognized what it was immediately. Hospice told me to put A & D ointment on it and rub, rub, rub to bring back the circulation to the area. We caught it early and it was gone quickly. I did the treatment several times a day.

 

[Nancy]

Something else that was helpful is a seat and back combo vibrating cushion by Homedics. I got one for Joe at Walmart. It has a heating element also, but we didn't use that, maybe the heat would be a problem, but the vibrations could help with circulation. It was around 40.00.