Jedi Wound Care

Jedi Wound Care

Last night, there was a "scab" on my middle finger  MCP.  The skin around it was swollen and red.  It was hot to the touch.  I decided to use  non-stick gauze cover it and applied antibiotic ointment.

I've Been Slimed!

Two house later, I took a peak and there was - for lack of a better term, green slime.  I removed the dressing and prepared myself for a relaxing soak.

De-Sliming Protocol Engaged

I filled  bowl with warm water and hydrogen peroxide.  I soaked for about ten minutes.  The slime was drawn out by the warm water and the peroxide cleaned the tissue.  Note: Never soak in straight peroxide.  Always mix with water.  Ask your doctor or a wound care health practitioner at your next doctor's appointment for advice about soaking.  It's not that anyone is withholding secrets: Appointments have time limits.  Put this question on your list.

I soaked my hand for almost 10 minutes.  I took it out of the water frequently because I was curious and impatient.  That's how I made the time pass quickly.    When my hand was immersed in the water/peroxide solution, I could see the "slime" float away from the wound like wafting cigarette smoke.

When finished with my soak, I rinsed with sterile saline solution.  (Warm water will do if no saline)  I gently dabbed away remaining slime that was now yellowish-white, and allowed it to dry for about 45 minutes.

That's A Wrap People

It's not always possible, but after soaking if you can let the wound dry out before covering, skin is less likely to break down.  Don't sweat it if you need to cover it and go.  Just use non-stick gauze with no ointment to let the gauze absorb moisture.  Bring some ointment and supplies for a clean dressing change with ointment later.

Once the wound is dry, apply ointment to gauze straight from tube.  By applying to gauze, you are not compromising the ointment by applying directly to tissue, and you won't need to use a cotton swab.  A cotton swab to the wound may not sound "traumatic" but it has been my experience, the less I touch the wound, the better.

So, a dollop of ointment to the gauze, then apply tape to back of gauze and smooth tape gauze side down over wound.  If you have Colban (stretch it- you dont want it to be constricting.) or a thin way to wrap the wound, great.  I have uses a thin ankle sock with holes cut for fingers and thumb when I don't have something.   I roam around the house in tape & gauze, but when active, I wrap it for extra protection.

The Law of Attraction

I don't know about you, but when I have a healing wound, if I'm going to bump into something, I will bump it with my wound.  Yep.  I have tried to be more aware and cautious, but that only seems to make it more likely to bump or bang it into something.  I call it The Danger Prone DaphneEffect.  So, rather than fight it, I wrap it.  So, yeah, the sock is not crazy.  Ya gotta do what ya gotta do!

And now, some before and after pictures.  Try not to be eating.  If you have question's please post them in comments.  If I don't know the answer, I will find one or send you to a source that could.  

See the hole? That is surrounded by tissue that was once swollen, then drained by soaking. Notice the redness around the tissue surrounding the hole. Never, ever puncture a wound. Soak it and let it drain. The implement used to "break" it will introduce bacteria that can make it worse. This picture was taken last night. The anatomical location is my middle finger knuckle attached to my hand or MCP. Still wondering, go to link provided for hand anatomy.

This morning: The tissue is not as yellow as it appears. I left these photos unedited because it did not help. The redness present last night around the swollen tissue is gone. The area is sore, but only if I press on it, not to the touch. It is also no longer "warm". When I removed the dressing this morning, the tissue was wet and beginning to break down, so I have left it to air dry this morning to allow my skin to regain some integrity before showering. After I shower I will let this air dry for an hour before rewrapping and setting out for my active day.

Hand Anatomy 

For more information about Scleroderma and related conditions, please visit:

Scleroderma Research Foundation

Scleroderma Foundation

Scleroderma Care Foundation

FESCA

The Raynaud's Association

Pulmonary Hypertension Association

Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation

And a word from our sponsor: Me

Votre Vu

The Virgin Diet Book Review (kind of), My Sexy Liberal-ness and Why The Mighty Turtle is Not a Business or Non-Profit.

Originally posted January 13, 2013

Edited September 10, 2013

This isn't your every day book review.    I am writing this because I read The Virgin Diet, by J.J. Virgin and I am making some changes based  what I learned from the book, my experience and research.   I learned of J.J. Virgin from an hour presentation she did on PBS.

So, after two weeks of fast food and processed snacks; a month of reading and research, I have decided to follow The Virgin Diet for 21 days.  I'm trying it because I still have symptoms of scleroderma and sarcoidosis that seem to get worse when my diet has more processed foods in it.  Why not cut out processed foods?  It's not that simple.  Foods often identified with health are processed; like  Whole grain cereal, tofu and more.  I chose the Virgin Diet because the author offered an easy to read guide to making the 21 day transition, what foods to eliminate, and how to reintroduce them.  I also like this approach because it's not vegetarian.  I need my protein and I am thankful to all creatures for generously keeping me alive.

Dear Bread,
I love you and I miss you deeply. See you again soon.
Love, Me

Another big change for me:  I have been using Isagenix shakes since 2007.  I have trouble absorbing food and I notice a remarkable difference in pain and inflammation when I am unable to get the nutrition I need if I don't start my day with a protein shake.  I changed to the Virgin Diet Shakes from Isagenix.

One  thing that always bothered me about Isagenix is the multi-level marketing approach they have.  I believed in the product but I had a heard time endorsing it because I did not want to use my illnesses to market it.    Yes, I may be my own worst enemy, but just because something works for me, doesn't mean it will work for everyone.  I saw it as a conflict of interest.  Sure I have scleroderma and sarcoidosis.  Sure Isagenix helped me, but I could not bring myself to drag Isagenix into raising awareness of scleroderma and sarcoidosis.  I don't want anything  exchanged anything except information.  Does that make me  stupid?  Maybe, but this is not a business model.  Many others and I are in the fight of our lives.  Scleroderma awareness and sarcoidosis awareness is every day for us.  I am lucky enough to be able to write, go to my doctor's appointments and say whatever I want.

Right now, I am lucky to have my Veterans Benefits and Social Security.  Many patients in my position are fighting to get Medicare and Social Security.  I know my perspective is somewhat unique as a female veteran in the Veteran's Healthcare System for 18 years with rare conditions.  I have had opportunities to join or start up non-profits and make a salary, but then my opinions are subject to those who write my paychecks.  In April, I became a Votre Vu Brand Ambassador .  I love good skin care and make up, so this will be my attempt at a part time job.   The Mighty Turtle is not a business model.  I like being free to say what is really on my mind.  And I don't have to hide my Sexy Liberal-ness .

Back to the shakes:  Another reason I switched shakes is that Isagenix uses whey protein.  yes, there little to no lactose in it, but whey is dairy. Dairy is one of the items to cut out of my diet for 21 days.  I want to know if dairy has any effect on me, so in order to do that, I need a shake with no dairy- plain and simple.  I do think Isagenix tasted better  initially, but Virgin Shakes have grown on me.

So, why not a soy shake?  Soybeans are genetically modified.  They grow into things nutritious like edamame and turned into tofu. Soy is talked about in detail  in the book, The Virgin Diet.  Those seeds are sold to growers from companies like Monsanto.  (In fact, if you do the research, Monsanto is everywhere.)    Remember Proposition 37 in California?  Monsanto fought hard to stop labeling of foods grown with genetically modified organisms or GMO's.  That was no coincidence.  So, soy is off the menu for 21 days.

Why such drastic changes in my eating habits?  Well, it doesn't seem so drastic once broken down.  I have the discipline to do this for 21 days, I just need to use it.  My diet/eating habits, although full of protein shakes, consists of almost no vegetables.  When I looked at my eating habits in detail, I was getting almost all of my nutrition from dairy products.  Why not tweek things a little and see what happens?  What if I feel less stiff in the morning?  What if I find I have more energy when I exercise?  I'm not exactly in remission, but it couldn't hurt to tip the scales in the direction of even better health so that when I do get a flare; my body can handle it better.

A bag of frozen, individually wrapped chicken; frozen broccoli; frozen salmon and coconut milk for my coffee. New year, new fridge; why not?

I already  know that processed food is not good for me.  At my last infusion, I ate a Keebler "peanut butter and cheese" cracker snack.  After, I had to sleep before I could drive home.  Other than scleroderma, sarcoidosis and major damage to my hands, I am pretty stable in my symptoms and the progression has slowed down.  It's a new year and I find myself in a new apartment with an empty refrigerator.  I think it's a great start.  So, I will post every now and then about my progress and then the eventual outcome.  Until then, I will keep wishing my boxes to unpack themselves, and maybe post a few love letters to bread.

For more information:

Caring Hands Sarcoidosis Network of Michigan

Bounce To A Cure 

Scleroderma Research Foundation

Scleroderma Care Foundation

Project Scleroderma

The Scleroderma Foundation

J.J. Virgin on Facebook

My Votre Vu Online Store