I thought in this post I would explain my process I use for cleaning my wounds.
1. Lay out your supplies in an organized way.
2. Have a clean work area
a. I have a fairly large plastic tote with a lid that holds all of my cleaning supplies. I place a clean hand-towel on top of the lid and rest my foot on top of the tote; it’s my “work area”.
3. Have something to collect your waste
a. I have a small trash can that I line with plastic grocery bags.
4. Sterilize your hands and/or use gloves.
a. Though I never use gloves, I always sanitize my hands before starting.
5. Carefully remove the old bandage
a. Sometimes it hurts to remove the tape that is on my skin. To make it less painful, I’ll lightly spray the tape with my wound cleanser. This helps a lot.
6. Clean the wound
a. Using gauze sponges, I remove the bulk of the medication. I then spray the wound with wound cleanser; I use MicroKlenz.
b. I then pat the wound dry with clean gauze pads. For me, using a swiping motion with gauze is agonizing. I gently place the gauze on the wound and dap it.
7. Lidocaine
a. The pain from cleaning the wound is usually pretty severe. Lidocaine jelly has been a wonderful blessing. A little lidocaine goes a long way.
b. Using a q-tip, I apply the lidocaine to the wound. It takes only a few minutes for it to begin reducing the pain. I leave it on for about five minutes.
8. Second cleaning
a. Using q-tips, I remove as much slough from the wound as I can. I also clean the area around the wound and remove as much dead tissue as I can. Keeping the wound and surrounding tissue as clean as possible is vital.
b. I then use gauze pads to remove remaining lidocaine.
9. Apply prescribed and/or preferred medication.
a. When I go to the wound clinic, the nurses always put the medication on the Telfa (non-stick gauze bandage) and then put the bandage on the wound. I dislike this method of application for the following reasons. 1) It puts medication on the healthy skin as well as the ulcer; 2) it causes the healthy surrounding tissue to become macerated (wet), weakened, and break down; and 3) it makes a mess.
b. When I apply my medication, which is Silver Sulfadiazine cream most of the time, I use a q-tip to put medication on the wound and only the wound. I clean all medication off the surrounding healthy tissue.
10. Bandage the wound
a. Telfa is a non-stick gauze bandage. This means it doesn’t stick to the wound and is not painful when removing it.
b. When I cover my wound, I cut the Telfa to fit my wound. I don’t use a massive pad to cover a small wound. By cutting the Telfa to fit the size of the wound, it helps protect the healthy skin and keep it from breaking down. So if my wound is boomerang shaped, I cut the Telfa in the same shape.
c. Be careful not to use too much medication, whatever it may be. It can get very messy, gooey, and cause healthy tissue to break down.
d. If I am using manuka honey, I have to use a larger size telfa bandage than I do when using silver cream. The honey will leak all over the place if there isn’t a big enough bandage to contain it all.
11. Tape the bandage
a. Everybody’s skin is different. For my skin, the 4M paper tape is best. I use as little tape as possible because it saves on tape and protects my skin. Using a lot of tape that really adheres to the skin is painful to remove and risks damaging the fragile skin around my wounds.
12. Wrapping the wound
a. Depending on the wound’s location and circumstances, I wrap the wound using a conforming gauze roll.
a. When I go to the wound clinic, the nurses always put the medication on the Telfa (non-stick gauze bandage) and then put the bandage on the wound. I dislike this method of application for the following reasons. 1) It puts medication on the healthy skin as well as the ulcer; 2) it causes the healthy surrounding tissue to become macerated (wet), weakened, and break down; and 3) it makes a mess.
b. When I apply my medication, which is Silver Sulfadiazine cream most of the time, I use a q-tip to put medication on the wound and only the wound. I clean all medication off the surrounding healthy tissue.
10. Bandage the wound
a. Telfa is a non-stick gauze bandage. This means it doesn’t stick to the wound and is not painful when removing it.
b. When I cover my wound, I cut the Telfa to fit my wound. I don’t use a massive pad to cover a small wound. By cutting the Telfa to fit the size of the wound, it helps protect the healthy skin and keep it from breaking down. So if my wound is boomerang shaped, I cut the Telfa in the same shape.
c. Be careful not to use too much medication, whatever it may be. It can get very messy, gooey, and cause healthy tissue to break down.
d. If I am using manuka honey, I have to use a larger size telfa bandage than I do when using silver cream. The honey will leak all over the place if there isn’t a big enough bandage to contain it all.
11. Tape the bandage
a. Everybody’s skin is different. For my skin, the 4M paper tape is best. I use as little tape as possible because it saves on tape and protects my skin. Using a lot of tape that really adheres to the skin is painful to remove and risks damaging the fragile skin around my wounds.
12. Wrapping the wound
a. Depending on the wound’s location and circumstances, I wrap the wound using a conforming gauze roll.
Though it is often painful to do so, we have to take care of our wounds. Some days I just dont feel like messing with my feet. But I suck it up and clean them anyway. Normally I clean my wounds twice a day. Sometimes, due to the pain, I have to do it three or four times a day. I just have to clean the wounds and apply lidocaine to reduce the pain they cause.
These wounds suck. They are awefully painful. They are frustrating to deal with. It plays with your emotions when you get wound after wound and it seems unending. But, it is what it is and we have to deal with them. Keep your wounds clean. Keep your skin healthy. Avoid dry skin. Be strong and have faith.
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