Red Light: Less Pain from SC Foot Ulcers

So here is a bit of irony for you. Hours after I made my last post stating that I was 90% certain that the spots on my foot would “NOT” become open wounds, they broke open and became open wounds.

Normally once a wound breaks open, the first four weeks—or more—are weeks where the wound continues to grow larger and larger. Then there’s a few weeks or month of it staying the same. Then there is a month or more of healing. Here is the amazing part of this story. This wound is doing something no other wound has done before; it’s already healing!

Three weeks ago, February 17th, 2015, the would broke open. Like I wrote in my previous post, I’ve continued to use my red light on my wound about four or five times a day for at least five minutes each time. I also treated my wound with Manuka honey twice a day.

The first two weeks of my new wound, the ulcer grew slightly larger. Normally they grow significantly larger and are exceptionally painful. With this wound, there has been very little to no pain. That itself is amazing.

Four days ago I saw my wound doctor. He instructed me to stop using the honey and use Santyl instead. [Santyl helps debris the wound from slough.] I followed his instruction like the good patient I am. Three days ago, I noticed my wound was showing signs of HEALING! Today, during my morning cleaning, I noticed the wound showed significant signs of healing. It’s beginning to close and new skin growth is readily apparent.

Never, in the four years I’ve been constantly dealing with these Sickle Cell foot ulcers, has a wound behaved like this one. 1) There has been little to no pain; 2) Never has a wound stopped expanding in a period of two weeks; and 3) Never has a wound begun to heal and begun close three weeks after it broke open.

I am entirely, thoroughly, completely, and utterly amazed by what is taking place. If the healing continues to progress as it has, then my wound may be healed in a week; two weeks at most. It’s flabbergasting.

I am totally convinced that the combined benefits of the Manuka honey and the red light treatments have GREATLY accelerated the healing time on my newest wound. I don’t know what else could explain it. In case you couldn’t tell from my post, I’m super excited by this development. I may have finally found something that not only helps prevent new wounds from forming, but also accelerates healing time on any new ulcer that do form.

I’m quite certain the red light has already helped prevent two other wounds forming. I had suspicious discoloration on two places on my foot. But by using the red light on those spots as frequently as I have, it halted the progress of potential wounds.

I know the red light I bought was kind of pricey; but for me, it has been well worth every penny. If you suffer from chronic Sickle Cell leg and/or foot ulcers, I highly recommend you look into investing in a red light. I will keep you updated on my continued experiences with this treatment and technology.

I’M SO EXCITED!!!

Sickle Cell Wound Prevention with Red Light

I haven’t written about my red light in a while. I presently still have one wound on the outside of my right foot. I clean it twice a day and use the Red Light on it for perhaps two to five minutes. Obviously I don’t put the light directly on the wound; I hold the tip of the light about an inch above it. Though I have not noticed an increased rate of healing on the wound from using the light, I have continued to experience pain relief from its use.

Just as I hoped, the red light seems to be preventing new wounds from forming. Several months ago, a tiny dot of a scab appeared on the top of my foot. It remained there for probably three months. That was three months of wondering and worrying if it was going to turn into an ulcer. Eventually, the scab fell off; thankfully it never became a wound. I’ve had this happen several times; where tiny scabs formed and remained for months never becoming an ulcer.

Since I purchased my red light, another tiny scab appeared on my foot. In addition to using the light on the wound I presently have, I shone the light on the scab, and did so twice a day. After about two weeks, the scab came off. This has never before happened that quickly.

About three weeks ago, I found two spots side by side on the heel of my right foot that gave me serious concerns. I had been carefully inspecting my feet for suspicious spots, but these two somehow slipped past my noticing. This is because, as a result of the condition of my hips, they are in a difficult spot for me to see.

Normally, I would be 100% certain these spots would become a wound, and I would be right; because I’m always right, naturally--I’m joking; I’m not always right. As soon as I discovered these spots, I began using my red light on them 2-3 times a day for at least five minutes each. After about two weeks, I became 90% certain that both spots will NOT become open wounds. 

On the third week, the area around these suspicious spots began to drain, much like a water blister would. Needless to say, I became very concerned, again. Not wanting it to turn into another wound, I began treating it with my light every two hours for five minutes. That was about a week ago. Though there is still some pain and a minute about of drainage, based on how it's looking, I feel confidant it will not turn into an ulcer.

I continue to be very hopeful and optimistic that I have found something that may help prevent new wounds from forming on my foot. I have no doubt my foot ulcers will continue to be a complication for me. But maybe, just must maybe, the frequency will be reduced. So far, it has worked to do just that. 

If you suffer from foot/leg ulcers, you may want to look into this technology. 

Red Light Update: Sickle Cell Foot Ulcers

It's been two weeks and three days since I bought my red light. Here are some experiences since my last post.

Yesterday I had my blood drawn from my hand; the only place left to get blood. It hurt. I put the red light on the puncture point for about a minute, and the pain was gone.

Last week I cut myself pretty deeply on a piece of glass. After cleaning it, I used my red light on it. After treating it, the pain was gone. For the days following, the only pain from the cut I felt was if I pushed on it or banged it. It quickly scabbed over and healed.

In regards to my foot ulcer, my pain is still drastically reduced. When it does hurt, I use my red light and the pain is reduced by a lot, if not gone entirely.

My 72 year old mother was playing with Buster, our Lab/Shepard mix who is one year old, when his claw punctured her skin. Being the age she is, typically she'd have a lot of pain, tenderness, and the wound would take a long time to scab over. This time, however, she immediately used the red light on it. The wound promptly sealed closed and scabbed over. Using the red light on the wound twice daily, she has experienced little to no pain. A wound like this would tend to break open again and again. But as she continues to treat it with the red light, the wound is progressing towards healing at an accelerated rate. She is thrilled and amazed.

I am very grateful I found this technology. It's really helping me in a variety of ways.

Red Light Day Six

Today is Tuesday November  25, 2014. On Wednesday of last week I received my red light in the mail and began using it. For the fifth day since receiving the product, I have awoken with very little pain from my foot ulcer. Typically when I awake and put my feet down, the first 20 minutes are very painful. The blood rushing to my feet causes my ulcer to burn like fire. It's awful. I know this red light is making the difference.

For the past two nights before going to bed, my foot began hurting. Typically I would have to redress the wound so I could apply lidocaine and reduce the pain. Instead, I used my light on my foot and around my wound for fifteen to twenty minutes. After doing so both nights, the pain was either gone entirely or drastically reduced. I can't wait to see if/how much more quickly my wounds heal as a result of using this light.

I have something else to report. And I  don't know if this is a result of using the light, or a result of feeling more optimistic about my situation--but for the past three days or so I have felt as though I've had more energy and been more alert. Like I said, this could simply be because I'm no longer depressed about my wounds and feel hopeful that I found something that will help them; it could be a result of being in less pain from my wounds; or it could be that the red light is improving my health in ways that not measurable. Perhaps it is all of the above. I only know I feel better, physically and emotionally, than I have in recent memory.

I will continue to update my readers on how my life is being positively impacted by use of this device.

Red Light Therapy & Sickle Cell Foot Ulcers

I know some people may be skeptical about this, but I feel like sharing anyway. Through happenstance, I became aware of, and began to research, “photonic therapy” or “red light therapy.” Clinical medical studies have proven the benefits of this light treatment to include: reduction of pain and inflammation; increases cellular regeneration and healing; improve circulation; relax muscles; and much more. I read several studies where diabetic ulcers treated with photonic therapy healed 70-90% quicker than those treated with placeboes or conventional means. Needless to say, my interest was more than piqued. Sickle Cell leg/foot ulcers are not dissimilar from Diabetic ulcers.

I have been so depressed about my foot ulcers. For the past four years, it’s been a constant battle. I no sooner get over one wound and another one breaks out. After doing my research, I became very hopeful that maybe the Lord lead me to something that will not only help my wounds heal, but help prevent them from forming in the first place. So, after doing a lot of research, I decided to give this a go, and bought the product sold by Photonic Health. There are other companies out there, but I liked this one the best.

Basically, it’s a technology utilized by NASA 40 years ago. The device is about the size of a small flashlight and shines a red light that has a wavelength that helps promote cellular growth. I received my product on Wednesday and began using it right away.

When I awake each morning and put my feet on the floor, the blood begins rushing to my feet, and my foot ulcer burns like its on fire for 15-20 minutes. Thursday morning when I awoke, instead of my pain being 8-out-of-10, it was a 2. Thursday was also a day spent at Loma Linda with doctor appointments. Typically, unless my foot is elevated, it begins burning badly. When I go to the doctors, I can’t wait to get home, elevate my feet and put some lidocaine on my wounds because they hurt something awful. This Thursday was different. I had very little pain all day, and by the time I got home, the pain was still very slight; not at all at the level I typically experience.

Though I have only been using this light for five days, I am very hopeful and encouraged by the results I’ve already seen. Over the past five days, if my foot began burning at all, I have used the red light on it for about five minutes and the pain was gone. This has been true for the arthritis pain I have in my hand, and other pains. My parents have also used the red light for various issues and likewise have seen and felt positive results.

I am very anxious to see how, if at all, this device improves the healing of these painful wounds on my feet. Even if this device does little else, even if my healing time is not improved, the device has already been worth the expense. Anything that helps remove or reduce the pain from my wounds is worth the cost.

To learn more about the product I bought and how it works, click here. There are similar products out there which are used for cosmetic purposes. This device, however, is more powerful. If you go to the above website, you will see they promote their device for use on animals. It is however, designed for us on humans and animals. I think it’s promoted for veterinary use as a way of getting around selling it as a medical device and the red tape of the FDA. After all, the pharmaceutical companies don’t want devices sold that can help patients heal faster.

I know this is a long post. Please forgive me. I just wanted to share this others. I know there are other people out there who can benefit from such a device. I will keep you appraised of how, if at all, this product continues to bless my life. So far, I feel it’s worth the investment. And it may be something other people may be interested in as well.