Dr. Halligan and Harrison Medical Center Angels, Part 1 of 3
I am writing this from a hospital bed on the cancer floor at Harrison Medical Center in hope someone will take note what edema can and may do to those who ignore it.
Also, I’m writing in heartfelt thanks to Dr. Halligan, Internist/Surgeon at Silverdale Doctor’s Clinic who saved my life and leg recently by taking over failed treatment for my Lymphedema/Cellulitis/Edema filled legs and painstakingly, day after day treated and changed leg wraps.
Dr. Halligan patiently explained my left leg needed debriding to remove the dead skin, much as burn victims and he couldn’t tell what was under the surface dead skin or how deep the dead tissue went. This four-month pain riddled sleep deprived patient gratefully lay in a bed at Harrison Bremerton 23 hours a day, 7 days a week. Four weeks total this Thursday.
Tomorrow, Wednesday, I am moving to a rehab place for rehabilitation and further healing.
I battled without success since early September the Cellulitis/Edema in my left leg until my right leg reddened with infection and edema and began the water blisters that experience taught would lead to lymph fluid running down my lower legs, scalding the skin it touched and spreading the poison…
Chris Goss, MD, my lung doc at the University of Washington Medical Center straightened out the Restless Leg Syndrome medication problem so I could sleep if the pain eased.
Edema patients – PLEASE – check out the following photos of the latest rise and fall of my edema filled legs and ask yourself if ignoring edema is worth it.
Dr. Halligan – thank you!
More next time on Harrison Medical Center’s Angels in disguise.
….thanks for reading. Sharon O’Hara
Thanks for
reading…Sharon O’Hara
Sharon,
your photos worth a million words, and thank you for addressing this important topic many go into denial about – until too long. You have done a good service for others to learn from your experience
Lyn
Our EFFORTS motto, Lyn – as patients – educate as best we can and ask to be educated. Thank you, Sharon
hi sharon, i completely understand the edema and blisters and weeping. i am 47, don’t have lymphedema, or at least no has diagnosed it. i developed recurring cellulitis in my rt lower leg about 2 years ago and have had to treat it at least 4 times before this round. this round started sometime during the first week or so of feb, the redness did not develope until feb9, the day after i moved into a nursing home, another long story, it was red and sore, i had been put on antibiotic on the 9th, went to the hospital because i thought i was in kidney failure again, wasn’t but the dr there changed the antibiotic from keflex to bactrim, went back to nursing home, the dr there changed it back to keflex, in the meantime i developed these horrid big huge waterblisters from mid calf down. i am now in a specialty hospital to get the leg healed. it was looking like snake skin shedding, then it started getting red and sort of greenish around the edges again. gross. but to back up, i have had blisters on both hips that weeped and weeped. i got to the nursing home and had to start putting stuff under my feet if i was out of bed, i made puddles on the floor. i can not wear shoes, big blisters results, so shoes and socks are out of the pic for a while. but it got to the point that i went from puddles to ponds the fluid just poured out of my legs. but i am in the right place to get all the things fixed before i go back to the nursing home and start over. i just wanted to say i understood and it was nice to find a fellow sufferer. i hope you are healing well. they are using wound honey on my leg, seems to be working, they keep it wrapped which is good.
thanks again
sharonz