Cari from Dr. Lucas’ office was giving me a weekly massage. I had taken a break for my time in bed because of the MS flair and pneumonia. I mentioned that I had two bed sores, not really knowing with they are. Cari told me that in my case it was because of my time spent in bed and not making it to the bathroom. Cari told me simply what a bed sore is and the next week I took my flipcam so I could record Cari in order to tell any of you who are as ignorant as I was about bed sores!
In preparation of this post I checked out Youtube.com to see what other movies have been uploaded and I was SHOCKED!
I am amazed that after 49 years I didn’t know what bed sores are and what damage they can do! I want to let you know but I am NOT posting even pictures of the actual bed sore, let alone a Youtube movie!
I found pictures and info from The University of Southern California Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy in an article entitled Different Kinds of Pressure Ulcers http://www.usc.edu/programs/pups/articles/different-kinds-of-ulcers/different-kinds-of-ulcers-all.html
The USC said, “A pressure ulcer is what a doctor or nurse calls a pressure sore or bedsore. A pressure ulcer can be very dangerous to your health. You might need surgery when you have a pressure ulcer. That is why it is a good idea to prevent pressure ulcers.”
I learned that here are different stages of bed sores like Cari mentioned. There are four stages and first stage is small and easy to take care of. The last stage is very dangerous and might need surgery. The earlier a bed sore is found the easier it is to take care of.
What Are the Stages of Pressure Ulcers?
USC tells us what the four stages of pressure ulcers or bed sores are:
- Stage 1: There is redness on your skin that does not go away. It might look like a red spot. If your skin is dark, the spot might look purple. There are no cuts in the skin. The skin could be warm. The area could be swollen.
- Stage 2: There is a sore that is not very deep. Some skin is gone. It might look like a scrape, blister, “zit” or crater. Your doctor can see if this is a scrape or a stage 2 pressure ulcer.
- Stage 3: Skin is gone. Some of the flesh under the skin is also gone.
- Stage 4: Skin and flesh is gone all the way down to the bone.
I learned as Cari told me there are lotions that we can use in the early stages of Bed sores that will prevent and heal. I wish I would have known this before. Just like I said in my January Walking Update ~ expect the best, prepare for the worst https://msrelief.com/2013/01/02/january-2013-walking-update-expect-the-best-prepare-for-the-worst/ having a tube of this lotion handy would be a good preparation. I’ve found a variety of Moisture Barrier Cream at Walmart and you can get it right here: http://www.walmart.com/search/search-ng.do?search_query=incontence+moisture+barrier+cream&ic=16_0&Find=Find&indexId=13c70236c4cc&cdnHost=search-cdn.walmart.com&searchdropdowndiv=com.wm.module.305715.constraint&search_constraint=976760
Life is MS is truly an adventure! I’m learning information that I never thought I’d learn, didn’t have any desire to learn. Reading this post, you must be in the same situation. I want to reassure you that joy can be found despite the fact that we’re living with MS!
I’d really like to know if any of you were as ignorant as me about bed sores~ I talked to my family and friends, some were, others weren’t. The embarrassing thing is the ones who didn’t know about bed sores were ½ my age. Tell me if you knew about Dicubitus Ulcers or bed sores in the comments below~
Bed Sores
Cari from Dr. Lucas’ office was giving me a weekly massage. I had taken a break for my time in bed because of the MS flair and pneumonia. I mentioned that I had two bed sores, not really knowing with they are. Cari told me that in my case it was because of my time spent in bed and not making it to the bathroom. Cari told me simply what a bed sore is and the next week I took my flipcam so I could record Cari in order to tell any of you who are as ignorant as I was about bed sores!
In preparation of this post I checked out Youtube.com to see what other movies have been uploaded and I was SHOCKED!
I am amazed that after 49 years I didn’t know what bed sores are and what damage they can do! I want to let you know but I am NOT posting even pictures of the actual bed sore, let alone a Youtube movie!
I found pictures and info from The University of Southern California Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy in an article entitled Different Kinds of Pressure Ulcers http://www.usc.edu/programs/pups/articles/different-kinds-of-ulcers/different-kinds-of-ulcers-all.html
The USC said, “A pressure ulcer is what a doctor or nurse calls a pressure sore or bedsore. A pressure ulcer can be very dangerous to your health. You might need surgery when you have a pressure ulcer. That is why it is a good idea to prevent pressure ulcers.”
I learned that here are different stages of bed sores like Cari mentioned. There are four stages and first stage is small and easy to take care of. The last stage is very dangerous and might need surgery. The earlier a bed sore is found the easier it is to take care of.
What Are the Stages of Pressure Ulcers?
USC tells us what the four stages of pressure ulcers or bed sores are:
- Stage 1: There is redness on your skin that does not go away. It might look like a red spot. If your skin is dark, the spot might look purple. There are no cuts in the skin. The skin could be warm. The area could be swollen.
- Stage 2: There is a sore that is not very deep. Some skin is gone. It might look like a scrape, blister, “zit” or crater. Your doctor can see if this is a scrape or a stage 2 pressure ulcer.
- Stage 3: Skin is gone. Some of the flesh under the skin is also gone.
- Stage 4: Skin and flesh is gone all the way down to the bone.
I learned as Cari told me there are lotions that we can use in the early stages of Bed sores that will prevent and heal. I wish I would have known this before. Just like I said in my January Walking Update ~ expect the best, prepare for the worst https://msrelief.com/2013/01/02/january-2013-walking-update-expect-the-best-prepare-for-the-worst/ having a tube of this lotion handy would be a good preparation. I’ve found a variety of Moisture Barrier Cream at Walmart and you can get it right here: http://www.walmart.com/search/search-ng.do?search_query=incontence+moisture+barrier+cream&ic=16_0&Find=Find&indexId=13c70236c4cc&cdnHost=search-cdn.walmart.com&searchdropdowndiv=com.wm.module.305715.constraint&search_constraint=976760
Life is MS is truly an adventure! I’m learning information that I never thought I’d learn, didn’t have any desire to learn. Reading this post, you must be in the same situation. I want to reassure you that joy can be found despite the fact that we’re living with MS!
I’d really like to know if any of you were as ignorant as me about bed sores~ I talked to my family and friends, some were, others weren’t. The embarrassing thing is the ones who didn’t know about bed sores were ½ my age. Tell me if you knew about Dicubitus Ulcers or bed sores in the comments below~