The wound vac debate....

I have had quite a few visiting nurses that are all gung ho about how wonderful the wound vac is, lamenting over the fact that I don't have one on.  There is one especially that would be put in on right this second if I asked her.  Every time I see her, she is all about the wound vac, telling me how I need it back on right away and why don't I have it on and why isn't my primary nurse advocating for it. I tried to explain the issues I had in the past with it, but she said everything looks so pink and healthy in there now and that means it should be put back on, preferably NOW. 

Mmmmhmmmmm.  It looked pink and healthy after each of the first 5 surgeries I had as well.  And then they would put that wound vac on, and within a week (usually less), my wound was filled with deep layers dead, yellow tissue that necesitated another debridement.   And those debridements would remove many cms deep of tissue, each and every time.  So I would start to heal/have it all taken out/start to heal/have it all taken out.  After the last debridement, my wound was 6 cm deep again (ike it had been from the start a month ago).  In the last 3ish weeks since I have had the wound vac off, my wound has healed to less then half the size, all the tissue has remained pink and healthy, any little areas that starting looking "off" were taken care of immediately with use of the Dakins solution, and best of all, I haven't needed another debridement.  No surgeries in almost a month.....its been glorioius!  And I would want to put the wound vac on......why???? 

I am so glad my primary nurse is on the same page as I am in regards to wound vac.  I only have these wound vac crazy nurses once or twice a week and its exhausting to try to explain why the wound vac may not be in my best interest (and then I am alway assured that that was then, and this is now...and it will heal up quicker with it-so better get it on asap of course).  Yeah, I heard that before.  My primary nurse advocates on my side about it, bc she saw the very bad I had to deal with it.  She doesn't understand what the problem was, but she understands there IS a problem with me and wound vac, and her motto is 'if its not broken, don't fix it'.  Dressings seem to be working/wound is healing fabulous now and I am just so grateful to have a primary nurse that is such a positive advocate for me-I am having MANY more days now that I can start to actually imagine I might one day be healed.

p.s. last night, I was watching one of my fav. shows, Boston Med, and when I went into my 2nd opinion and met with a dr. who told me that I should try going without the wound vac and see if I have any improvements (take a wound vac break)...well he was on Boston Med, assisting with the first ever face transplant in New England).  CRAZY!!!