Dad’s Health Updates

Dad went to get some tests done today on his leg to see if he qualifies for use of the hyperbaric chamber again.

Some background: Dad went to the wound care center for months and months and months back in 2005/2006 to get treatments for his leg. He has extremely bad veins and circulation in his leg, which causes large skin ulcers (sometimes the size of my fist) and for his leg to remain indefinitely purple. They are pretty nasty (I have pictures for those interested). This is mainly due to all of the concrete construction he did his whole life as well as an accident when I was a baby where he fell off a roof.

We got these healed in October 2006, when they finally decided to put him in the hyperbaric chamber, which healed them in like 2 months. They stayed healed until we had to move last summer because dad was putting all that strain back on his leg and in that heat. So dad has been going back to the Wound Care Center since about October once we got settled into the house to get treatments for these new ulcers.

These visits are not cheap, even with Medicare. I originally wanted them to just throw him in the hyperbaric chamber (basically oxygen tank) right off the bat because it healed him within 2 months last time. Medicare won’t allow that, but he finally got permission today during his visit to get treatment again.

They have to test the level of oxygen in your leg first to see how much you get. I think a normal person gets between like 50%-60% oxygen to their legs. Diabetics usually get between 20%-40% oxygen. Dad gets 3%. In the hyperbaric chamber, he gets over 600%. (Note: I wish they made home oxygen treatment kits).

They also want to try and remove some varicose veins and possibly install (?) some new veins in his leg to get more blood flow. This will probably be outpatient surgery that I’ll need to drop him off and pick him up for. But we don’t know when that will be yet exactly.

Hopefully we can get these ulcers fixed this time and stay fixed. I think his body, and his leg especially, is just wearing out.

I wish they’d just put him in that oxygen tank in the beginning. It’d save us so much money.