F!@% "Sluff"

This is my new motto. I got my friend Amanda to make me a bumper sticker for the wound clinic. They LOVE it!

So the wound IS SLOWLY showing improvement in the quality of the tissue. No significant signs of size reduction, but the tissue has to be healthy before it will even attempt closing with the wound vac. The surgeon got really aggressive with debriding on Thursday to get some healthy tissue and get the slough out. It was not as "sloughy" as it was the last time and there is a layer in the bottom of the wound covering the bone now. He made me bleed good enough to have to cauterize areas to stop bleeding.

Let me explain for those of you who do not know how this vac works. Basically a wound has a "bed" which is the base of the wound. With suction from the vac, the idea is the bed of the wound slowly fills in with good tissue and elevates upward as close to the surface as possible. So a healthy wound bed is very good. The sides keep wanting to slough sometimes though. As LONG as there is slough in the wound (which is dead/necrotic tissue) it will not heal properly. So this is why I have to go once a week to the surgeon to get that debrided (cut) out.

I got a wound vac change today. It has been two days since my appointment and debriding. When the dressing was removed the wound began actively bleeding! YES!!! This means vascularization and healthy viable tissue is there and its not becoming necrotic! When he sprayed wound cleanser in it, it burned. This has never happened. YES!! Sensation!

So anyway... at this point just keep keepin' on... no more talk of skin flap surgery yet because we are moving in a positive direction... it is just a matter of HOW LONG WILL IT TAKE. I am willing to give it as long as needed with the vac on and utilize it to its full extend. Anything to avoid that horrid surgery and set me back.

I still can't talk about the other super good news I have. In all due time and then I will explain why I had to remain hush publicly.

Oh yeah!! I had my team party at the Hula Hut on Wednesday! It was a lot of fun. Since we are all home based, its nice to see the people you work with now and then and socialize. We had great food--two huge appetizer trays to start, then the meal of our choice (I got the Shiner Bock Fajitas), then drinks (including liquor) AND desert! I LOVE my job! Here is a picture of my team... enjoy!

I am in the very back... can you see me? -- My boss is the one on the right forefront with glasses.

Here is also kind of a view of the location on Lake Austin.