Experiencing a wound is something anyone can relate to and happens as we go about the daily activity of living. In most instances, the body does a great job of healing itself, especially if we do our part to support the healing process by keeping the wound clean and covering it with a dressing as needed. Sometimes, however, the wound-healing process can get very complicated, and often by no fault of our own, wounds can fail to heal properly. One of these, more complex wound-healing situations brought Norman Jones -- who prefers to be called Norm -- to the Center for Wound Healing and Hyperbaric Medicine at Carle BroMenn Medical Center.
“It was Thursday, January 19,” remembers Norm, the long-time Bloomington resident and current Carle patient. “I couldn’t urinate at all.” After contacting his Primary Care physician, Norm’s provider recommended he visit the Emergency Department for immediate care.
In Norm’s case, radiation treatment received at another facility in 2002 to treat his prostate cancer
caused tissue damage to the urethra and bladder. This soft tissue damage resulted in scar tissue and inflammation forming a urethral stricture impacting his ability to empty his bladder
“I had a similar thing happen nine years ago,” Norm recalls. “So I knew what was ahead of me.” The first step was to see his urologist for a surgical procedure to clean out the scar tissue and the second was 40 days of hyperbaric oxygen treatment (HBOT).
“We are fortunate not only to have an HBO chamber at the Center for Wound Healing and Hyperbaric Medicine at Carle BroMenn Medical Center but also to have the support of providers and specialists outside of the Carle community as a resource to provide specialized and effective patient care in these unique situations,” said Debbie Wietfeldt, DNP, nurse practitioner at the Carle BroMenn Center for Wound Healing and Hyperbaric Medicine. “Wounds and previously irradiated tissue, known as soft tissue radiation necrosis, benefit from pressurized 100% oxygen to promote healing.”
“In Norm’s case, 40 treatments, Monday through Friday, are recommended with a repeated cystoscopy by his urologist around treatment 30. For Norm, that cystoscopy took place at treatment 26 at which point he was 95% healed.”
Though he knows the scar tissue will slowly grow back, it took 10 years for him to need the procedure again. And hopefully, it will be another 10 years before he needs the surgery and HBOT again.
“I’ll be 97 in 10 years, so I don’t know,” says Norm. Right now, he is happy, the wound is fine and everything is working as it should. In a letter he wrote to the staff as he approached his last day of treatment, he expressed his gratitude for the care he received, saying:
“When my wife of 68 years was called to heaven, I was being treated 1 to 2 times a week at the Wound Healing Center. I tried to put on a positive face, but ALL Of YOU saw through that and your hugs, kisses, and handshakes that lasted longer than usual endeared me to each and every one of you. Yes, I was hurting inside. You were and are God’s blessing to me.
I love you as my extended family. May God bless you all.
My last day of HBO therapy is Friday. Now I have told you what I needed to tell you.
Love!!”
You don’t come across people like Norm too often – patient, kind and always smiling, even when feeling vulnerable on the inside. “We will miss him,” shares Wietfeldt. “He brought a smile to our faces whenever he came in and was so understanding and easy to work with throughout the process.”
Here’s to another 10 years.
It’s estimated that as many as 6.5 million people in the United States face wounds that aren’t healing as they should. Typically more commonly seen in older adults or people with diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity, or other vascular diseases, it’s also common for infections, certain drugs and medications, repeated trauma to an area, and other issues to cause wounds to not heal properly. Both Carle BroMenn Medical Center and Carle Foundation Hospital have experts in wound healing care available to help patients successfully manage difficult wounds. For more information, visit the Carle website.
“It was Thursday, January 19,” remembers Norm, the long-time Bloomington resident and current Carle patient. “I couldn’t urinate at all.” After contacting his Primary Care physician, Norm’s provider recommended he visit the Emergency Department for immediate care.
In Norm’s case, radiation treatment received at another facility in 2002 to treat his prostate cancer
caused tissue damage to the urethra and bladder. This soft tissue damage resulted in scar tissue and inflammation forming a urethral stricture impacting his ability to empty his bladder
“I had a similar thing happen nine years ago,” Norm recalls. “So I knew what was ahead of me.” The first step was to see his urologist for a surgical procedure to clean out the scar tissue and the second was 40 days of hyperbaric oxygen treatment (HBOT).
“We are fortunate not only to have an HBO chamber at the Center for Wound Healing and Hyperbaric Medicine at Carle BroMenn Medical Center but also to have the support of providers and specialists outside of the Carle community as a resource to provide specialized and effective patient care in these unique situations,” said Debbie Wietfeldt, DNP, nurse practitioner at the Carle BroMenn Center for Wound Healing and Hyperbaric Medicine. “Wounds and previously irradiated tissue, known as soft tissue radiation necrosis, benefit from pressurized 100% oxygen to promote healing.”
“In Norm’s case, 40 treatments, Monday through Friday, are recommended with a repeated cystoscopy by his urologist around treatment 30. For Norm, that cystoscopy took place at treatment 26 at which point he was 95% healed.”
Though he knows the scar tissue will slowly grow back, it took 10 years for him to need the procedure again. And hopefully, it will be another 10 years before he needs the surgery and HBOT again.
“I’ll be 97 in 10 years, so I don’t know,” says Norm. Right now, he is happy, the wound is fine and everything is working as it should. In a letter he wrote to the staff as he approached his last day of treatment, he expressed his gratitude for the care he received, saying:
“When my wife of 68 years was called to heaven, I was being treated 1 to 2 times a week at the Wound Healing Center. I tried to put on a positive face, but ALL Of YOU saw through that and your hugs, kisses, and handshakes that lasted longer than usual endeared me to each and every one of you. Yes, I was hurting inside. You were and are God’s blessing to me.
I love you as my extended family. May God bless you all.
My last day of HBO therapy is Friday. Now I have told you what I needed to tell you.
Love!!”
You don’t come across people like Norm too often – patient, kind and always smiling, even when feeling vulnerable on the inside. “We will miss him,” shares Wietfeldt. “He brought a smile to our faces whenever he came in and was so understanding and easy to work with throughout the process.”
Here’s to another 10 years.
It’s estimated that as many as 6.5 million people in the United States face wounds that aren’t healing as they should. Typically more commonly seen in older adults or people with diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity, or other vascular diseases, it’s also common for infections, certain drugs and medications, repeated trauma to an area, and other issues to cause wounds to not heal properly. Both Carle BroMenn Medical Center and Carle Foundation Hospital have experts in wound healing care available to help patients successfully manage difficult wounds. For more information, visit the Carle website.
Categories: Staying Healthy
Tags: “Bloomington-Normal, “Wound, ”, and, Cancer, Healing, Hyperbaric, Medicine