The Dark Arts or the Management of Wounds and Leg Ulcer Treatment
As the brain child of Alison Hopkins and her incredible foresight, I was present at the birth of Accelerate – before Accelerate was Accelerate.
I was first treated for my leg ulcers and management of my lymphoedema in Mile End Hospital by Alison and her team at its very start.
Prior to this District Nurses would visit me, and my mother, at our home and this was the first time we met Alison, who shone out even then as an exceptional nurse.
But, when in the Mile End Hospital treatment room, it was obvious that this was a different level of understanding, knowledge and care surrounding the treatment of leg ulcers. They were that confident, that good that they could now suggest a possible time frame for the length of treatment; you have no idea how reassuring that level of confidence is to a patient.
But, as a patient, another great benefit was their understanding of neuropathic pain and its management with pioneering ideas and treatment.
But my path, my access to Accelerate was only enabled and facilitated via a Tissue Viability Nurse (TVN); I was desperate. She was the pivotal link between me – the patient – and Accelerate; a key interface. Hospitals and GP Surgeries wouldn’t know any of this without TVNs so they should be in a position to refer after their initial assessment and care planning along with continued after care and management of the needs of their lymphoedema, an ongoing preventative measure against reoccurrence.
Their importance cannot be over emphasised and there’s an urgent need to raise awareness of the value of a TVN, of Accelerate and their joined up thinking – So Spread the Word!
The benefit to so many patients, along with the savings generated for effective preventative lymphoedema and wound care management, must be a consideration. Once healed, it could and would, hopefully, stop any future reoccurrence and the costs associated with extended wound care.
They were then, and now as Accelerate, my heroes & saviours; they changed my life and I’ve no idea what I would have done without them.
I still don’t think they understand the monumental impact they have, or know how valuable they are to their patients and the lives that they touch. They make you feel as though someone’s bothering with you rather than being a burden. I know, every time I have any problems with my leg ulcers or lymphoedema, their expertise can be relied upon every time, their treatment has advanced and, has always been, cutting edge.
I now live in North Essex; some 80 miles away, but happily drive in for each session because I know I cannot get anything like this kind of treatment locally. Hospitals and doctors surgeries do not understand, recognise, or even know of this treatment; they don’t see the value in it or in the value of compression or compression hosiery. It is truly considered ‘The Dark Arts,’ akin to Harry Potter and Wizardry!
In today’s climate, when treatment is at a premium and a precious commodity, access to this level of care and a Tissue Viability Nurse can be rare. Unfortunately for some, TVNs are like mythical creatures – similar to Big Foot or Unicorns; people have heard of them but never seen one. This needs to change!
I had the incredible good fortune to benefit from treatment by Accelerate from the very start; it’s not complementary medicine, it’s pivotal, it’s key and stands alone. (There is no secret-it’s compression!).
Accelerate is not in its infancy, it’s grown-up medicine of great value relieving so much pain and suffering.
All the team are fantastic, but of course I owe a great debt of gratitude to Alison for everything she’s done, another stand-out is Caitriona O’Neill; they are both life changers.
Accelerate continue to manage my leg ulcers/psoriasis erosions and lymphoedema care with great clinical knowledge and a unique perspective; I have so much to thank them for but no idea of how to thank them.
