The Dark Arts or the Management of Wounds and Leg Ulcer Treatment
Accelerate is not in its infancy, it’s grown-up medicine of great value relieving so much pain and suffering.
Sometimes the most powerful way to explain the impact of specialist wound and lymphoedema care is to hear directly from someone who has experienced it.
In this guest blog, one of Accelerate’s long-standing patients reflects – in their own words -on their experience of leg ulcer and lymphoedema care, the importance of Tissue Viability Nurses, the power of compression therapy and why they now travel 80 miles to access specialist treatment.
The following article represents the patient’s own experience and has deliberately been left in their own words.
A different level of understanding, knowledge and care
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.
The vital role of Tissue Viability Nurses
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!
Preventing recurrence – and the wider cost of wound care
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 changed my life”
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.
Why I travel 80 miles for treatment
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!
Tissue Viability Nurses shouldn’t be mythical creatures
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!
“There is no secret – it’s compression!”
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.
Accelerate is not in its infancy, it’s grown-up medicine of great value relieving so much pain and suffering.
“They are life changers”
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 continues to manage my leg ulcers / psoriasis erosions and lymphoedema with great clinical knowledge and a unique perspective; I have so much to thank them for but no idea of how to thank them.
