WWTBAM Bored

Back when I was planning my reunion, I mentioned my Aunt Roe and Uncle Bob in Phila. In the suburbs but...

Uncle Bob has been struggling with his health and had a wound on his heel that would heal. Hope I got the spelling of those two right!

Yesterday they had to amputate his foot.

What a difficult thing to go through.

Prayers and healing thought to Bob and Rosemary would be greatly appreciated.

You guys have been known to do wonders.

Thanks BestBBs.

You've got 'em.

If any more such ulcers show up on his legs or other foot, have his doctor check into Apligraf from my old company, Organogenesis. It's a skin substitute made from actual skin cells, and it works wonders. Fully covered by Medicare, with reimbursement codes and all.

Is he diabetic? My dad was diabetic and had several toes amputated, I guess it's a common problem among diabetics.

Not that it makes a difference if he is, I was just wondering. Either way, my thoughts and prayers are with you and your family.

I am so sorry. Prayers for a speedy recovery.

BTW, my spelling post was sort of tongue in cheek and an attempt at "pay back" to someone.

Yikes. Prayers from here.

gsabc wrote:You've got 'em.

If any more such ulcers show up on his legs or other foot, have his doctor check into Apligraf from my old company, Organogenesis. It's a skin substitute made from actual skin cells, and it works wonders. Fully covered by Medicare, with reimbursement codes and all.

I had some of this put on an old surgical scar on my ankle last year. My doctor (a bit of a character) like to say he was putting penis skin on my ankle. Further investigation proved that it's grown from infant foreskin -- is this correct?

Graph worked well on my ankle.

christie1111 wrote:Back when I was planning my reunion, I mentioned my Aunt Roe and Uncle Bob in Phila. In the suburbs but...

Uncle Bob has been struggling with his health and had a wound on his heel that would heal. Hope I got the spelling of those two right!

Yesterday they had to amputate his foot.

What a difficult thing to go through.

Prayers and healing thought to Bob and Rosemary would be greatly appreciated.

You guys have been known to do wonders.

Thanks BestBBs.

So sorry!! Prayers from here.

Christy

ksbirchtree wrote:

gsabc wrote:You've got 'em.

If any more such ulcers show up on his legs or other foot, have his doctor check into Apligraf from my old company, Organogenesis. It's a skin substitute made from actual skin cells, and it works wonders. Fully covered by Medicare, with reimbursement codes and all.

I had some of this put on an old surgical scar on my ankle last year. My doctor (a bit of a character) like to say he was putting penis skin on my ankle. Further investigation proved that it's grown from infant foreskin -- is this correct?

Graph worked well on my ankle.

Yup. But unless I've missed something, that was an off-label use for it. I didn't think its approval indications included cosmetic surgeries. Not my problem or yours, and nothing to worry about, just sayin'. I'm glad it worked.

gsabc wrote:

ksbirchtree wrote:

gsabc wrote:You've got 'em.

If any more such ulcers show up on his legs or other foot, have his doctor check into Apligraf from my old company, Organogenesis. It's a skin substitute made from actual skin cells, and it works wonders. Fully covered by Medicare, with reimbursement codes and all.

I had some of this put on an old surgical scar on my ankle last year. My doctor (a bit of a character) like to say he was putting penis skin on my ankle. Further investigation proved that it's grown from infant foreskin -- is this correct?

Graph worked well on my ankle.

Yup. But unless I've missed something, that was an off-label use for it. I didn't think its approval indications included cosmetic surgeries. Not my problem or yours, and nothing to worry about, just sayin'. I'm glad it worked.

It wasn't really cosmetic (at least IMHO). Broken ankle surgery many years ago... with age and swelling in that ankle, the scar had come open and didn't want to heal. Hence the graph.

ksbirchtree wrote:

gsabc wrote:

ksbirchtree wrote: I had some of this put on an old surgical scar on my ankle last year. My doctor (a bit of a character) like to say he was putting penis skin on my ankle. Further investigation proved that it's grown from infant foreskin -- is this correct?

Graph worked well on my ankle.

Yup. But unless I've missed something, that was an off-label use for it. I didn't think its approval indications included cosmetic surgeries. Not my problem or yours, and nothing to worry about, just sayin'. I'm glad it worked.

It wasn't really cosmetic (at least IMHO). Broken ankle surgery many years ago... with age and swelling in that ankle, the scar had come open and didn't want to heal. Hence the graph.

Yes, chronic open wounds are one of the indications. The big boss at the time told us of a letter from someone who had had a leg ulcer for a very long time. The person got the graft, and said that within three days, he got his first good night's sleep in 17 years because the pain was gone. It somehow, and no one is quite certain of the mechanism, retrains the skin around it how to heal itself. Amazing stuff.

Best wishes coming their way.

I am so sorry that your family is going through this.

christie1111 wrote:Back when I was planning my reunion, I mentioned my Aunt Roe and Uncle Bob in Phila. In the suburbs but...

Uncle Bob has been struggling with his health and had a wound on his heel that would heal. Hope I got the spelling of those two right!

Yesterday they had to amputate his foot.

Uncle Bob has my prayers and my best wishes for a fast recovery.

On a similar note, Wayman Tisdale had a leg amputated below the knee last night. He was a great college basketball player, an excellent NBA pro for 12 years, and a pretty darn good jazz guitarist. The reason was bone cancer.

silvercamaro wrote:Uncle Bob has my prayers and my best wishes for a fast recovery.

On a similar note, Wayman Tisdale had a leg amputated below the knee last night. He was a great college basketball player, an excellent NBA pro for 12 years, and a pretty darn good jazz guitarist. The reason was bone cancer.

I just read that today. Wayman Tisdale is good people. I hate to see him and Christie's family have to go through all of this.

Gsabc,

I remember asking about artificial skin here due to lab requirements at work and you had an answer for me. That is one of the many reasons BBs are great. The things people here know is just amazing!

BBs,

Something Uncle Bob has in his favor is his daughter and her husband. UBob's daughter is a VP at Children's Hospital of Phila. Her husband is a chair of one of the departments. I believe they are overseeing his care pretty closely. But the good wishes of BBs can make any situation better!

And I told A.Roe how I asked my friends for their prayers and she told me to thank you. I believe that the more who think positive thoughts, the better. And just to prove how great A. Roe is, she knows about my obsessions with BAM and my friends here and thinks it is understandable (notice I didn't say normal).

I am very sorry.

All good thoughts headed for Philly!

I know from ulcers that won't heal. A treatment that works in a lot of cases is early judicious debridement (as in taking away the dead or infected skin), but for some reason the medical profession, in this country anyway. resorts to that only for burn victims; they refuse to look into into slow-developing infections as a source of such wounds, though they do respect & attend to the fast infections (as in "skin eating strep", etc). And no, I don't think all failure of skin to heal is cause by infection; but a lot more is than is diagnosed.

I am happy that apligraf works, but strangely enough, plastic tape, which isn't derived from anything skin-like at all, also works for some people; apparently fooling the layer that has to heal into behaving like an underlayer is part of the healing process, & anything that mimics the real top layer (including plastic tape!) can sometimes stimulate that process.

Oh my goodness! I can't imagine what it'd be like to lose a limb -- it must be awful. I'm sending prayers right now for your uncle and aunt. God bless them both.

ghost, you must be visiting family for the holiday?

Did you travel by air this week? I saw where there was some trouble with the air traffic control from the Atlanta area that affected the entire eastern U.S. Hope you didn't get stuck in it.

Sending thoughts and wishes for a speedy recovery for your uncle, Christie.

Oh, my. How did I miss this earlier in the week?

Prayers coming from here.

Thanks everyone for your healing powers.

For an up-date...

Uncle from Mass went down yesterday and visited and has reported back in to the family.

Uncle Bob is in quite a bit of pain including the phantom type.

He is doing okay emotionally as he believed the surgery was the only way to get better.

He wants to get home, but we all think that will be a ways off.

Thanks again!