Mid November

This pic shows the area outside the ring healing. If I pull this rough skin/ scab it will either bleed or will display new skin beneath. So, I'll just wait for it to go away or be washed away while I shower. Again, I simply use a washcloth with some Hibiclens antimicrobial soap.

Mid October

My leg looks kind of "chubby" from the edema but I thought it looked better while I was taking the pic. As one can notice the 'ring' has gotten smaller. Again, I generally wash the ulcer with a washcloth with a squirt of Hibiclens while showering. The ulcer produces no pain so washing isn't an issue. After showering I let it dry real well and then apply some Neosporin on the edges after which I cover with a piece of  soft paper towel. "Viva" brand paper towel is the best I've found so far, soft and absorbent.

Also a good tape is required. I've been forced to use all types of tape throughout the years. Its best to purchase online. The medical tape I see at my local drugstores is really expensive about $6 bucks a roll and its low quality clowntape. The 3M Micropore tape works great. I like the 2" or 3" widths. Even when I had my "leaky leg" problem the Micropore tape held up. The pic shows a 6 pack of Micropore I just got online for about $10 bucks delivered.

To save a few bucks I have no problem using Wal-Mart or Target house label versions of Neosporin. I'm not sure why its so expensive. I have a Target near me so i nave been using their 'up&up' triple antibiotic salve. Its at least 50% less costly than the Neosporin brand.

Early Fall

This pic looks alot like the one from August. The actual size of the ulcer has been reduced. I've gotten a little bit of edema around the ankle and I had a flareup which has since healed, located on the side of my ankle. Flareups generally come about once every few months and follow the same routine. The area hurts like a deep pimple and then a purplish node or bulb appears, about the size of a pea. It breaks and bleeds like crazy. An actual hole will appear. After a few days it will heal up.I'm not sure why I get flareups. They just happen without warning. Even with the increase in exercise which seems to help the ulcer, it has no effect on flareups.

After a walk

I'm convinced that as I increase my amount of exercise I see an advancement in my ulcer's level of healing. My doc says that swimming is good for me but I don't have access to a pool normally so I'm forced to walk generally for my exercise. The last few months I have been removing thick bands of dry skin that surround the ulcer. As this dry skin is removed new, albeit scared skin is hiding underneath. The small patch of "missing" skin I had a few weeks ago has healed up.

Post Nashville

After a few weeks of swimming my ulcer has improved alot. Before every shower I feel around,  feeling for a "scab" or a ring of dried skin on the outer area. Every once and a while I'll pull it off or at least a piece off, exposing fresh skin underneath. In this pic one can see a patch of skin that has been removed. While removing my bandage a week ago, after a swim, this patch of skin came off with the tape. It came right off, like nothing. It stung like a bitch! A few days of neosporin and it has begun to heal up.

Summer Swimming

While swimming I crafted this "leg sock". I still have the bandage on underneath. I simply took a dress sock and cut off the end so that it may slide up my foot and onto the calf. It worked great!  

Looks about the same..

After looking over some of my older posts it seems not much progress has been made over the last few months. I used to have to change my dressing a few times a day. Then I moved on to a "pad". It was necessary because my ulcer was producing fluid. Well, now the "fluid phase" is over and It isn't necessary that I continue to use a "pad". These days I simply use a few squares of paper towel (Viva brand is the best)taped to my leg. After I shower, I use a little Neosporin and tape my towel on. It will last for the whole day.

Moving On

I took an hour or so of washing my ulcer with hydrogen peroxide before taking this picture. I just took a small glass of water and made a 50/50 mixture with the peroxide. Its painless. The white "gunk" that covers the ulcer sticks on really tight. A little peroxide wash can loosen things up. Again everything I do is pointed towards keeping my ulcer clean and dry. It allows the healing process to "do its thing". I have also noticed that the more exercise I do, walking, the better condition my leg seems to be. My problems with edema in both my legs is gone. It was such a pain in the ass I'm glad its gone away. I'm sure the exercise helped this out a lot. As we get better weather in NYC I'm sure I'll spend more time walking around.

I've lost about 30 pounds over the last few months and it seems to have helped out alot. It has allowed me to get some exercise done, walking. It may not seem like much but when you aren't doing anything except walking to the store or the bathroom an afternoon walk is a giant leap. The speed of healing of the ulcer has increased and my right leg has almost totally healed. If I didn't scratch my right leg so much it probably would have healed by now.

Pressure Socks

The pressure socks are a much better thing to deal with than those Uni boot wraps. The problem with the pressure socks is that they can hurt. When I first got them it was not possible to put them on because they were too tight. I stretched them over a few days and they worked out. Any gaps or slack in the sock and the edema will take advantage of it, sometimes creating strange bulges or bumps. They also cause a good deal of ankle pain. I can only wear them for a few hrs before removing them. Perhaps things will get easier as the fabric loosens up. They all start to lose tension after a few months of wear. So, I read. My problem with my right leg has healed enough where I no longer wear any bandages or pads at all. The issue of the 'weeping edema" or the fluids continually draining from my legs has stopped. This is great because it allows me to leave the house for much longer periods of time. The ulcer has continued to heal as the picture illustrates. My prednisone is at 20mg a day. And I continue to gently wash the ulcer with a warm washcloth and Hibiclens.

The New Year

This might look a tad messy but things are moving in the right direction. Every other time I shower I spend a moment rubbing a wash cloth over my ulcer. There is no pain. I just want to make sure things are as clean as they can be, Hibiclens, hot water, my wash cloth and some elbow grease.