The Greek Isle of Hosp

The first week of the Summer Holidays I was meant to be jetting off to the Greek Island of Zante. Instead, we joke, I ended up in The Greek Isle of 'Hosp.' Broomfield Burns Unit, to be exact. Not exactly fun in the sun.

Since then, I have spent hours and hours in the Unit, being 'put back together.' Stitched, scraped, poked and prodded.

I had an appointment today that I have been waiting weeks for. Unfortunately, it was all a bit of a shock. I've been battling a livid and disfiguring rash that appeared a week after my skin grafts, in August 2011. It's been there quite a while! It started off looking like impetigo. Once the impetigo cleared up it left behind bright red, inch-wide, raised patches, around the outline of my grafts. These have never receded. Sometimes the skin breaks or blisters and I've had other smaller patches appear on the back of my arm. Other than that though, it's barely changed.

I've had many, many people look at the rash including Burns Nurses, Surgeons, Doctors, Physio and a Dermatologist. I've had lots of antibiotics and topical creams but nothing has made a difference.

Today I had a surgeon look at the rash. He declared it to no longer be a rash at all. He says that it's now hypertrophic scarring. He said I may have once had a rash which damaged the already fragile skin, causing it to scar. I am horrified. I went to the hospital thinking I had a rash that would vanish with the right treatment, only to be told that I have 50% more scarring than I thought.

NOT a good day.

I've been instructed to treat it as a scar tissue with massaging and silicone and then come back in 3 months. They didn't seem to really understand why I was so upset. From where they're standing, my arm is red and damaged. What's a little more damage? As long as I'm not going to keel over, they don't seem too worried. How my body looks seems of very little concern.

But the NHS is only there to get you out of harm's way. After that, there is very little interest in patients. This is what I'm slowly beginning to discover.

For instance, to me the compression vests are a matter of urgency, necessity. Without them my scars will become hypertrophic (raised) and will heal badly. However, the NHS have forgotten to order one of my vests; so I have only one to wear. I need to wash them daily, yet wear them for 24 hours. With merely one vest, this doesn't work. They also need replacing every 3 months to work as efficiently as possible but mine are over 4 months old.

Although I will still attend my appointments at 'Hosp' for basic care, I am going to go and see a private consultant as soon as possible. I want to find out the options available in the long run, to make my arm and chest look as good as possible. There must be lots of cosmetic procedures that I could opt for if necessary. This is something the NHS won't even mention, let alone offer. I also want a second opinion on the rash/scarring. I have spent 5 months being told it's a rash and suddenly it's scarring? I'm really not sure who to believe!

I'm starting to find it very difficult being a patient. I'm running out of patience!

Skin irritations; how annoying!

A skin injury knocks your cells into a whirl. They are going crazy trying to repair you as best they can. The protective barrier has been breached! Man the trenches! Stop the bacteria!

Unfortunately this means you could be subject to skin infections, spots, boils, rashes (don't I know it!) itching, peeling, sensitivity, redness...basically the last thing you need after a stressful accident.

Rashes
Currently I am still suffering from 'the rash' and awaiting my acupuncture. In the meantime, I have been using Dermol to wash the area, followed by a delicate cleaning with Tesco antiseptic wipes and then a thin film of Savlon. I have to do something, as it has got increasingly worse since wearing my compression vest and I've been dislodging skin when pulling it on and off. This regime seems to have made it slightly less red in the 3 days I've been doing it...PLEASE let it work!

It's possible that you might contract rashes such as Impetigo because your skin has been knocked out of balance and bacteria can easily get into damaged skin. If you show any signs of rashes or weeping, do check with your doctor straight away and don't leave it.

Spots and boils
I was told by the Nurses that little blisters or spots sometimes come up on the damaged areas because of the constant massaging and creams clogging the skin. You also might find that the camouflage make-up gives you spots. I'm not sure if this is because it clogs your skin or because you rub it in and rub it to take it off. The Nurses told me not to pick them...if you can bear to leave them! Put some antiseptic on the area, especially if they do burst, you don't want the infection to spread.

The issue with picking things is that the skin is so delicate, it will simply break or go bright red and look worse. I had this problem under my chin. I decided not to touch it at all and to leave it as make-up free as possible for a week. I used this facewash twice a day. It's really gentle and doesn't dry your skin out. After several days (patience, patience, patience!) my skin has gone back down to semi-red instead of bright red.

Biotherm Magnesium Hydra-Mineral Cleanser Softening Mousse 150ml



Itching
A big issue with burn injuries is the itching that comes with them. My arm hasn't been too itchy actually, I think because the nerves aren't back yet. However, my chest is a different matter! The things I have to avoid are: any soap; any water; and try not to itch at all. If I itch even once, then I am going to be itchy for a while! One of the things you need to get prescribed is Diprobase cream. It leaves a layer of oil on the skin and stops the water evaporating. It must be applied regularly to work effectively, not just as a one-off when the itching starts. When you apply it be really gentle or it will aggravate you.



Peeling
The difficult thing about burns is that you must be really gentle with your skin, no vigorous rubbing, no direct water, lukewarm water only and so on. Despite this delicate touch, you can't leave dead or peeling skin. I made this mistake with my donor site. As it was so sore, I didn't like to scrub it in case it made it worse. Unfortunately, leaving it meant that scabs began to appear. Under the scabs, you can get infection. So I had to start massaging the area with Dermol and dislodging the dead skin. Gross but very important to note! Make sure that dead skin doesn't build up, as in the long term you will take longer to heal. Gentle, regular removal is the best way; don't make it sore. If you're not sure, speak to your GP or Nurse to make sure you are doing the best thing.