Any tissue viability nurses out there with cancer experience?

[EachandEveryone]

I’m at my wits end I have a hole which is leaking lymphatic fluid furiously and it smells disgusting. It’s really knocked my confidence. No one seems to know what to do with me and my district nurses are threatening not to visit anymore but I literally can’t reach to clean it myself it’s between my legs. Has anyone seen anything like this?

Well saw my consultant who has chucked it all back to the tvn. He’s seen the photos and prescribed metronidazole cream to give to the nurses when I see them he said they should be looking at ways to deal with it there’s plenty of stuff from other hospitals like this

www.leicspart.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/388-Fungating-wounds-2.pdf

So glad you are getting a way to resolve this. 💐

Finally, did they help you with the fluid leakage, your skin must be so sore.

No it was my oncologist and he said that’s the TVN’s job

It's awful isn't it, everyone says irs someone else's job and we just get pushed from pillar to post, I despair sometimes, you'd think a clinic nurse might have helped you. I hope you get the help and support you need soon.

Would the local hospice be able to support?

My plan was to
ding them but instead I’m in a and e with a bm
of 30! They are bloody keeping. Me in

Oh gosh, let's hope they can help you, are you diabetic too

Well I wasn’t until yesterday! I’m thinking now that I’m on I’ll push to get someone to look at my wound

Oh bless you @EachandEveryone while you are in, get TVN to write you up a wound chart specifying dressings to be used. I wonder if packing with something like Urgo Clean rope or aquacel extra ribbon would help and then perhaps polymem dressing on top secured by an absorbent foam dressing like a kliniderm sacral dressing would work? Perhaps a charcoal layer in there too for the smell? Ask to see TVN and show them that list? It’s really hard as I can’t see your wound or where it is exactly… but I can assure you’d be seeing you daily as our patient (I’m a DN- community nurse) as we see people for exactly this reason every day and it’s disgusting they are refusing to help you.

If a pad inside your pants is better, you can ask for Zetuvit dressings to be prescribed by your GP which are superabsorbers. But I think if there is any depth to it some parking would be better. If not, then the zetuvit and a close-fitting pair of pants would be good.