My Nan, the hospital doger!

[suzieq86]

Hello all
My beloved nanny is so important to me, my mum for all intents and purposes. She has been my constant and I try to do my best to keep her healthy.
She has a very valid and long-standing fear of hospitals having lost a baby, after being in a bomb blast and having my Grandad die in one. She thinking she goes in she will not come out and getting her to agree to any type of medical attention is very taxing work!

Her leg after the bomb blast, was severed at the calf muscle. Over the last few years the scar area has become infected a few times. Only oral antibiotics has cleared it. Now the patch of infection has spread to the no injured leg. 2 weeks ago I took a photo whilst on antibiotics. Then I took a photo today and the leg look, well awful. Not red and swollen, or sore but odd! She did tell me that clear water filled her shoes the other day, nothing since. She has some heart issues, and liver issues. No diabetes.

The thing is, I can only convince her to accept help if I can be really clear with her so I don't highlight much if there is no need for medical support. What I am asking is, is this something that needs that? She has real communication issues, if she was a child born today I have no doubt she would be referred for autism assessment. I am largely the only person she will listen to, bar maybe my uncle.

Photos attached, the crippled skin one is the latest. Tia x

Are you in Britain? When was your Nan involved in a bomb blast?

That second photo is really terrible and I think she should see the doctor tomorrow. It will have to be OOH or A&E.

The redness suggests an infection but not sure about the puckering. What about getting the district nurse to come see her, would that be a happy medium she might go for?

Does her GP do e-consult? I'd be sending those photo's pronto and also ringing the district nurse line (obviously with her consent).

One thing to also discuss is power of attorney for health and welfare. You/your uncle can then make decisions on her health treatment should she become mentally incapacitated.

No medical knowledge, but just from the look of it I’d say it needs attention. Good luck with persuading her! Do you think if you showed her the photos it would help? for your nanny, and for you too, and hope all is well. It’s obvious how much you care about her.

If she wants to stay out of hospital then someone needs to have a look at that.

agree, don’t leave it, if it is infected she could get sick very quickly. Out f hours appointment tomorrow, just incase.

it’s lovely that you have such care for her.

GP does not do anything other than appointments, even then it's a phone early and hope for an appointment. I think trying to find out where I could contact a district nurse would be a good idea. She would be much better at home where she feels safe.

The bomb blast was 1972 so the issues are not directly related.

My mum has been a good one, my Nan made up for it 😍

Hasn't*

Honestly, I'd say she needs A&E.

Can you ask HQ to amend your title to dodger? Sounds like nan has dubious weekend hobby!
😄

Once, when she had stenosis in the exit of her stomach, vomiting yellow bile 30+ times a day, hallucinating and 5.5 stone, it wasn't until I started crying that she agreed to go to hospital. She stayed there for the next 6 weeks and the staff allowed one of us to stay on a mattress in her room every day on her stay. Hospital has to be the last option.

I have no idea how to do that 🤷

Hi OP, do you think these could be leg ulcers? they look similar to ones I have seen before and would explain why one is on the leg that's previously been fine.

If so they would be treated by the district nurse, and wouldn't need a hospital, maybe just investigations to rule out underlying causes. I would hassle the GP rather than go to A&E if she is not actively unwell.

Call GP to refer to community nurse team

I'm not a medic but having had cellulitis I am concerned she could be starting that or at least is at high risk for it. If so, she needs urgent antibiotics.

If she absolutely won't go to hospital or see a GP, either her own or OOH, I would tell the surgery what's going on first thing Monday. They should be able to get someone from the visiting team/a district nurse out to have a look. Don't minimise it (and it really would be best if she's seen before then) Any sign of a temperature or her feeling more unwell, however cross she is, call an ambulance.

Good luck (())

GP will do home visits, just not that many of them. They can refer to district nurse team - if you google your area and NHS trust and search for district nurse I bet you will get a phone number. Sometimes having a chat with a sensible experienced nurse is a shoot cut to getting some help.

You can't contact district nurses directly unless your name is on the system. You have to go via the GP. I found that out just this week.

That looks like a major infection & something you can't leave until Monday.
You need to take her to A&E tomorrow or a ooh clinic.

No medical expert but I'm sure I was reading a thread on here the other day about cellulitis and the leaking fluid being a symptom of it?

I agree needs to be seen by healthcare as it doesn't look good at all!

If her skin is already damaged & has scar tissue it could be more susceptible to infection. Does she have varicose veins? It could be a varicose ulcer or cellulitis. Ring 111 or if she won't let you could you get some sterile dressings & dress it until Monday? If the district nurse comes she will dress it & bind her leg up but I suspect she needs antibiotics. Can you see where the fluid is coming from? Can you bathe it with cooled boiled water & then put a dressing on with one of those tubular bandages over it. She needs her leg up as much as possible.

Looking at the pictures they look like ulcers & she has varicose veins on the leg without the scarring.

The left leg is oedematous and the strange dents match the crochet blanket visible in the background. Her circulation is very poor. Go to GP

the strange dents match the crochet blanket visible in the background. Well spotted!

Could you convince her to go to A and E or out of hours but sit in the car with you whilst someone else waits inside for her with the photos?
Any cottage hospitals in your area?
Antibiotics now may keep her out of hospital.

She needs to see her GP. Both legs are oedematous (you say she has heart issues), the puckering looks like indents in the oedema from the crochet blanket as spotted by @Trethew

The redness fits with stasis dermatitis which is typical in chronically swollen legs. The 'clear water' is likely to be oedema leaking out of her legs.

So she needs a review by her GP of her heart medication.