Bedsore or something else?

Question:

My son is 20 years old and in a wheelchair. He has been this way since birth. He has never had a bedsore before but three weeks ago he was treated with and antibiotic for a throat infection and he started having diarrhea. After the diarrhea his butt crack is broken open and raw. The skin was intact before this, so I do not know if this is a bedsore or just irritation from the diarrhea. I treated it with desitin for a week and it did not get better. For the past two days I have been using an antifungal cream and it seems to be getting better, but it is still red and broken. Any input would be greatly appreciated.

Again, he has never had a bedsore before.

Answers:
I would advise for your son to be off of his bottom for a while. Or maybe limit his stay in a wheelchair because of the open skin on his bottom. It doesn't really matter of it's a bedsore or a skin irritation, it could be both. The most important thing is you maximize pressure relief so the skin could heal as soon as possible. make sure he changes position every 2 hours, or if you wanna be aggressive every 30 mins. With skin integrity problems you wanna be aggressive because it can get worse in just a matter of days or even hours.

That's great that he's never had a bedsore in 20 years. That means that you and he have taken good care of his skin. Not many people in a wheelchair that many years can say they've never had a bed/pressure sore. The diarrhea was the culprit. Constant moisture from it cause the skin to break down. Bed sore come from pressure. If the anti-fungal is working, keep it up. If it still doesn't clear up, ask the doctor to prescribe Happy Hiney(sp?) ointment. We use this for patients a lot in the hospital with great success.

he needs to be off of it for as long as it takes to close. Also he needs to be seen by a wound care doctor. I am also in a wheelchair since birth.

yes its from having the runs you need to keep him off the infected area have him lay on one side or the other for no longer then two hours at a time OK this will keep urine and b/m , and pressure from making it worse an antibiotic cream every time you change him will help if you can have him lay with no brief or any thing on so that his hiney can get some air

Bedsore or something else?

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