an update on the thumb...

... which, like the previous posting, requires a back story to help you know what is going on with The Man Who Lives Here and a wound that will not heal. You know how dry your skin gets in winter, the way you get so flaky looking when the air is excessively dry, as happens when we live in heated environments that pull all the moisture out of the air? Black people refer to their skin when it gets so dry as 'ashy', which is pretty descriptive of dark skin looking white and needing a good slathering with lotion or cream. You know how your hands can get so dry from constant washing, or exposure to low temperatures out doors in cold weather that the little lines in your fingerprints will crack open?

I think just simply excessively dry skin is what started this little hole in the end of his thumb that will not heal. It has been there, looking nasty, for at least a couple of months. Due to a combination of factors: cold dry weather, neglect, poor circulation, failure to be pro-active and deliberately seek a solution to the problem. I'd suggested weeks ago he pursue an appointment with the Wound Care Center, but suspect he thought it too insignificant to go to the extent of asking for a referral. While at the same time, it was chronically painful. Super tender to the touch, almost un-usable.  He would have the staff at dialysis center look at it but would not pursue getting them to make him an appointment to figure out how to resolve the problem. An open wound going on for weeks and weeks.

All he would do is ask other people to view it, tell him how bad it looked, offer sympathy or grimace when they would look at a hole in his thumb. As wide, big, deep as the head of a corsage pin, that would not grow more skin to close up, do nothing to improve, never heal. We should give him credit for occasionally putting antibiotic ointment on it, and covering it with a band aid, when it got so sore he could not stand it. Until I looked at the tube of Triple Anti-B to discover the expiration date stamped on the crimp was the middle of 2016. I made a trip to the store to get something more current and encouraged him to put it on at night, cover with a bandage, and leave off during the day for fresh air.

After surgery on his arm a couple of weeks ago, I have frequently inquired about he thumb. He reported this week it might be getting better. When I asked earlier in this week, he said the nursing staff at dialysis is in agreement: it is improving. I will attribute the good news to improved circulation in his arm and hand, as it is almost certain he is not doing anything other than fretting over the sore place on the end of his digit.