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Author Topic: "Magic Pig Powder" May Heal My Wife  (Read 11879 times)

y0himba

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"Magic Pig Powder" May Heal My Wife
« on: August 14, 2012, 08:22 AM »
*TL;DR Alert* If you are one of today's society that cannot read, much less type an entire paragraph, hit your back button now.

My wife developed Cancer 2008. In November of 2008, I noticed a quarter sized bruise on her leg. By the time they removed the Sarcoma in February 2009, it had developed into an 8 pound tumor the size of a breadbox. 5 weeks after removal, they radiated the area. The space did not fill in, instead filling up with fluid and became painful, making it hard for her to walk.

On March 9th of this year (2012) the doctor went in and drained the large area, then put a wound vac on so that it would heal faster. The dressing and sponges (inside the wound) for a wound vac is required to be changed every 3 days. This should have been a same day surgery. We submitted for a take home pump to our insurance at 9:48am on Friday, by 5pm they still had not approved it, so my wife ended up staying in the hospital 4 extra days. During this time the dressing and sponges were not changed. On Monday, I finally called our insurance, 45 minutes later they "found" the paperwork, it took 18 minutes to get it approved after that. We went home Monday night. The nurse came to the house Tuesday and finally changed the dressing and sponges. When the nurse arrived, she pulled gloves out of her pocket, and did nothing to create a clean or sterile environment. Over the course of 7 visits, we had 5 different nurses, none of which even asked where the sink was to wash their hands. By the time I was finally home to see the vac changed, 2 weeks later, her wound had become infected.  The skin on the incision edges was black, necrotic, dead. There interior of the would was covered in a slimy grey goo, and the smell...it lingered in the entire house.  I asked the nurse if she thought that was alright, she actually said "It can be, due to the pump", I chased her out of our house.

My wife was admitted (each time is a 2 and a half hour drive for us) and they debrided the wound, re-installed the vac.  We hired a new nursing company to come to the home. My wife cam home 4 days later, the nurse was waiting for us.  She changed the vac and it seemed alright. 3 days later, the nurse came again, we opened the wound, the smell was there and the color had changed slightly. The nurse immediately called the doctor, and poof, we went back to Pittsburgh for a 3rd debridement. They decided to not continue the wound vac at that time.  By this time my wife is rarely awake, runnign 103 constant fever, pulse of 113-130 at all times.  When she is awake, she is screaming in pain. My wife has birthed 3 children, bitten through her tongue, had her collarbone broken, and been wrapped around a tree in a car accident. She has never screamed or cried out in pain.

We had her admitted to a skilled nursing facility for antibiotic therapy and wound care.  She was there for two months. I have been moist-to-dry packing the wound that long. She gradually improved with round the clock care, and was finally able to come home at the end of May 29. I packed the wound here at the house, twice a day, until July 18th at which point she went in for a skin graft. 

The doctor had initially told us he would "roll" a piece of muscle into the open wound, the graft over it.  On the day of the surgery he announced that instead, he was going to take two prime rib sized chunks of muscle out of my wife's back, place them in the wound, then graft over those. He did so, leaving a 26cm (10 inch) incision down her back from shoulder to waist.

The graft failed after 96 hours. The flesh in the wound turned black and died. We think it was due to the fact that the doctor ordered the catheter removed to early, and since my wife was bedridden, the nurses had to roll her and move her a lot so she could use the restroom.  Re-attaching veins is delicate work, and they failed.

The graft was removed, we were sent home, back to step 1 with the addition of a 10 inch wound on her back and two donor site wounds on her leg. The liquid stitches failed on her back wound, it opened and became infected.  Back to the hospital again.  This time they power washed the wound with antibiotic solution, then used stress sutures to close it.  It has once again become infected, and yesterday I took her back up to the skilled nursing facility.

The point of the story is this:  While she was in the hospital, the doctor mentioned Acell, a pig bladder based powder/sheet that allegedly regrows fingertips, here is another example of a regrown fingertip, a Marine's thigh, and so much more.

This powder was going to cost us $240(US) every other day.  I cannot afford that, period. So I called the company, and told them that they could use us as a case study, in return for treatment.  They have not used this powder post sarcoma or post radiation (that I could find). They agreed.  The rep emailed my doctor while he was repairing my wife's back, the doctor told me about it when he came from surgery, and I told him that I had contacted them. He said "That must be why they emailed me!".

Wish us luck, let's hope it is the miracle they say it is.

PLEASE read the links included, it is like science fiction.  My wife says "Doctor gave me a pill and I grew a new kidney!".  (Someone has to get that reference)


Renegade

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Re: "Magic Pig Powder" May Heal My Wife
« Reply #1 on: August 14, 2012, 08:47 AM »
I haven't finished reading the Acell website, but checked the news articles.

Two things - WOW! and GOOD LUCK~! :) I hope everything works out for your wife. And I hope you keep us posted on positive developments there.
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Freedom is the right to be wrong, not the right to do wrong. - John Diefenbaker

SKA

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Re: "Magic Pig Powder" May Heal My Wife
« Reply #2 on: August 14, 2012, 09:42 AM »

mouser

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Re: "Magic Pig Powder" May Heal My Wife
« Reply #3 on: August 14, 2012, 10:01 AM »
All of our wishes and prayers and hopes are with you and your wife, Y0himba.  She is lucky to have someone so caring with her in this time.  I have friends with horror stories from hospitals -- it's good you've learned to be skeptical and watch over any treatment like a hawk.  Please get better soon mrs. Y0himba!

y0himba

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Re: "Magic Pig Powder" May Heal My Wife
« Reply #4 on: August 14, 2012, 10:55 AM »
Thanks Mouser, Ska, we have tried everything.  They think the radiation changed the structure in there and that is preventing healing.

app103

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Re: "Magic Pig Powder" May Heal My Wife
« Reply #5 on: August 14, 2012, 11:12 AM »
Wow...really sorry your wife is having to go through all of this. I really hope you guys get the miracle you are hoping for.

Tell your wife I said Live Long and Prosper. llap.jpg

y0himba

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Re: "Magic Pig Powder" May Heal My Wife
« Reply #6 on: August 14, 2012, 11:14 AM »
Wow...really sorry your wife is having to go through all of this. I really hope you guys get the miracle you are hoping for.


Thank you, we do too.

Tell your wife I said Live Long and Prosper.  (see attachment in previous post)

You got the reference! I couldn't believe she said that.  She is not a geek like me haha...

tomos

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Re: "Magic Pig Powder" May Heal My Wife
« Reply #7 on: August 14, 2012, 11:55 AM »
That was a difficult read,
I cant hardly begin to imagine what it was like for you all...


Wish us luck

all the very best of luck !!
Tom

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Re: "Magic Pig Powder" May Heal My Wife
« Reply #8 on: August 14, 2012, 12:16 PM »
Good luck with the new treatment.

f0dder

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Re: "Magic Pig Powder" May Heal My Wife
« Reply #9 on: August 14, 2012, 12:42 PM »
Wow.

Sounds like a chain of major malfunctions in the healthcare system - it saddens me to hear that anybody has to go through such ordeals, but I'm glad that there's light at the end of the tunnel. I'm not religious, so no prayers or any of that stuff, but I'll cross my fingers and hope for the best for you guys.

Hang in there!
- carpe noctem

40hz

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Re: "Magic Pig Powder" May Heal My Wife
« Reply #10 on: August 14, 2012, 02:12 PM »
Hope it all works out best for your wife. I know how the two of you must feel dealing with indifference and incompetence while trying to identify a viable treatment for a loved one. Been there. The gene pool on my mother's side of the family has the misfortune of being very susceptible to that disease in all it's many forms. All of us extend our best wishes to her and you for a successful outcome.

kyrathaba

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Re: "Magic Pig Powder" May Heal My Wife
« Reply #11 on: August 14, 2012, 07:09 PM »
Praying for you and your wife buddy!

KynloStephen66515

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Re: "Magic Pig Powder" May Heal My Wife
« Reply #12 on: August 14, 2012, 07:21 PM »
Good luck and all our love from Me, Hayley & Munch (Our pooch).

*TL;DR Alert*

I generally read the first 2 lines of a long post, to see if its 'Worth the read' and when you opened up the second line with "My wife developed Cancer 2008." it pretty much said "READ IT!"

Glad I did, and really sorry to hear your wife (and you of course) are going through this.

barney

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Re: "Magic Pig Powder" May Heal My Wife
« Reply #13 on: August 14, 2012, 07:37 PM »
Been there, done that, anent the medical snafus, so can truly offer sympathy ("same pain" ... except it's never the same).  If the prayers of an agnostic can be heard, mine go out to your wife and to you.  May you both prevail and prosper.

IainB

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Re: "Magic Pig Powder" May Heal My Wife
« Reply #14 on: August 14, 2012, 08:52 PM »
Thankyou for telling us about this, y0himba.
All best wishes for you and your wife, and for her speedy recovery.
May be helpful (in case you have not read it): Deepak Chopra in "Quantum Healing" offers some encouraging views and examples of the remarkable potential for the human body to heal itself - once that potential has been enabled/"switched on". The Acell treatment (which I had not heard of before now) may be able to do that.

erikts

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Re: "Magic Pig Powder" May Heal My Wife
« Reply #15 on: August 30, 2012, 01:21 AM »
Thank you for sharing. My best wishes for both of you. I hope all efforts will help Mrs. y0himba getting well very soon.