Referring to wounds as ‘wonderful’ might seem odd, I know. But as the Wonderful World of Wounds blog posts will show you, being able to heal wounds, restore our patient’s quality of life and educate our community about prevention and care is truly wonderful. I hope you will enjoy following along on this educational journey as much as I will enjoy providing the education.

Now, a little bit about me now! I will keep it short because I know you are here for the juicy wound healing content, which trust me IS FORTHCOMING COMING. I am Chelsea Thompson,  Director of Education for Wound Care University and I have been working in wound care and hyperbaric medicine for a decade! I started with WoundCentrics in 2011 after a short firefighting and EMS career and can say I have truly found my passion in wound care. I am currently serving as the Director of Hyperbaric Safety and Education and facilitate and lecture in a 40-hour UHMS (Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Society) approved Hyperbaric Introductory Course. Now, for our first post let us just chat about what wound care is and why wound healing is so wonderful.

Wound care involves every stage of wound management. This includes diagnosing wound types, considering factors that affect wound healing, and the proper treatments for wound management. Once the wound is diagnosed and all factors are considered, the treatment facility and the specialist can determine the best treatment options. We see many wounds daily in our clinics, ranging from diabetic foot wounds to soft tissue radionecrosis. Note that each type of wound will get its own post in the coming months!

Advanced wound care can profoundly change lives. Imagine the pain and social stigma that may be associated with a wound, like a pressure ulcer. A deep wound to the buttocks or other pressure points would dramatically worsen anyone’s quality of life. Between the sharp pain, the odor from drainage, the need for constant offloading, the time and money of wound dressings, and the risk of death from infection… a pressure ulcer is challenging and life-changing. Prevention is always the best medicine, but in cases where the ulcer is already present, good wound care is the next best thing!

Now imagine that the same painful pressure ulcer is now healed! After months of specialized treatment including debridement, offloading, improved nutrition, and antibiotics, you have your full life back! No more drainage, no more pain, and no more doctor appointments. THAT is what makes wound care so wonderful, restoring people’s full lives back to them after months or even years of suffering.

I hope you will follow along on this journey with me as we learn all the diverse ways to treat wounds, heal wounds and improve our patients’ lives!!