November 9, 2009

Well, this is all new to me...so bare with me as I try my hand at the blogging world!!!

For a while now I have been told to put Mitchells story on the internet in hopes of getting feedback. OK, I give in - - here it goes.

Mitchell has had wounds on his legs for 7 years now. He has seen all kinds of doctors all over the Eastern United States, we weren't partial to anyone place we gave em' all a try. So far they haven't been able to find anything wrong except for the obvious; open wounds from the calf to the ankle on both legs and the pain.

Mitchells story begins back in 2002. In June 2002 he and some friends went on their Senior trip just after graduating high school. They went to one of the grandparents house on the Tennessee River in Alabama. During that trip they were swimming in the river and he said he thought he scratched his right leg on a rock - didn't bleed much - just a scratch. Back at home he put a bandaid and some neosporin on there and from there it became infected within about a week. So, we started taking him to the doctor where they started treating him for an infection - no cause for alarm at this point. After about 4 weeks on antibiotics it had grew from a small scratch to a 'deep' scratch. The doctor sent us to a surgeon, by this time he had a hole on the shin down to the bone. We immediately started seeing an infectious disease doctor, started IV anti-biotics, he sent us to a plastic surgeon who performed debridements and skin grafts. After many months with them, they finally told us they could do no more and sent us to new set of doctors. These doctors on the 1st visit said it was pyoderma gangrenosum and started treating him....after many procedures later and 18 months of hyperbarics we left there and went to Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville Fl where they sent us to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN and the leading pyoderma gangrenosum doctor in the US. Only to find out that no it was not pyoderma gangrenosum, they said to stop looking at the cause and fix the problem. Well, they got the leg looking good, slapped a skin graft on it and kept him in the hospital bed ridden for 6 weeks and said he was done...all was good.

After being back home for about 4 months the skin graft started breaking down, and the left leg was now starting...remarkably just as the right had done 4 years before. We started wound care all over again for both legs, they ran test again and again, and still nothing...no reason no cause! The only thing they have been able to come up with so far is anti-phospholipid antibody syndrome - but mind you "not officially"!

We are now seeing a small town doctor who has been able to get him off all the medicines and pain medicines, he has been trying natural remedies such as magot therapy, honey, etc. for the past 6 months. Things were going good his legs were looking good and looked like we were on the right track.

Then about 3 weeks ago he started having blood clots in the wound of the right leg, the pseudomonas was back, and large amounts of fibrin in the wound bed. And now 2 weeks ago a tendon became exposed and last week the achillis tendon started becoming exposed.

Although not knowing what I was reading I have read and researched only to become more confused and stressed out. Anyone experienced anything like this I would appreciate you sharing your story and experience with us. I cannot think that Mitchell is the only one out there that this has happened too.

Please don't think I am complaining or anything just a mother anxious for a diagnosis. Mitchell has been completely BLESSED through this whole ordeal, we see him working through Mitchell every day and know whatever God has in store for him God is in control of him.