Question on bed sores. Should I be concerned?

My mother got a 'bedsore' or a 'pressure sore' on her tailbone area NOT from lying in bed too much, but from sitting in her WHEELCHAIR in a certain position, with all 190 lbs of her weight pushing on that one area. Home health was sent out every other day to treat that wound.......it was not left up to the staff in her Memory Care AL. The pressure sore took at least 2 months to clear up, if I recall. She also needed a different gel cushion for her wheelchair and to be transferred into her recliner a few times a day, which would take the pressure off of her tailbone for a while. It takes a system to be put into place to get rid of a bed sore to heal it, and more importantly, to make sure it doesn't come back due to the same behavior repeating itself.

"Keeping her clean" is not the issue; the issue is that mom favors her right side while in bed and the pressure needs to be taken OFF of that area. A wedge cushion can be placed under that area, as one suggestion, or something of that kind. And she needs to be out of bed a lot more than she currently is. The wound itself needs to be kept clean and medicated and covered, and the bandage needs to be changed at least every other day. And not by just anyone; by staff who's specially trained in WOUND CARE or by Home Health sent out by Medicare.

Hoping for the best results for your mom.

My husband was completely bedridden for the last 22 months of his life and never got a bedsore, except for one on his inner calf later in his journey that the hospice nurse didn't think was caused by undue pressure. She called it something else and I'm too far removed now to remember what it was.
There are bedsores called a Kennedy ulcer that often appear on the tailbone that are typically fatal, so I would find out exactly where this one is other than just on her butt.
Any bedsore not treated properly can lead to all kinds of issues so make sure that her facility is staying on top of things.

They can go septic and people can die from them. Nursing homes can lose their licenses if they have too many bed sores and bed sores are reportable in most states. Yes, they may be inevitable when a patient is bed bound, not taking the best nutrition, more being moved often enough. They are often called "pressure sores" because it is the pressure that often causes them. They are very difficult to heal as in VERY VERY and they require wound care consults with experts; be certain that this is being done.

My mother spent four years in a NH post stroke with complete paralysis and never had a single bedsore. She was kept dry, up daily in wheelchair, and rotated in position every 3-4 hours. It’s a bad idea for your mom to be in bed so much, does she understand this? What I know now that we didn’t realize then, was that after strokes there is very often depression that needs treatment. This was the case for my mother but we didn’t realize it. Your mom may need treatment for this and far more encouragement to be up out of bed. In the end though, it does become her choice to refuse. I’m sorry you’re dealing with this and hope there is healing soon

Pressure sores do happen but they are NOT inevitable.
They occur when repositioning is not done routinely or if a particular area of the body is not relieved of pressure. (Heels, back of the head, shoulders are but 3 areas that can get pressure sores and are difficult to relieve of pressure)
Pressures sores can happen fast and they can progress fast. I am wondering why they waited until it was stage 2 before you were notified.
And it occurred NOT because she favors one side of the body over the other it is because they do not reposition to lessen the pressure.
Keeping her clean while important is not a cause / effect of pressure sores. But keeping her clean CAN, if someone notices, prevent pressure sores simply because someone is looking at the skin BUT if they are not looking at the entire area when the change and clean her it is not going to be effective.

ABSOLUTELY! Left unattended, they can be deadly.

I was a son taking care of his mom. The only time she experienced a pressure ulcer was when she was in the nursing home after her hip surgery (so much for "rehab") and when she was in the hospital for observation a few years later (less than a week). Both times I made it known to staff it was unacceptable. In each case, it took a few weeks after she came home to clear it up.

My case was different, as my mom could walk (with walker). Every two hours daily, I made sure she moved to another chair. Each chair had a gel cushion plus a foam cushion, and a pillow for her back. Since she was incontinent, all three were covered with pads that I changed daily. At least three times a day, I made sure she had clean pull-ups. I used Calmoseptine each time on her behind to form a barrier. Her bed sheets were washed daily and clean pads put on. It was tough work, but I am proud she never got a pressure ulcer under my watch.

If your situation allows, make surprise visits to the nursing home as much as possible, and advocate on your mom's behalf. They are supposed to be trained for each patient's situation and have a daily care plan. You need to make sure that plan is being followed as much as possible. I wish you the best.

Yes, be concerned. Not alarmed, but concerned!!! Get right on it. Are you or other family close enough to monitor? Maybe bring your iwn nurse in. Stage 2 is pretty far already and will get worse super fast without better care than what she already got. And without some radical care they will not really heal but continue at some level. The FIX and I mean absolute the fix (many say they can't truly be healed):

#1 ASAP: Alternating air mattress overlay. About $75 Vive brand is great. This will help heal, and will keep them from coming back. It also helps with general circulation and good sleep.

Also #1 ASAP: Honey!!! Manuka is best but any unrefined raw honey will do.

Clean the sores, put honey on, seal, change every 2-3 days (2 at first, then 3 days). This is about the only way to truly heal them. And they heal fast!!!

#2 Once they are healed, truly healed, coconut oil with tea tree oil will continue to protect her fragile skin in that area. This would be ongoing as a lotion applied after each daily cleaning.

Some important notes:

Wash can be saline or a drop of mild soap like baby soap, in warm water on a soft cloth (does not need to be rinsed off).

Apply honey without double dipping. You do not want to infect the honey. Also, apply just a small dot of honey. Very little. Also, apply honey PER sore. So like one gloved finger per sore. You do not want to spread honey from sore to sore. This will spread sores, connect them.

To seal, buy special bandages that are padded and completely cover the area. They are expensive but necessary. And you won't need that many. Maybe 6-10. SEAL the bandage. Do NOT put any of the sticky part of the bandage on the sore, but you do want to be sure the seal is flush to the skin. All the way around. Absolutely NO gaps. Otherwise contamination gets in and further infects. IMPORTANT: Buy skin prep. Little cleaning pads that clean the skin around the sore to make the bandage stick. Do Not get this prep on the sore.

If you truly want to fix the bed sores, this is fail-safe, regardless of how bedridden or skin fragility. It has stunned doctors, to tell you the truth. This method permanently cured my Mom's stage 4 bedsores. Her doctor said he had never seen skin so healed. God bless!!!!

Sadly, most nursing homes have inadequate staffing, and those employees who exist are unable to get to each resident often enough or even at all in order to move someone in order help prevent bedsores. So, where is the funding going to come from to hire more help? What about better wages and benefits?

You should be worried, if they took proper precautions this would not happen. My mom and dad were both wheelchair bound towards the end. My mom with a stroke. I should say the only time my mom had bed sores was in rehab or the hospital. They are preventable.

I would worry about it. It can worsen in no time. Does Mom still use her own PCP or the facilities? Whatever Dr she uses, they need to have him order Woundcare for her. An aide should not be doing the bandaging the Nurse should be and looking for any changes in the sore. Like dead tissue. They have Woundcare Units in hospitals for a reason. My daughter is a woundcare nurse and managed a unit.

That wheelchair cushion is a RoHo. Can be expensive. Its made up of pockets of air. You pump it to the desired firmness.

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=roho+cushion&gclid=Cj0KCQiAlKmeBhCkARIsAHy7WVuW7CqXIfm3l4HeResM0OG3eLKPJh-rhps5e2gfhzukEDZxm-pK6rQaApHSEALw_wcB&hvadid=616991107898&hvdev=t&hvlocphy=9003829&hvnetw=g&hvqmt=e&hvrand=9674490236155050115&hvtargid=kwd-127752380&hydadcr=24663_13611861&tag=googhydr-20&ref=pd_sl_2nqf6lswq_e