This week is Wounds Awareness Week! As an ambassador for Wounds Australia and a member of their consumer advisory group, this cause is incredibly close to my heart.
It’s easy to dismiss a cut or a scrape, but what happens when a wound doesn’t heal? This is a reality for so many Australians, and the consequences of an untreated wound can be severe.
Here are a few of the risks we need to be aware of:
Infection and Sepsis: An unhealed wound is an open invitation for bacteria. What starts as a simple issue can spiral into a serious infection.
Amputation: For those with underlying health issues, an untreated wound can progress to the point where a limb may need to be amputated.
Pain and Isolation: Chronic wounds don’t just affect our bodies; they can cause constant pain, limit our ability to move, and lead to feelings of isolation and depression.
Check out Wounds Australia, and please take care of your skin. This is a blog post from last year, which remains relevant.
Wounds Australia Champion
Last year, I had a lower limb amputation because of a wound that refused to heal. This has fundamentally changed my life, and now, being vigilant about the health of the skin on both my residual limb and my other leg is a constant priority.
I was honoured to have my experience featured by ABC News, and now Wounds Australia has shared my story to help raise awareness about the critical nature of wound care. You can read their profile, which I’ve posted below.
| A small cut with big consequences for one Sydney man Monday, 12 August 2024 |
| When James O’Brien felt unwell on his return home from an overseas holiday, he assumed he’d caught a virus, perhaps COVID. In fact, a small cut on his foot had become infected, and sepsis – an extreme and life-threatening reaction to infection – was rapidly setting in. Concerned friends and emergency service workers rescued the semi-conscious Sydney man from his home and rushed him to hospital, where his lower right leg was amputated below the knee. What followed was almost four months in hospital, during which James was also diagnosed with diabetes, a leading cause of amputations in Australia – around 4400 a year. James has made a truly remarkable journey back to mobility, learning to navigate life in his old apartment according to his new needs and returning to part-time work as an audio content planner with the ABC. A year on from his amputation, James says he is grateful for Australia’s excellent health care system and feels “lucky to be alive”, while acknowledging that his wound care journey isn’t over. During a recent routine appointment, a physiotherapist found a blister on his left foot that James could not feel because of numbness related to his diabetes. As James’ story demonstrates, the smallest wounds can sometimes have serious consequences – but the good news is, even many chronic (long-lasting) wounds can be healed with the right treatment. With routine podiatry visits, James is being supported to stop acute wounds like a small foot blister from becoming chronic. Thanks to Wound Champion James O’Brien for sharing his story. Read more on the ABC. Find out more about diabetes and wounds and diabetic foot care in our factsheets section. |
PS. Since this article was first published, I’ve joined the Wounds Australia Community Advisory Group.