Our Patients Say It Best

The Path to Healing
Carolyn Drier

May, 2019

Physicians:  

A fall in the parking lot of the grocery store resulted in a small lesion on 74-year-old Carolyn Drier’s right knee. Medication she was currently taking caused her skin to break easily. As a result, she didn’t think anything of the new wound for a few days after the fall and treated it with over the counter remedies.

“I kept thinking it was going to heal itself,” said Carolyn. “After a week had passed and it was still bothering me I knew I needed to see a doctor.”

Carolyn’s daughter suggested the Lakeland Wound Center in Niles and she wasted no time scheduling an appointment with nurse practitioner, Krista Schulte, NP.

“By the time I went to the wound center the spot on my knee had only gotten worse,” she said. “I hadn’t shown it to anyone except my husband. I didn’t know if it would require surgery or a skin graft. It was a very stressful situation.”

During her initial appointment, Carolyn met with Krista who evaluated the wound to determine the best course of treatment.

“Krista and all my nurses made me feel comfortable which is important because in that moment I definitely wasn’t,” said Carolyn. “You could tell they all worked so well together as a team.”

In order to effectively heal Carolyn’s wound Krista recommended using a medical grade honey combined with a foam dressing which would harness the body’s natural ability to remove dead skin and help absorb drainage. After four weeks, Krista started the use of a cellular tissue product known as Theraskin which is human cadaver skin. This product was applied biweekly for two applications at which point the wound was nearly healed. 

“I was in pain for three weeks before coming to the wound center and within a week of getting the new dressing I wasn’t in any pain at all,” said Carolyn. “Once it started healing I didn’t even realize I had a wound anymore. Thankfully it didn’t keep me from any of my normal activities including my role as owner of Drier’s Meat Market.”

Eight weeks after her initial appointment Carolyn received official sign off from her care team just in time for her to head to Arizona for the winter. Although she will still need to change her own dressings, she is pleased with the overall healing process.

“My wound healed so well – I couldn’t believe it and neither could they,” she said. “If you’re suffering from a slow healing wound – don’t wait. Go and get it checked out as soon as possible. I can’t emphasize enough what a good wound care team Lakeland has.”

Watch more of Carolyn's story in the video below: