Sandi Schneider has had some health challenges to overcome. First, she lost her left leg due to a bout with cancer, and she also suffers from Type 1 diabetes. As if that wasn’t enough, in December 2017, Sandi developed an ulceration on her stump and at the same time, discovered a serious wound on her right heel.
“It was a mess,” she says. “After I had a large tumor removed, I felt better. I probably walked more than I should have.”
That’s when she turned to the OSF Saint Anthony Wound Healing Center for help.
“Family support is key to success with these type of wounds.”
“When I first saw her, she had dead tissue on her right heel and an ulceration on her left stump,” said medical director Dr. Leslie Edgcomb, who treated Sandi. “The problem was she had a misfitting cup that supports her stump and she was trying too hard to walk on her right leg, which created a hole in her right heel.”
Had Sandi not received care quickly, it might have been a different outcome.
“If the ulceration on her right heel, which started out as a chunk of dead skin, had gone down and affected the bone of her foot, there was a high probability of losing her right leg,” says Dr. Edgcomb. “We were able to avoid that scenario, thanks to her being a compliant patient, the excellent nursing staff and the care of her husband, Mark, who was a big factor in her healing. Family support is key to success with these type of wounds.”
Highly specialized wound care
OSF Saint Anthony Wound Healing Center offers highly specialized wound care to patients suffering from diabetic ulcers, pressure ulcers, infections and other chronic wounds which have not healed in a reasonable amount of time. The center offers advanced treatments including negative pressure wound therapy, bio-engineered skin substitutes, hyperbaric oxygen therapy, and growth factor therapies. The center is a member of the Healogics network of nearly 700 Wound Care Centers, with access to data and proven experience treating approximately 2.5 million chronic wounds.
In May, after five months of treatment, Sandi’s wounds healed. Today, she has no limitations. “I’m very pleased with the outcome,” she says. “The staff is excellent, and I tried my best to be a good patient. Dr. Edgcomb and the staff really did a good job of healing my wounds.”
An award-winning wound center
Recently, the OSF Saint Anthony Wound Healing Center received the Robert A. Warriner III M.D. Center of Excellence Award for its high patient satisfaction scores. Only 268 centers across the country earned this honor.
“I’m proud of our team,” says Dr. Edgcomb. “Many of our nurses have 20 to 30 years of wound care experience. It’s not just one person guiding the care. It’s always two or three sets of eyes looking at these wounds. It’s a team effort.”
For more information, contact the OSF Saint Anthony Wound Healing Center at (815) 484-7330.
Last Updated: February 23, 2024