The Road to Healing
December 20, 2023
Doug Myers always been fast to diagnose and treat car problems. The NASCAR fan has made a career out of car care and currently works for NAPA Auto Parts. However, he didn't pay the same level of attention to his health until an unrelenting wound gave him no other option. "I got a sore on the bottom of my foot," Myers says. "I didn't take care of it until it was too late."
Chad Stapp, DPM,
Podiatrist
When Myers noticed the sore, he assumed the wound would heal on its own. When it didn’t, Myers sought medical attention. By the time a medical provider intervened, however, the wound
on Myers’ foot had turned into an infection that extended halfway to his knee.
ANSWERS, HOPE AND HEALING
Doctors discovered that Myers’ blood sugar was more than triple that of a healthy person, and the diagnosis was clear: Myers had diabetes, which had hindered healing. The only treatment for
the spreading infection was amputation. Following the surgery to remove his leg, Myers’ care team encouraged him to take note of any other wounds on his body. Newly vigilant of his health, Myers noticed when a sore formed on the inside portion of his other leg. Then he broke all fi ve toes on his remaining foot, which had also become infected. Myers was desperate to avoid amputation again. Chad Stapp,DPM, podiatrist on the medical staff at Huron Regional Medical Center, and the wound team had the same goal.
AN AGGRESSIVE APPROACH
Doctors removed infected tissue from Myers’ leg and replaced it with healthy tissue from another part of his body. Following the procedure, Myers needed months of wound care to ensure a
Becca McCaskell, CNP
successful outcome. Every week, Myers visited Becca McCaskell, a nurse practitioner at HRMC specializing in wound and ostomy care. McCaskell and the team of wound care nurses faithfully changed Myers’ wound dressing and applied casts to protect his foot. “We strive for limb preservation, so we made an aggressive treatment plan to give Mr. Myers the best chance at preserving his lower limb,” McCaskell says. “I’m so happy I was a part of yet another successful wound care story.”
A HEALTHY NEXT CHAPTER
Two years after learning he had diabetes, Myers is back on his feet – literally. His wounds are completely healed. While he hopes he never needs wound care again, he knows where to go if he does. “They took good care of me at HRMC for nearly two years,” Myers says. “I’d work with them again in a heartbeat.”
Concerned about a persistent sore? Call (605) 353-6334 to schedule an appointment with a wound care specialist at HRMC.
Doug Myers,
HRMC wound care patient
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