Shee is a 16-year-old boy who was diagnosed with a meningocele, a mass on the back of his head, when he was born. Due to his condition, he has trouble walking, and crawls to get around.
Due to his lack of mobility, Shee has developed pressure sores that require treatment. Seeking assistance through our medical partner, Burma Children Medical Fund, Shee is scheduled to have his pressure sore treatment on July 11. His family is requesting $851 to cover the total cost of his procedure and care.
Shee underwent pressure sore treatment.
His condition is much better, and his mother is relieved.
Shee’s mother said, “All I want for my son is to grow up well.”
Shee was submitted by Bue Wah Say, Project Officer at Burma Children Medical Fund.
Shee received treatment at Mawlamyine Christian Leprosy Hospital in Burma. Medical partners often provide care to patients accepted by Watsi before those patients are fully funded, operating under the guarantee that the cost of care will be paid for by donors.
Shee's profile was published to start raising funds.
Shee's treatment was fully funded.
What kinds of symptoms do patients experience before receiving treatment?
Patients have bedsores or pressure sores. They may experience unusual changes in skin color or texture, swelling, and pus-like draining.
What is the impact on patients’ lives of living with these conditions?
People with pressure sores might experience discomfort, pain, social isolation, or depression. Failure to treat bedsores at an early stage may cause complications and result in some life-threatening conditions, including cellulitis, bone and joint infections, cancer, and, very rarely, sepsis.
What cultural or regional factors affect the treatment of these conditions?
People who lack mobility must re-position themselves regularly to avoid stress on the skin, but patients are rarely instructed on the need and the methods of re-positioning. They also cannot afford to hire a professional caregiver to assist with the re-positioning.
What does the treatment process look like?
Rotation flaps are bow-shaped repairs that redistribute tension vectors and recruit adjacent and/or distant tissue laxity. Rotation flaps provide the ability to mobilize large areas of tissue with a wide vascular base for reconstruction.
What is the impact of this treatment on the patient’s life?
Rotation allows for the closure of wounds that cannot be repaired along a single tension vector. The flap must be adequately large, and a large base is necessary if a back-cut will be needed to lengthen the flap. If the flap is too small, the residual defect can be covered by mobilizing the surrounding tissue.
What potential side effects or risks come with this treatment?
A drawback of rotation flaps is the extended cutting and undermining needed to create the flap, thus increasing the risk of hemorrhage and nerve damage.
How accessible is treatment in the area? What is the typical journey like for a patient to receive care?
Since most of our medical partner's patients come from remote areas of Burma, the treatment is not easily accessible. It is only available in cities, and most patients cannot afford the high cost of surgery.
What are the alternatives to this treatment?
None. Surgical debridement of the necrotic areas of the wound is required, but the closing of the pressure sore can only be done through local rotation flaps.