My bed ridden brother suffered from bed sores twice. On the first instance, my mother was still alive. My parents brought him to our family doctor. Our family doctor performed minor surgery to my brother's skin and everything went fine. Ten years after, we have the same problem. Although not as worst as the first case. We tried to manage the wounded area using Betadine, Terramycin and otc Mupirocin for three months. Nothing worked. Our family doctor already passed away. We were forced to look for another doctor. 

We have exhausted all means, I felt it was time to consult a doctor. I opted for an online consultation via the Now Serving app. After being rejected by two doctors, we landed on a very patient and accommodating female dermatologist. Thank you Dra. Patricia Monique Torres for accepting our request even if it was a Sunday. 

After a few explanations, this is what Dra. Torres recommended

1. Saline Solution (Sodium Chloride) for wound cleaning 

2. Mupirocin 0.02 Ointment 

3. Vaseline Petroleum Jelly

4. Gauze Bandage

5. Gauze Adhesive 

Dra, taught us the sandwich technique of addressing my brother's wound. It's a routine we have to do twice a day. 

Step 1 - Clean the wound area with saline solution using a gauze pad and soak the wound for 10 mins. 

Step 2 - Apply Mupirocin on the wound and its surrounding areas

Step 3 - Prepare a clean gauze pad soaked in saline solution and place it over the wound

Step 4 - Prepare a clean gauze pad with petroleum jelly and place it over the wound 

Step 5 - Prepare a clean / dry gauze pad to cover the layers of gauze pad. 

Step 6 - Secure the layers of gauze pads with band aid or gauze pad adhesive 

Prior to our consultation, I'm one of those guilty individuals who try to seek solutions from Google. Unfortunately, even the vast information available from the internet failed to provide me a definite solution. The nearest I found was using Mupirocin ointment. But since, we used it without the doctor's supervision, the effort was useless. 

WARNING open wound photos ahead


March 14, 2023 -  (top photo) the wound was around 2 inches 
March 26, 2023 - We started the sandwich technique treatment 
April 2, 2023 - (second photo from the top) a week after the treatment, the open wound was less than 1 inch 
April 8, 2023 - (third / bottom photo) the open wound is less than 0.5 inch 
(I will update the photo after one week. Hopefully that wound will be totally head 🙏) 

My brother's wound hasn't fully healed yet, but we have observed progress.  We trusted the process and strictly followed our doctor's advice. 

Lesson learned from this experience: Proper consultation to a doctor is always a right decision. It speeds up recovery and saves us from spending from unnecessary self-medicated purchases. 

P.S. I always appreciate friends and distant relatives who remember my brother.