Greenish toe?????? OMG!

[Macculloch]

My husband just text this to me....he said he thought it was dirt but when he tryed to wash it off...it didnt come off?

[Macculloch]

It kinda looks greyish, and green, and black I guess...

[Jack]

I think it is a bruise. Not caused by an impact necessarily, but just a small burst blood vessel. Not sure if this is due to Wegener's or the drugs, but I get them all the time.

[Sangye]

Has his doctor seen it? Anything weird around a joint (even without Wegs) should be checked out.

[Macculloch]

No he hasnt...I think he is trying to get ahold of him today....and you know it culd possible be a bruise because he is on blood thinner.

[Doug]

You have to be on the outlook for dry gangrene, too. I think you guys are wise to refer this condition to your doctor. Some Weggies get little (or big) spots of this dry gangrene on their skin. I had a few on my back, though I don't recall being aware of them until they were more advanced. I was already weeks into treatment by then, and they were starting to heal and slough off. Weird. Below, a link to definitions of the three types of gangrene.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gangrene

[andrew]

You have to be on the outlook for dry gangrene, too. I think you guys are wise to refer this condition to your doctor. Some Weggies get little (or big) spots of this dry gangrene on their skin. I had a few on my back, though I don't recall being aware of them until they were more advanced. I was already weeks into treatment by then, and they were starting to heal and slough off. Weird. Below, a link to definitions of the three types of gangrene.

Gangrene - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

If that was the case, wouldn't the toe above the joint be affected too and not just in one spot?

[Doug]

If that was the case, wouldn't the toe above the joint be affected too and not just in one spot?

I don't know. Makes sense. On the other hand, the dry gangrenous spots on my back didn't have joints associated with them. I think, then, they don't necessarily have to start above the joint in this case, these spots. See a doctor and have a professional assessment is the point made.

[Macculloch]

He wont call his doctor, or even try to contact anyone! I am convinced that it is Dry gangrene!! because it seems to look like its spreding or getting bigger.....this is why i hate how the military wont move us out there...he needs to be close to me or he wont get things done that needs to be done!....

How do I convince my husband that WG is serious! and he needs to be on the ball with things!

[Sangye]

(Sometimes bruises heal by getting larger and looking worse first. Even so, until you know it's a bruise for sure-- gotta get a doc to look)

He might be in shock and denial. Everyone goes through that phase early on, but some tend to get stuck there longer than others based on their personality type. I think you've said before he tends not to get involved on his own behalf?

It's important that he "snap out of it" quickly, however. Especially since he's far from you, and because he's in a situation without Wegs specialists. (Not to mention one that encourages him to stay quiet and behave himself!) His life will depend on his ability to find his voice very quickly. No one can do this for him.

He can remain in denial and/or passive and watch parts of his body be permanently destroyed. That's a fact. Does he want to lose one or both kidneys? A limb due to gangrene? Does he want to live on oxygen his entire life because his lungs got so damaged? How about a tracheotomy? These are not remote chances, they are immediate.

I think telling him that and asking him to spend a couple hours reading the stories on this forum would do it. He needs to understand that it's HIS body to protect. Try all you might, but you can't do it for him. He will live with the damage, not you. In his life with Wegs, there will be many symptoms only he will know about-- most are not obvious to others. If he doesn't tell his docs, he could die from them.