Alpena Woman Healed at Wound Treatment Center
Wound Treatment Center Patient
"Since I moved to the area a few years ago, this has been my best health care experience by far."
Testimonial
Mary Ann Bugg - Alpena, MI
"Since I moved to the area a few years ago, this has been my best health care experience by far."
Alpena Woman Healed at Wound Treatment Center
When Mary Ann Bugg experienced a wound from vascular surgery that was not closing properly, she received an emergent referral from her primary care provider to the Wound Treatment Center at MyMichigan Medical Center Alpena. Her experience there not only healed her leg but restored the spring in her step.
Ms. Bugg’s surgery took place in Petoskey and went well overall. Veins in both legs were used for a bypass that garnered positive results. Her left leg healed nicely, but her right was not closing.
“When Ms. Bugg came to us in September, she was in a wheelchair looking very ill,” said Sally Ann Whitener, manager. “She was weak and cold. I felt bad for her. Our provider debrided her wound and took cultures that later revealed an infection. Ms. Bugg needed fairly aggressive treatment.”
A course of antibiotics, weekly visits to the Wound Treatment Center and home care visits in between to repack the wound were ordered however, Bugg decided a few weeks into her treatment that she preferred to receive all of her care at the Wound Treatment Center. “The people at the Alpena center were kind and they all got to know me, so I decided to drive in to have all of my treatments there.”
At the center, Ms. Bugg’s healing was assisted by a wound vacuum-assisted closure (VAC) which decreases air pressure around a wound. Under the care of the center, her wound began to improve. “We were very happy to see Mary Ann come into our center to receive treatments,” said Whitener. “As the weeks went on, we watched her continuously improve.
One day, she came in and I hardly recognized her! She was walking unassisted, looking great. We all were complimenting her – she looked amazing! It was hard to believe she was the same woman just weeks before in a wheelchair.”
The staff became very attached to Ms. Bugg. They shared that it was bittersweet when she was healed only because they would no longer see her on a regular basis. “They are great at what they do,” said Ms. Bugg, “but they are also friendly, nice people. Since I moved to the area a few years ago, this has been my best health care experience by far.”
Learn more about the Wound Treatment Centers at MyMichigan Health, or call the Wound Treatment Center in Alpena at (989) 356-8075.
