5 Tips for Staying Healthy While You Wait for Your Wound to Heal

When you have a condition like diabetes or peripheral artery disease (PAD), ulcers on your feet, ankles, or lower legs are a clear and present danger, which you probably know if you’re reading this. To back up this claim with some numbers, between 19% and 34% of people with diabetes will develop a problematic ulcer.

The biggest threat when it comes to chronic lower limb wounds is that they’re very slow to heal, which leaves you vulnerable to infection. At Foot Ankle Leg Wound Care Orange County, facilitating wound healing is our top priority, so you’re under excellent care with Dr. Thomas Rambacher and his team. 

As we work toward resolving your wound, there are important steps that you can take to support our efforts and keep your healing going in the right direction.

1. Get your blood sugar in check

If we’re treating you for a diabetic ulcer, it’s imperative that you redouble your efforts to manage your blood sugar levels. Of course, you should always be paying close attention to getting glucose levels within healthy ranges, but it’s especially critical during the wound healing process.

2. Boost your immune health through diet

Your immune system is working around the clock to accomplish two very important objectives: Healing your wound and fighting off infection. When you have a slow-healing wound, it means that your immune system is struggling, so it’s a good idea to support it however you can, including through your diet.

First, we want you to steer clear of sugars and carbs — these contribute to system-wide inflammation, which only exacerbates your wound healing.

Next, we want you to focus your diet on healthier nutrients that directly support immune health, including:

Vitamin A

All vitamins and nutrients support healing to some degree, but vitamin A is especially important. To get vitamin A into your diet, try adding carrots, yams, organ meats, fish, eggs, and dairy.

Vitamin C

Another great way to boost your immune system is to get enough vitamin C, which you can find in berries, citrus fruits, potatoes, and tomatoes.

Zinc

Going from A to Z, you should also find ways to get zinc into your diet, which is found in shellfish, especially oysters.

Eating to support healing is really just common sense. Ditch the nutrient-poor processed and junk foods and stick with healthier fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, and nuts that are packed with vitamins, nutrients, and antioxidants.

3. Keep moving

Wound healing resources are delivered through your blood, so we want you to do things to encourage circulation. We know that moving around is tricky when you have a chronic wound as we often go the non-weight-bearing route.

Still, you can find ways to exercise, such as working with weights and doing some chair yoga or chair pilates.

4. Follow our instructions

We have considerable experience with wound healing and we know what’s needed, so it’s important that you follow our instructions to the letter. If an instruction doesn’t make sense, please ask us about it because we want you to understand the journey you’re on.

5. Be patient and manage stress

Healing a chronic wound takes time and there are no shortcuts. So, if you’re getting frustrated, we suggest that you try some mindfulness practices that can bring you some peace during this frustrating time. Meditation, going for a walk or drive, spending time with friends with phones turned off — these are all great ways to ground yourself and ease stress.

If you follow these tips, we’re confident that, together, we can get you to the other side of your slow-healing ulcer.

For more tips on supporting your wound healing process, we invite you to contact our office in Mission Viejo, California, at 949-832-6018 or request an appointment online today.