About non-healing wounds

Healthy skin repair follows a rough order. Bleeding stops, the area becomes inflamed and cleans itself, new tissue fills in, and skin grows across the top. A stalled wound is usually stuck in the inflamed, cleaning-up step and cannot move on.

Something keeps it there. Often the reason is mechanical, such as weight or friction on the same spot every day. Often it is a supply problem, meaning too little blood reaching the area or fluid pooling in the limb. Sometimes it is a heavy load of bacteria, leftover dead tissue, or a body that is short on the raw materials for repair. Most long-standing wounds have two or three of these at once, which is why switching to a different dressing, and changing nothing else, so often disappoints.

What the treating clinician looks at

Part of building the plan is agreeing on the goal. For most people the goal is full closure, and the plan is aimed at removing whatever stands in the way. For some, especially people who are very frail or whose circulation cannot be improved, the treating clinician may talk with the patient and family about a different aim: keeping the wound stable, clean, comfortable and free of infection.

Either way, the clinician explains what they found, what they think is holding the wound back and what they recommend. You should come away knowing what the plan is, who does what, and how you will be able to tell whether it is working.

Non-healing wound care in Granite City

On the Illinois side, the first step for a non-healing wound in Granite City is confirming who can see you and under which plan. Illinois Medicaid and Illinois-based Medicare Advantage or commercial plans work differently from Missouri plans, and the treating provider must be able to practice and participate where you live. Gateway checks those points before scheduling. We also request records from Illinois hospitals, wound clinics and home health agencies, since a wound that has been open for months usually has a paper trail on your side of the river.

Directly across the Mississippi from north St. Louis, Granite City spreads over the flat river bottom of Madison County. It grew up around steelmaking, and its neighborhoods show it: close-set houses on a street grid and families who have been here for generations. Illinois Route 3 runs through town, Interstate 270 passes to the north and the McKinley Bridge is a short drive south. For residents who are older, live alone or no longer drive, getting to a clinic on either side of the river is difficult. Care arranged at home or in a facility comes to them instead.

Care at home

Family caregivers often carry a non-healing wound for months: changing dressings before work, washing linens, worrying about every new stain on the bandage. If that is you, plan to be present for the visit, in person or by phone. The treating clinician can show you what they are seeing and explain the dressing routine in plain terms.

Say honestly what you can and cannot do. A plan that calls for daily changes will fail if nobody is home during the day. The clinician can often choose an approach that fits the help available, or consider whether home health nursing is appropriate.

In a facility

For a resident in memory care, a wound that will not heal often has a behavioral side. The person may pull off dressings, scratch at the area, pace for hours on swollen legs, or be unable to say that something hurts. Staff who know the resident usually know these patterns well.

The treating clinician takes that knowledge into account when choosing dressings and how they are secured, and may suggest timing care for the calmest part of the resident’s day. A familiar staff member or relative at the visit helps. Gateway arranges those details ahead of time and updates the family or legal decision-maker afterward.

Changes to report

Not every change is an emergency, but these deserve a prompt call to the treating clinician’s office:

  • Red streaks running up the arm or leg from the wound
  • Pus, or drainage that turns green, tan or cloudy
  • Home blood sugar readings well above your usual range
  • Numbness, tingling or new swelling below the wound
  • A wound that had closed and has opened again

If you cannot reach the office and you are worried, go to urgent care or an emergency department. Call 911 right away for spurting or uncontrolled bleeding, chest pain or pressure, difficulty breathing, or a limb that suddenly turns cold and discolored.

Primary care and overall health

Some people with a long-standing wound have not seen a primary care clinician in a long while. Getting to an office may be the obstacle: stairs, a wheelchair, no ride, or a wound that leaks through its dressing on the way. Meanwhile blood pressure, weight, mood, sleep, tobacco use and mobility go unreviewed, and each has a hand in how skin repairs.

Gateway can arrange primary care in the same settings as wound care, including at home. One coordinated plan means fewer conflicting instructions and one place to call with questions. Each clinician still makes the decisions in their own area.

Primary care at home in Granite City →

Getting care arranged in Granite City

Before anything is scheduled, Gateway checks two things for every request for non-healing wound care in Granite City: whether a partner clinician serves that address and care setting, and what the patient’s plan requires from the treating provider. Neither is assumed. If both line up, we arrange the visit and gather records. If something stands in the way, we say so, and our guide to following up on a request explains what to ask next. Gateway coordinates the care and does not make clinical decisions. Those belong to the treating clinician who sees the wound. Start by calling 314-325-0126, or ask a family member to call for you.

Gateway Regional Medical Center in Granite City is the local hospital, and Anderson Hospital in Maryville is a drive to the east. Despite the similar name, Gateway Wound Care is a separate company and is not affiliated with either hospital. After a stay at one of them, or at a hospital in St. Louis, a relative or a discharge planner can ask us to arrange follow-up. We request the discharge orders, find out whether the patient is going home or to a facility, and set up a visit with a partner clinician once availability for that location is confirmed.

Related care in Granite City

Read the full guide to non-healing wounds, or see everything Gateway arranges on the mobile wound care in Granite City page.

Common questions

How often will someone visit for a wound that is not healing in Granite City?

The treating clinician sets the visit schedule based on the wound, the plan and who is changing dressings between visits. Chronic wounds are usually rechecked on a regular cycle so measurements can be compared, and the interval may change as the wound does. Gateway confirms what is available for your location and care setting and lets you know the schedule ahead of time.

Can a clinician come to a home in Granite City to look at a wound that will not heal?

In many cases, yes. Gateway arranges home visits with partner clinicians across Greater St. Louis and the Metro East, and we confirm availability for your exact address and care setting before scheduling. Call 314-325-0126 or send a request with a name and phone number. You do not need a referral to ask, and a family member can call for you.

Who changes the dressing between visits?

It depends on the plan and the help available. Some people manage their own dressings, some rely on a spouse or adult child, and some have a home health nurse or facility nurse. The treating clinician writes the orders with that person in mind. If nobody is able to do the changes as ordered, say so, and the clinician can look at other options.

Is Gateway Wound Care part of Gateway Regional Medical Center in Granite City?

No. The names are similar, but Gateway Wound Care is a separate company and is not affiliated with Gateway Regional Medical Center. Gateway Wound Care arranges wound care and primary care with partner clinicians in homes and facilities, and it is not a hospital. If you are trying to reach the hospital, use the hospital’s own phone number. To ask about wound care or primary care visits, call Gateway Wound Care at 314-325-0126.

General information to help you talk with your own clinician. It is not medical advice, and the treating clinician makes every clinical decision. For a medical emergency, call 911.