Benefits of charcoal in CP soap or salt bars

[Lin19687]

Try the Liquid band-aids, that is what I used when I worked in the ER. Stayed on for about 3 hours before I would peel it off and re-apply. It even lasts through Purell ... gawd I hate that stuff, ruins your hands.

The Sun lamp was for the LACK of Sun in Seattle I don't think it had heat to it, but they may make them like that with a little heat. Helps with Depression where Seattle has so little sunshine. He said it worked Wonders.

I would think that the more air flow he gets on the back the faster it will heal. Dry it out. Hard to do with the chair as he needs that and you will need to cover the area too.
I don't think they have a frame to hold him forward for a while. I know they have it for some kids size wheel chairs (special needs I have seen a few). Don't know if he would lay on his front for an hour or so a day?

Maybe a thick pillow near the coccyx to keep his back forward a bit?
I guess it depends on how stable he is or if he need total back support

 

[JuliaNegusuk]

This is a little off topic but I am aware from observation that in the UK, pushchairs and wheelchairs are sometimes lined with real sheepskin/wool either on the original hide or knitted somehow into a cotton backing so that it still looks and behaves like sheeps' wool. Sheeps' wool is supposed to be very supportive and breathable and I have seen it recommended for many things. I use a sheep wool cotton backed mattress topper for my bed (under a cotton sheet) and it is very comfortable. Though if you read about the benefits of sheeps's wool it says it's cool in summer and warm in winter - it isn't, it is warm all year round and I reverse mine with the cotton back uppermost in summer, but you still get some benefit from the softness. The wool has the effect of spreading weight and pressure. I also find that it has improved my bed which is one of those kind of foam ones (no springs) which I found really sweaty without a natural fabric topper of some kind. So you might find that a sheeps' wool liner for the wheelchair and even for the bed might help. There is plenty of info on line about the benefits of sheeps' wool. Just don't believe the "cool in summer" bit of the blurb.

 

[DeeAnna]

Is the rash located where the wheelchair back rests against his back? Could the rash be a reaction to laundry detergent residue in his clothing that's being aggravated by the fabric being trapped between the chair back and his back?

 

[beckster51]

Try the Liquid band-aids, that is what I used when I worked in the ER. Stayed on for about 3 hours before I would peel it off and re-apply. It even lasts through Purell ... gawd I hate that stuff, ruins your hands.

The Sun lamp was for the LACK of Sun in Seattle I don't think it had heat to it, but they may make them like that with a little heat. Helps with Depression where Seattle has so little sunshine. He said it worked Wonders.

I would think that the more air flow he gets on the back the faster it will heal. Dry it out. Hard to do with the chair as he needs that and you will need to cover the area too.
I don't think they have a frame to hold him forward for a while. I know they have it for some kids size wheel chairs (special needs I have seen a few). Don't know if he would lay on his front for an hour or so a day?

Maybe a thick pillow near the coccyx to keep his back forward a bit?
I guess it depends on how stable he is or if he need total back support

Lin, I didn't know you were a nurse. I am, too. Nurses generally think alike, for better or worse - LOL.

I will try the liquid band-aids. Good thinking. I also _hate_ Purell with a passion. I use GermX for several things at home for his care. I use a light for depression as well. It does work for some of us.

He has gotten lots of air flow to it during the warm weather, and that has not seemed to help. He cannot lie prone due to pulmonary disease. He can sit forward comfortably. You are probably not old enough to remember when we put heat lamps on skin conditions to help heal them. It's a very old practice, and I am thinking of buying a heat bulb just to see if it helps. He has a very complicated medical history, but he does better than anyone would ever imagine based on his situation. His head works fine, but his body is another story.

This is a little off topic but I am aware from observation that in the UK, pushchairs and wheelchairs are sometimes lined with real sheepskin/wool either on the original hide or knitted somehow into a cotton backing so that it still looks and behaves like sheeps' wool. Sheeps' wool is supposed to be very supportive and breathable and I have seen it recommended for many things. I use a sheep wool cotton backed mattress topper for my bed (under a cotton sheet) and it is very comfortable. Though if you read about the benefits of sheeps's wool it says it's cool in summer and warm in winter - it isn't, it is warm all year round and I reverse mine with the cotton back uppermost in summer, but you still get some benefit from the softness. The wool has the effect of spreading weight and pressure. I also find that it has improved my bed which is one of those kind of foam ones (no springs) which I found really sweaty without a natural fabric topper of some kind. So you might find that a sheeps' wool liner for the wheelchair and even for the bed might help. There is plenty of info on line about the benefits of sheeps' wool. Just don't believe the "cool in summer" bit of the blurb.

Not off topic at all. You guys are thinkers! I have a sheepskin cushion in his chair, and he sleeps on a latex pad under a sheepskin, so that was good thinking!

Is the rash located where the wheelchair back rests against his back? Could the rash be a reaction to laundry detergent residue in his clothing that's being aggravated by the fabric being trapped between the chair back and his back?

Good thinking, DeeAnna. I made this change a few months ago. No laundry detergents or dryer sheets or anything like that with additives. I am very grateful for everyone's suggestions, even the ones I have already implemented. It just seems to be the rash that will not go away. As his wife and a nurse, I find this very difficult. I should be able to fix this! But so far I cannot. But I am a persistent bugger, and maybe eventually we will hit on what will fix it, or maybe enough time will pass that it will go away someday.

 

[Arimara]

A lot of us use vinegar in our rinse cycles. Maybe it would be worth a try? Please take to consideration I don't use homemade laundry soap (commercial detergents are more cost efficient for me) and have had reduced reactions to my laundry when vinegar is used. It might help get rid of some residue from washing, especially coupled with a double rinse.

 

[KiwiMoose]

But I am a persistent bugger, and maybe eventually we will hit on what will fix it, or maybe enough time will pass that it will go away someday.

LOL - where are you from? Must be Aussie, NZ or the UK using that phrase!

 

[Lin19687]

I think I remember the heat lamp but it was slightly before my time. I was a Navy Corpsman and a lowly ER Tech as I refused to go back to school at an older age The rest of my life will be taking the easy road, lol.

I wonder if he formed an allergy to something, Material on a shirt comes to mind.

I have 3 small cysts on the back of my arm that take for ever to heal when I scratch them.... I hate bumps so I scratch even though I know better. They come and go but too small to worry about. I think it comes from my night shirt when I wear it too long before changing it. I usually put the Betadine on it every night and try to remember every morning and then change my night shirt every day I don't like crisp clean night shirts, I like them worn in - ok that is hard to explain without sounding like a gross piggy HAHAHHAH

I know this is personal, but I wonder if a picture of it might help figure it out. Sometimes different Eyes see different things

 

[beckster51]

A lot of us use vinegar in our rinse cycles. Maybe it would be worth a try? Please take to consideration I don't use homemade laundry soap (commercial detergents are more cost efficient for me) and have had reduced reactions to my laundry when vinegar is used. It might help get rid of some residue from washing, especially coupled with a double rinse.

I will try that. I thought about using vinegar on a cloth in the dryer to reduce static cling, but had not thought to using it in the washer. Thanks!

LOL - where are you from? Must be Aussie, NZ or the UK using that phrase!

I am from Tennessee, USA. I don't _think_ that is an unusual phrase in my neck of the woods, but maybe it is.

I think I remember the heat lamp but it was slightly before my time. I was a Navy Corpsman and a lowly ER Tech as I refused to go back to school at an older age The rest of my life will be taking the easy road, lol.

I wonder if he formed an allergy to something, Material on a shirt comes to mind.

I have 3 small cysts on the back of my arm that take for ever to heal when I scratch them.... I hate bumps so I scratch even though I know better. They come and go but too small to worry about. I think it comes from my night shirt when I wear it too long before changing it. I usually put the Betadine on it every night and try to remember every morning and then change my night shirt every day I don't like crisp clean night shirts, I like them worn in - ok that is hard to explain without sounding like a gross piggy HAHAHHAH

I know this is personal, but I wonder if a picture of it might help figure it out. Sometimes different Eyes see different things

It has crossed my mind that he is having a reaction to some of the meds he is on, but all his doctors say no, and the dermatologist says it is baffling. He is on LOTS of meds, but all of them are absolutely necessary and cannot be discontinued, so I guess that is a dead end anyway. It looks like acne until you look closely and realize they are solid, inflammatory bumps with no exudate. It's very weird. I don't think a picture would show much. It was biopsied with inconclusive results. The salt bar does seem to be helping, so I am going to follow the course of doing whatever I can think of that will dry it up. And I am going to try all the things that you guys have suggested as well.

I understand completely about liking a soft nightshirt to sleep in. I like my organic cotton knit gowns very much. and nothing else will do. My sensitive skin reacts to lots of things.

 

[Lin19687]

 

[CatahoulaBubble]

I use the charcoal in my regular bars but really just for colorant but I did discover an added benefit, it removes the smell of garlic and onion from my hands.

 

[beckster51]

Had not thought of that, but it makes sense. And no small thing for something you use at the sink!

 

[beckster51]

Just wanted to check in and let you all know that my husband's rash has improved greatly with continued use of the salt bar on his back every day. I also discovered azelaic acid, and that has been a great find! It has helped my rosacea and his back. It is outrageously expensive in the US (are we surprised?!), but I have ordered some from India from a pharmacy I have used there many times. Until it gets here, Paula's Choice has a nonprescription strength that has enabled us to get some pretty good results. Again, thanks for all your help and encouragement. This is a great community!