Key Information
Leg ulcers are one of the most distressing and disabling complications of sickle cell diseaseexternal link, opens in a new tab (SCD). These open wounds mostly affectexternal link, opens in a new tab patients with sickle cell anemiaexternal link, opens in a new tab (HbSS), although people with any type of SCD may experience them. The severity varies widely; some heal in weeks, while others linger for months, years, or even decades.
Beyond the physical pain and discomfort, leg ulcersexternal link, opens in a new tab may deeply affect mental health, self-esteem, and quality of life. The pain can be unbearable, the treatment frustrating, and the stigmaexternal link, opens in a new tab profound. The terrifying prospect of recurrence makes leg ulcers a burden that some warriors carry with heavy hearts.
My first experience with this symptomexternal link, opens in a new tab came very early in life, around age 4. I had wounds on both ankles, the most common site of leg ulcers in SCD. I still remember how painful they were, how my classmates looked at me weirdly, and how uncomfortable I felt as a child. The ulcers eventually healed, but I was so young that I cannot remember how long they lasted. However, I didn’t experience them again until I was in my early 20s.
But that “next time” came unexpectedly — the result of a surgical wound from a minor procedure. My doctors had struggled to access a vein for an urgent blood transfusion after I lost a lot of blood during the operation. After gaining my consent, they chose to do a venous cutdown procedure just above my left ankle for better vein access. Unfortunately, the attempt failed due to my tiny veins. My relentless physicians eventually achieved direct vein access for the transfusion, which saved my life. However, the venous cutdown left me with a surgical wound that took over a year to heal and became a leg ulcer.
For more than a year, I went to the hospital every other day for sterile dressings, undergoing various tests and treatments along the way. It was physically, emotionally, and financially exhausting. That experience taught me patience and discipline in wound care.