A Decade of Sleepless Nights Ends with Compassionate Care

For most people, climbing into bed at night is routine. For Kelly Fountain, it was something he hadn’t been able to do in a decade — until care at Forrest Health’s Hospital’s Wound Care Center in Hattiesburg helped him reclaim not only his sleep, but his quality of life.

When Kelly, 55, of Columbia, came to the Wound Care Center in Hattiesburg, he had not slept in a bed for 10 years, but had worn out two recliners sleeping in them, instead. Kelly suffered from lymphedema in one leg, which made it impossible for him to sleep on his back in a bed because it threw his hips out of line which caused back pain. In Kelly’s case, he said one of his legs was the size of one person’s two legs. The only way he could get any sleep was in a recliner with his legs elevated.

A wound on his leg, which wouldn’t heal, sent him to the Wound Care Center in Hattiesburg for help. The staff provided hands-on help with fresh dressings during weekly and monthly visits. In the process of working on the wound, he also learned a lot about lymphedema, which proved very helpful. Useful information about diet and exercise also played a role in his recovery, as he was also a stroke patient with weakness on the right side of his body which caused mobility issues. At that time, he was pushing a wheelchair to help him get around more easily. At the end of his treatment, he walked out using just a cane. Kelly said mentally he was to the point of not knowing how to deal with everything. “I couldn’t do things. It was miserable I was just down and depressed.”

Patricia Clinton, who serves as Wound Care Center director, said she and the staff sang and prayed with Kelly during his sessions to help boost his spirits and assure him he would get better.

“The help I received gave me a new outlook on life,” said Kelly, “and it’s been wonderful. If they saw me then and saw me now, they would see a total transformation. I owe it to them. I can’t say enough nice things about those who helped me. Life is so much easier”
Kelly doesn’t require any future Wound Care visits but does want to stop in soon and see their new facilities, now located on the third floor, and say hello to the staff, so they can see the progress he’s made and thank them once again for the part they played in making that happen.

Term Dictionary - Lymphedema
Lymphedema is a swelling of the tissue caused by an accumulation of protein-rich fluid that's usually drained through the body's lymphatic system. It most commonly affects the arms or legs, but can also affect other areas of the body