Pinned against the fence. One woman began what would become a long spring.
Laurel Alber works full-time for the Southeast Judicial District Court. She and her husband, Danny, live on a ranch near Marion, N.D.
Danny manages the cattle while Laurel travels for her job. However, after Danny suffered a concussion, fractured vertebrae, broken cheekbone and fractured back, Laurel stepped in to help. Growing up in Tower City, N.D., Laurel didn’t live on a farm but she loved the work.
“As a girl, I was a ranch wannabee,” she said. “And, didn’t mind rolling up my sleeves so that Danny could recover.”
The job wouldn’t always be fun.
While working cattle in March, one pushed Laurel against a gate, head-butting her twice. She walked away shaken and bruised. One bruise in particular, on her left leg, never healed appropriately.
The bruise started as a small rug-burn. Weeks later, the bruise turned into a sore. By April, she visited a doctor who gave her antibiotics for an infection. By June, Laurel’s sore was deeper than her fingernail.
While on vacation with family, Laurel showed her wound to her cousin, Holly Wald.
“Immediately, Holly told me I should schedule an appointment with Jamestown Regional Medical Center’s Wound Center. So I did, even while we were still out-of-state,” Laurel said.
Wald, a patient access management specialist at JRMC, sees first-hand the care patients receive at JRMC’s Wound Center. Wald primarily works in the Emergency Department. She hears the testimonies of patients who stop in for a quick bandage change.
“In my work of patient registration, I hear great things about the JRMC Wound Center. People are amazed at how fast their wounds heal,” she said.
When compared to facilities in the country, JRMC’s Wound Center heal rate is shorter than average. The average heal rate for a chronic wound is 21 days. Some wounds can take months.
What JRMC does is unique, said Amanda Lausch, family nurse practitioner and JRMC Wound Center specialist. Lausch, and Randy Perkins, FNP, lead the JRMC Wound Center team. The team includes specially certified nurses, techs and CNAs. JRMC uses a nine-step, holistic process to healing.
“There are many phases to wound care,” Lausch said. “Treating the infection is certainly one of them. In addition, we also look at dressing, diet, lifestyle and other factors.”
It is not uncommon for the JRMC Wound Center to see patients like Alber who’d tried other methods without results.
“The doctors and providers in our community are wonderful; however, traditional medical school doesn’t teach the wound care we’re certified in,” Lausch said. “The JRMC Wound Center can offer specialized care in partnership with other healthcare professionals.”
Alber agreed.
“It wasn’t that I wasn’t getting good care, it just wasn’t their specialty,” she said.
After months of no progress, Alber started to see results within a few weeks once she visited the JRMC Wound Center.
She was especially grateful for the care after hearing about a news story about a man whose wound was so bad, he needed an amputation.
“When other providers consider amputation, we don’t,” Lausch said. “Specialized tools help us determine which wounds can heal and how we can treat them.”
One of the tools is a Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) chamber. JRMC’s HBOT was the first in North Dakota.
HBOT is a specialized treatment in which patients breathe pure oxygen inside a pressurized chamber. Inside the chamber, oxygen is delivered to the bloodstream at 10 to 20 times the normal amount. The additional oxygen helps fill the blood and repair tissues quickly.
Most patients will require multiple treatments over the course of several weeks to see full results. While in the clear chamber, patients can nap or watch TV.
Although Alber didn’t need it, the JRMC Wound Center uses HBOT for wounds like hers, infections, burns and even carbon monoxide poisoning.
“In some cases, we save a person’s foot. In others, we save their lives,” Lausch said.
Today, Alber’s leg is fully-functioning. She’s grateful for the care from JRMC.
“I’d probably still have a hole in my leg if it wasn’t for Amanda,” she said.
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