by Caroline Fife, M.D. | Jan 12, 2023 | Fight the Good Fight, Pyoderma Gangrenosum
In my 30-plus years of practicing wound care, I have developed an unwelcome amount of experience with Pyoderma gangrenosum. It’s not been uncommon for me to have 8 patients with PG at any given time (and I’m sure I’ve missed some). PG can range in spectrum from a...
by Caroline Fife, M.D. | Jan 11, 2023 | Fight the Good Fight
Most clinicians who care for seriously ill patients know instinctively that deep tissue injuries and severe pressure ulcers form from the inside to the outside. They have watched it happen. In fact, I have posted many videos of this process on my blog (see links...
by Caroline Fife, M.D. | Dec 21, 2022 | Fight the Good Fight, Tales of the Medicare Disadvantaged
I haven’t been able to get this patient off my mind. He’s a kind and likable man who was active in his church and living independently, despite an above-knee amputation on one side and chronic lymphedema of the other leg. He had made a living as a truck driver until...
by Caroline Fife, M.D. | Dec 12, 2022 | Fight the Good Fight
I am not a dermatologist and don’t pretend to be one. But, I have seen more pyoderma grangrenosum (PG) than most dermatologists – and so has every wound care practitioner who is paying attention. We all know that biopsies are practically useless, but it is astounding...
by Caroline Fife, M.D. | Nov 15, 2022 | Fight the Good Fight
Check out this amazing new column in Today’s Wound Clinic called “How I Treat….”! The first article is about a unique approach to treating Hidradenitis Suppurativa by Dr. James Stillerman. Jim has an innovative approach to this horrible, refractory condition...
by Caroline Fife, M.D. | Nov 8, 2022 | Fight the Good Fight
Is there a topic that you really want to write an article about for a non-peer reviewed journal? I have been the clinical editor for Today’s Wound Clinic for many years. Even though I have had a career in academics, I think the role of TWC is very important. Peer...
by Caroline Fife, M.D. | Nov 2, 2022 | Fight the Good Fight
“There is no calculating the impact of a doctor who will do whatever needs to be done.” (my paraphrase of a quote by Amy Carmichael) For some reason, my nurses never want me “helping” with the Hoyer lift… but willingness to do whatever needs to be done can have...
by Caroline Fife, M.D. | Nov 1, 2022 | Fight the Good Fight
When a loved one has dementia, you assume the role of caregiver relatively gradually. In contrast, one generally stops being a caregiver suddenly. For more than a decade, my husband’s illness had been omnipresent – impacting every aspect of my life. When it was over,...
by Caroline Fife, M.D. | Oct 31, 2022 | Fight the Good Fight, Lymphatic Imaging & Lymphedema
Check out this interview I did at the recent SAWC meeting in Las Vegas about the concept of “angiosomes” and how they can help us understand the “inside to outside” nature of severe pressure injuries. The implications are big, because it opens the door to new...
by Caroline Fife, M.D. | Oct 17, 2022 | Fight the Good Fight
Some months ago I gave a Webinar on massive localized lymphedema (MLL). Recently a young man reached out to me with a heart-wrenching email about his wonderful Mom. She’s got MLL and has had multiple bouts of cellulitis. She’s now homebound and giving up hope. He...
