Venous leg ulcers have multiple consequences for the patient. Ulcer management can be lengthy and recurrence is common. As the patient is the expert on their experiences and life, the aim of the present study was to describe patients' lived experiences of undergoing management for a venous leg ulcer. The study encompassed 16 phenomenological interviews. The analysis led to a description of the phenomenon's essence, further described by three constituents. The essential meaning of the phenomenon is described as being in an oscillation between hope and despair. Ulcer management is challenging for the patient, who feels unseen and lives with doubts during the management period. This study is considered enriching as it puts words to the patients' suffering during ulcer management and shows that reliable relationships and competence can reduce patient doubts. This knowledge should enable improvement of patient care and treatment during ulcer management.

PURPOSE

Venous leg ulcer is a recognized condition, affecting people globally. Ulcers mainly affect the elderly and recurrences are not uncommon. There is knowledge about life with venous leg ulcers, but the situation after healing is unexplored. This paper explores and describes meanings of experiences of daily life after healing of a hard-to-heal venous leg ulcer.

METHODS

Lived experiences of 15 individuals with healed hard-to-heal venous leg ulcers generated data for this study. Interviews were recorded for analysis using a reflective lifeworld research approach. An essence emerged, further described by its constituents.

RESULTS

Memories of a difficult time with leg ulcer were ever present, in a way becoming part of the self. A striving for control in daily life entailed a struggle to do what was best for the own body. After healing, a new normal emerged in daily life, a reality that encompassed the risk for a new ulcer. The body had changed physically, with marks alongside those from ageing, in a life that still went on.

CONCLUSIONS

For those who had healed from a venous leg ulcer, life had changed. Even if they referred to life as normal, it was not the same normal as before.

Background Venous leg ulcers take time to heal. It is advocated that physical activity plays a role in healing, and so does the patient’s nutritional status. Additionally, malnutrition influences the inflammatory processes, which extends the healing time. Therefore, the staff’s advising role is important for patient outcomes. Thus, this study aimed to investigate the associations between given self-care advice and healing time in patients with venous leg ulcers while controlling for demographic and ulcer-related factors.

Methods The sample consisted of patients registered in the Registry of Ulcer Treatment (RUT) which includes patient and ulcer-related and healing variables. The data was analyzed with descriptive statistics. Logistic regression models were performed to investigate the influence of self-care advice on healing time.

Results No associations between shorter healing time (less than 70 days) and the staff´s self-care advice on physical activity was identified, whilst pain (OR 1.90, CI 1.32–2.42, p < 0.001) and giving of nutrition advice (OR 1.55, CI 1.12–2.15, p = 0.009) showed an association with longer healing time.

Conclusions Neither self-care advice on nutrition and/or physical activity indicated to have a positive association with shorter healing time. However, information and counseling might not be enough. We emphasize the importance of continuously and systematically following up given advice throughout ulcer management, not only when having complicated ulcers.