Professional company director Tony McDonald is a keen, lifelong surfer who likes to destress out on the waves. When a surfing accident left a 'fin chop' cut on his ankle, Tony washed and covered the wound with the help of the 'clubbies' at the Crescent Head Surf Club, who recommended Tony seek professional help because of the cut's depth and proximity to bone. Staff at the local hospital re-cleaned and stitched the wound and prescribed antibiotics. A week later, Tony's wound had become infected, with cellulitis moving rapidly up his leg. A different course of antibiotics was prescribed but still didn't hit the mark. 

Surgery was looking likely. An x-ray revealed the infection was dangerously close to the bone and a swab identified a highly unusual marine bug as its cause. This helped Tony's medical team prescribe the correct antibiotics and halt its further spread – but, by this point, the wound had deteriorated significantly, now covering his ankle and heel. 

The expert team at South Kempsey Medical Centre identified the need for specialised wound management to minimise further infection and begin the healing process, referring Tony to Port Macquarie Wound Clinic. Managing director and wound clinician Melissa Freeman got to work, cleaning and debriding the worsening wound and implementing a new dressing regime. 

In their weekly appointments, Melissa witnessed Tony struggling with the mental impact of his wound, and made time in each session to encourage him to talk about the challenges he was facing. Because of the severity of the wound, surfing was well and truly off the agenda, as were aerobic programs. As a fit, active and high-functioning professional, Tony found it hard to manage the forced inactivity necessary to protect the ankle and optimise the healing process. 

"Mel was great in managing my expectations and innate impatience, clearly explaining the process and the longer term benefits of really getting on top of the wound now and managing the risk of re-infection," Tony said. "It was done with great humour and knowledge of which 'hot buttons' to press in order to get me in the right space and frame of mind to manage the long process." 

It took around 12 weeks of careful and expert wound management but Tony's ankle is now completely healed – a stunning turnaround from almost facing surgery. 

"We know that good wound care takes time and sometimes patients get discouraged when it feels like their progress is slow," Melissa said. "But it is so rewarding to be able to turn a wound like this around and completely heal it. That's why we're in this job." 

And it's proof that even apparently simple injuries can have serious consequences for emotional wellbeing. 

"Tony's wound is a great example of the impact of wounds can have on mental health," Melissa said. "In our practice, we always make time during appointments to check in with our patients on how they're feeling, and I could see that not being able to destress through surfing was really taking its toll on Tony's mood. "Giving people space and time to talk about the mental challenges is so important." 

Tony has made a complete recovery and is once again able to enjoy the activities he loves so much. 

"I was surprised at how much attention a seemingly simple cut required but now fully appreciate how finely tuned these wounds are and how quickly they can run into trouble just through sheer bad luck," Tony said. "It takes time and the help of someone who really knows their stuff – both the physical aspect and the pastoral care around the mental side of it. 

"I'm back in the water and grateful that I had someone to expertly manage me through the time it takes to get it right." 

Tony McDonald is 65 years old and lives in Crescent Head, NSW. He is available for interview.