A wound healing center in Edinburg is using hyperbaric oxygen chambers to help patients with diabetes heal stubborn wounds.

Thomas Storms says the wounds on his calf are almost completely healed after 60 treatments in the chamber at South Texas Health System. Patients breathe in 100% oxygen for two hours to help heal faster.

The pressure inside the chamber is equal to being about 33 feet below sea level. Doctors say that helps diffuse oxygen in the body.

Storms learned he had type 2 diabetes about two years ago. He was diagnosed after he discovered wounds on his calves that weren't getting better.

"I could not get it to heal. I went to the family doctor, and they kept giving me different pills," Storms said.

He does not know how he got the wounds. Doctors suspect he might have had a spider bite, but there is no way to find out for sure.

Dr. Jose Ricardo Sobrevilla is a wound care specialist at the South Texas Health System Wound Healing Center. He says it's important for people diagnosed with diabetes to get their feet checked at least once a year.

"Just because you don't feel something doesn't mean that there's nothing wrong with your feet, that your feet are healthy, so get yourself checked," Sobrevilla said.

He says many patients don't realize they have a wound because of issues with circulation.

"The patients who do not have enough sensation tend to get a wound, and they don't know it's there. When they find out it's there, it might be too late," Sobrevilla said.

Sobrevilla says the wounds are usually found in a person's foot or legs.

“Every time they get in the shower, they should see if there are any abnormalities in the skin, any irritation or breakage in their skin, or a large callus that needs to be checked," Sobrevilla said.

At the wound clinic, Sobrevilla says they help patients with weekly debridement, check the sizes of wounds every week, and do hyperbaric oxygen treatment.

He's encouraging those with diabetes to get help if they notice a sore or open wound before it leads to a worst-case scenario.

"Once the wound is severely infected, once there are areas of necrosis or death, then amputations are an option," Sobrevilla said. "We are in the limb salvage business. We are here to save limbs."

Additional details on the wound healing center are available online.

Watch the video above for the full story.

This April, CHANNEL 5 NEWS will educate viewers about diabetes prevention and treatment. KRGV will provide a 360-degree look into the diabetes epidemic in the RGV.

H-E-B and South Texas Health System are offering free diabetes screenings in the month of April. Check out the calendar at this link for times and dates when the screenings will be available.

Heart of the Valley: Diabetes is sponsored by Prime Health and South Texas Health System.