Background: Hard to heal leg ulcers are a result of several underlying diseases and causes affected by poor circulation. Healing time can take months up to years. In some cases, the leg ulcer never heals which makes the leg ulcer a part of the patient’s everyday life. With a worldwide growing population and increased age, the prevalence of hard to heal leg ulcers is expected to increase considerably. Previous research shows lack of knowledge regarding patients’ experience of living with hard to heal leg ulcers, many research studies mainly focus on the symptoms and treatments.

Aim: The aim of this study was to explore the patients’ experiences of living with hard to heal leg ulcers.

Method: This study was conducted as a literature study based on analysis of qualitative research. In total, 10 studies focused on patients’ experiences were analyzed and processed.

Results: The study resulted in 2 themes and 6 subthemes. The first theme “A sense of constant reminder” includes three sub-themes “To experience exhaustion in one’s pain”, “A feeling of being limited” and “To experience a changed body”. The second theme “A feeling of exclusion” includes the three sub-themes “To experience captivity”, “Experiencing powerlessness” and “Experiencing loss in quality of life”.

Conclusion: Life with a hard to heal leg ulcer is very complex and affects many aspects of the patients’ lives that contribute to an increased need for care.