My Incisions Are Worrisom

[Tinette 0]

Hello everyone!I am 12 days post-op and have lost 20!!!!I can't believe it!It's like a dream.I haven't lost 20 lbs in years!!

My incisions are giving me some trouble.Has any one else had problems with gaping incisons.Especially the one under the bra line?Mine is like a round hole now after the the stitches were removed yesterday.I have been flushing it with alchohol and have absorbive bandage on it right now to keep my bra form rubbing it.I also have a bit of a gape on the left upper incision.Is this normal?

I hate going to the doc. but I think I probably should.what do you guys think?

[christin 54]

That would make me a little nervous too. Seems like they would heal better closed. Wonder if they can use some kind of glue instead of stitches? I had the glue on my bellybutton incision and it is healing closed. I would at least ask. Don't want infection.

[Ms skinniness 3,003]

How about the steri strips that pulls it tight. Best thing to do would be to call the surgeon's office.

[Lissa 2,631]

I agree. Call your surgeon. Please don't put more alcohol on it. That just sounds painful! Ouch!! IIRC, alcohol actually prevents healing. I was told to leave my drain incision alone, although they did bandage it after the drain was removed.

[circa 333]

please don't use alcohol. Alcohol burns the edges of the skin and will prevent it from closing. Steri-strips to hold the sides of the wound together should be all you need along with keeping the wound clean with an anti-bacterial soap. Alcohol is actually stopping the closure.

[Lisa821 29]

I agree, stop the alcohol, use a bandaid or steristrip to pull the edges together and call your surgeon today. An opening in the skin is a potiential entry point for infection to get in. I'm wondering if there is any drainage from the opening? If so, what color? Clear? White? Green? Yellow? Pinkish?

[LoserMama 37]

Yep, stop alcohol. I'm a little ahead of you and had this happen on two of them . When I called, they told me to get wound closure strips (like steri strips but available at walgerens with adhesive already on them). A tip: if you jsut put them on flat, the wound will stay open. I found it worked best to put the tape above/on top of the incision first, pull gently down as I adhered it down across the incision, so that it brough the two sides together. I used 2 on the small one and 3 on teh large one. The one that was more open is still a little bit larger scar, but the one that was a small gape looks just like al lthe rest now, a nice tight line.

[Catracks 865]

Mine were glued. The big one by my navel broke open a bled quite well, but it was only sub-cutaneous blood. I used butterfly bandages. They are great for holding wounds closed.

[Bcole 6]

I don't think the alcohol is a good idea. My largest incision next to my navel had a gap and it started leaking a small amount of Fluid. My surgeon told me to keep it clean and put a bandaid on it. It closed up in about 2 or 3 days. The bandaid seemed to help it heal much faster. Maybe because it could breathe more?

[LacieMC 136]

I went through the same thing. My baby sister who is a trauma nurse in the Navy came home and she fixed me all up. As the other posters said, have a friend run down to the drug store and buy some Hibicleanse and steri strips. Pull that bad boy closed and do not put a bandage over it. My little sister said the wound needs air to develop a scab. Mine are developing scabs now and no longer oozing. Keep us posted on how you are doing.

[Tinette 0]

Ok I went to the Dr. He wasn't the one who did the surgery because he's in Mexico.He told me they were infected and put me on anitiotics and sulpha cream.He also told me to keep them covered so I'm doing it.They scare the crap out of me because all I can think of is staff infection and flesh eating bacteria.I'm going to do as he says and keep yall posted.My stomach is too big and pulls on the the butterfly bandages and they don't keep them closed.He didn't say to use them.I don't care if they scar I just want them helaed.I'll keep posting.thanks everyone.

[speltzmeister 0]

My incision above my belly button came open during the third week. I went to the surgeon who cleaned it out and bandaged it. He said it was not infected. Four days later I was at my primary care physician's office and she looked at the incision and told me it was very infected. Today is my 9th day on antibiotics and it has closed up but is still draining a little bit. I think my incision came open because I wore a pair of jeans and the button rubbed the incision. I have been using waterproof bandaids but was told at my last support meeting to get some moleskin and cut a hole in it the size of the incision so the incision can get air but the moleskin is thick enough that nothing will rub on the incision.

[Mr_Worm 129]

Yea you should go back into the doc. There is a protective glue thats suppose to be over the wounds. The glue on me lasted two weeks before it started pealing and then when I took them off last night my sites were FULLY healed. Don't be afraid on this, its a small thing but you don't want to get an infection from non action...