Some Random Incision Questions

[Paola 62]

I have been curious since I woke up from surgery, why is there a small incision all the way at the top of my abdomen? like 2 inches below the middle of my breasts. Another thing, does anyone else feels like a pincushion? I have 6 incisions, without counting the drain. The good thing about them is that the biggest one is an inch long, all the other ones are much smaller.

[Lissa 2,631]

I have exactly the same number and placement of incisions that you do, Paola. I watched a video from my doctor about the surgery and it shows several instruments inserted into someone's abdomen. I'm sure each one required a small incision, but that one under the breasts itched like crazy for me!

Mine are all basically healed and just about invisible now. The drain port incision on my lower left side and the one under my boobs are the only two I can still find. Both of those are tiny and just a bit pink still.

[alexeleni 15]

I am not sure, but I think this varies a lot from surgeon to surgeon. I have five incisions, and they are really small, and none is that high. I think they all do it differently.

[CAsleeve 56]

I've got 5 lovely (not) incisions. Being on my 8th day after surgery I still have the clear steri-strip bandages, glue and the one where the gastric port (drain) was is still covered with gauze and with what I swear is an Iron clad clear plastic bandage of some sort. I've showered several times, but most aren't budging. The ones covered with the clear glue seem to be lifting at the edges so I think they will give up pretty soon and leave the mothership. The one that is high up near my left breast but closer to my midline or bottom of the sternum seems to be the smallest. From what I can see, they all look like they are healing well. I suspect it will take several months to completely heal and disappear. Once these crazy NASA strength bandages come off, I will be putting some Vitamin E oil on them.

The weirdest part was watching them pull the GP out, and feeling it pull out. It didn't hurt, but I was super surprised at darn long it was and far in there it was. I love all that medical instrumentation/device stuff.

Oh, also before my surgery, Stanford sent me home with a special soap sponge (hermetically sealed) to shower and wash with, from the neck down, but not genitalia, the day prior and the morning of surgery. Stanford has a campaign to reduce infections for surgical patients. I thought it was pretty cool and a great pro-active stance.

Here's to healing scars!

[hadouni 301]

I have five and the same one between and just below the boobs! I didn't have a drain. I think three are the camera holes and the two larger ones are the working holes. I remember the nurse telling me that the one the stomach comes out generally has the most pain and bruising. If that's the case, the one just to my left from my bellybutton is the "exit wound". I'm over two weeks out and that spot is still bruised!

[Paola 62]

The weirdest part was watching them pull the GP out, and feeling it pull out. It didn't hurt, but I was super surprised at darn long it was and far in there it was. I love all that medical instrumentation/device stuff.

My drain was almost all out before they told me anything, I just felt a slight suction kinda feeling. It was kinda funny because by the time the nurse said its not gonna hurt it was almost out already.

[circa 333]

I've got 5 lovely (not) incisions. Being on my 8th day after surgery I still have the clear steri-strip bandages, glue and the one where the gastric port (drain) was is still covered with gauze and with what I swear is an Iron clad clear plastic bandage of some sort. I've showered several times, but most aren't budging. The ones covered with the clear glue seem to be lifting at the edges so I think they will give up pretty soon and leave the mothership. The one that is high up near my left breast but closer to my midline or bottom of the sternum seems to be the smallest. From what I can see, they all look like they are healing well. I suspect it will take several months to completely heal and disappear. Once these crazy NASA strength bandages come off, I will be putting some Vitamin E oil on them.

The weirdest part was watching them pull the GP out, and feeling it pull out. It didn't hurt, but I was super surprised at darn long it was and far in there it was. I love all that medical instrumentation/device stuff.

Oh, also before my surgery, Stanford sent me home with a special soap sponge (hermetically sealed) to shower and wash with, from the neck down, but not genitalia, the day prior and the morning of surgery. Stanford has a campaign to reduce infections for surgical patients. I thought it was pretty cool and a great pro-active stance.

Here's to healing scars!

The tegaderm bandages are a godsend if you want to shower, but horrible to remove. Its not painful to remove them, but because its attached to the skin completely, it can tug at nerve endings and cause some nausea. Best idea is to take it off in the shower, sitting if at all possible when you're allowed to

[BigToeVSG 12]

I have five incisions with the smallest being 3/4 of an inch to an 1 1/4 inches in length, none of which are above my sternum (breast bone).

Mine itched like crazy too and on top of that, as a guy, I have hair on my chest and stomach and they shaved most of my stomach area. Now I am not "furry" so you can't really tell where they shaved and where they didn't but the hair growing back in was more irritating than the incisions. I was walking around for several weeks scratching my belly like a big bear roaming through the woods. It was very entertaining in my household.

[Paola 62]

I have five and the same one between and just below the boobs! I didn't have a drain. I think three are the camera holes and the two larger ones are the working holes. I remember the nurse telling me that the one the stomach comes out generally has the most pain and bruising. If that's the case, the one just to my left from my bellybutton is the "exit wound". I'm over two weeks out and that spot is still bruised!

I bruise easily, so I have bruises around all my incisions. The biggest bruise is all around my belly button, I have an incision in my belly button and right next to it.

[AJAgwu 5]

I have the same incision right below my rib cage. My surgeon said that's the one where he inserts an instrument to hold the liver out of the way. To my surprise I woke up to just two incisions. He decided to do everything else through the one larger incision above my belly button. I was pleased that he is now comfortable with this technique.

[doggz109 41]

The smallest one near the top........middle of your abdomen...between the breasts right? Is it the smallest one? If so....that is most likely where they put the retractor in. It's only job is to hold the liver back so they don't need a huge hole there.