Incisions Are Itching

[KayKay20 13]

Anyone else incisions are itching? My incisions are itching real bad is that suppose to happen?

[tumblersmom 60]

Mine did. If they're itching they are healing.

[Wheetsin 714]

It's very normal. I've had 4 lap abdominal surgeries and during 3 of them I itched like mad. It's part of the healing process. There is no proven reason why. Something's going on with histamines and nerve endings and new skin, but AFAIK it's all just speculation.

Let me help you as best as I can.

The three times I suffered itchiness, it was bad. It would wake me up from sleep. If the sheet accidentally thought about maybe slightly touching me, it was like someone lit my skin on fire. So the last time I had this, I got all smart and thought a topical analgesic would help, and busted out my can of Solarcaine. For the love of all that is good on this planet, do not do that.

It's hard not to scratch. I've found "strumming" to be the best alternative. Repeatedly tapping the area. It provides enough sensation to help manage the itch without any worries about scratching anything open.

Take an antihistamine, if you can - Bendaryl, etc.

try sitting in a cool, moist room with the area completely uncovered. We have a whole house humidifier (mostly because we also have wood floors) but it's definitely drier on the top floors - where my bedroom is. When the itching would wake me up I'd go down a to the middle or bottom floor, sit in a recliner, hike my nightgown/robe/whatever up over my stomach and just let it all hang out. It would still itch like mad, but it tended to go away in 5 - 10 mins.

If you must itch, itching in the proximity of the incision usually works. It's just enough sensation to help overload your nerves. I would sometimes use my index & middle fingers (kind of like making a "peace" sign) and scratch about an inch or two out from either side of the incision. Gently.

I was not supposed to put creams or anything directly on the incisions, so no help there.

The itchies suck. I didn't have them with my sleeve, and at the time I thought it was weird... but in hindsight, I was also taking steroids and an H2 blocker for an allergic reaction I had in the hospital, which makes perfect sense.

HTH

[Izuri 428]

I have on and off been itchy around my incisions too. Just means we're healing =)

Mine are in like a circle around my stomach and I find that if I itch in the middle of them sometimes it will soothe the itching.

[KayKay20 13]

OMG, thank you guys. They itch so bad. I was rubbing, then it started to have a burning sensation. I'm only 8 days out. How long will the itching last?

[traceyc 89]

My itchiness only lasted a few days. I did use an anti itch cream one day because it got so bad I thought I would go crazy. That was a huge help!

[MoreganK 164]

You have my sympathies... I had an allergic reaction to the liquid stitch they used and had swollen red areas around my stitiches that felt like a hundred ant bites. I was crying it itched so bad. I called my doc, and he told me to put cortisone cream around the incision but not on it. That helped HUGE!