Incision Infection

[ninamartinelli 5]

Has anyone had an incision that looks like this one month after surgery ? I am worried but the dr saids it's fine.

[Fluffnomore 1,235]

I was sleeved Oct 24 and mine are all closed up. When did the doctor see it?

[ninamartinelli 5]

Today

[Fluffnomore 1,235]

Well, I don't like that it's open but there are no red streaks leading away from it. Oh, and also? I'm not a doctor.

[kmbrcvzs 23]

That does not look normal. I was sleeved on 10/23 and mine were never open and was healed in about a week. You should not have an open hole like that, did he put any packing in the wound? I would be very wary about that wound. Keep an eye on it and call your Dr. immediately if it drains, becomes tender or you run a fever.

[Sassy Pants1 186]

No. Mine never looked like that. They closed up pretty fast. But I guess if the doc isn't concerned.....

[LisaDM 194]

Mine didn't look exactly like that, but I did have one that had trouble closing. While in the hospital I accidentally ripped the glue off with my nail when putting on my binder. It had a large scab, which later pulled off. Eventually it did close fully. It was always a little red right on the edge and would leak small amounts of Fluid. So small I only knew because I would have tiny spots on my shirts. Now, at 6 weeks out it is closed, but larger than my other scars. Hopefully it will close up. Just try not to mess with it at all.

[Ms.AntiBand 2,984]

My drain incision was a small open hole and closed within days.. it sure never looked like that though. Keep a close eye on that..

[tddonnell67 57]

I'm no doctor but I am a nurse and that does not look okay to me. He should have at least prescribed some type of wound care. Wound cleanser, dressing changes, antibiotic ointment, something along those lines. It just looks really dark and deep. Maybe try your primary care physician if the surgeon continues to ignore the issue.

[rls41998 91]

I'm no doctor but I am a nurse and that does not look okay to me. He should have at least prescribed some type of wound care. Wound cleanser, dressing changes, antibiotic ointment, something along those lines. It just looks really dark and deep. Maybe try your primary care physician if the surgeon continues to ignore the issue.

I totally agree. I'm a nurse too and that really needs wound tx. I would go to pcp and see what we could do. All my incisions closed nicely. Even where the drain was closed within a few days of the drain coming out.

[dropdeadweightdiva 150]

I would definitely get a second opinion... I had a tiny opening of an incision post a different surgery and my doctor just had me keep an eye on it and it did close but it was not infected or visibly open like yours is.... she insisted that if it opened more to come in so she could take measures to close it.. you need to have someone else look at it good luck

[Under1star 19]

As a nurse this doesn't look normal to me! You need to see your family physician and I'm surprized your surgeon stated it was normal. I hope this gets resolved soon to avoid any further complications!

[MichiganChic 3,262]

I had a post op infection, and I'm a nurse, too. Mine took about 7 weeks to heal, and I had to have it opened and drained a couple of times. What is your wound care routine, and how often is it being checked by a professional? Does it drain? Do you have a temperature? Your doc could be correct that it's fine, but a second opinion never hurt.

Mine got a little red and uncomfortable at about 5 days postop, so I met the doc in the ER on Christmas eve. He couldn't believe it, but he had to open it up there. It closed in about two weeks, only to open back up and drain again, then I had to have it opened up a third time because my skin wanted to heal even though the inside wasn't. Long story just to say that it happened to me, too, and required a lot of treatment. It was a minor complication, and it didn't impede my progress, and I was fine after it finally healed. I was pretty fatiqued the first couple of months after my surgery, and I attribute it to the infection.

[Roo101769 742]

I think that looks not right, but I am not medically trained. I can tell you one or two of my outer stitches opened on my main incision about 8 days out. It became tender, and started to drain. I decided to put a couple butterfly bandages on it, to draw the edges closer together. ( the rest of the incision was fine) It continued to drain for about a week or so, but the drainage didn't look infected. (nor was the wound red or irritated looking) I started applying anti biotic cream to it about two weeks out. Within a couple days the drainage stopped and I formed a scab. I saw my doctor yesterday for my 1 month follow up and he said it looked good. He said sometimes the incisions will open a little, but my guess is he did not mean anything like yours is. I would certainly get another opinion.

[unbesleevable1 420]

Put some neosporin on it and keep it clean. It doesn't look great, and definitely warrants monitoring... That said, keep an eye on your temperature. If it becomes elevated above 100.4 or so, please have it looked at again.

Are you diabetic, by any chance?