Newb questions - answers appreciated.

[RAS_STI 1]

4 days post opp.

My incision points are itchy. mainly the port incision. is that normal?

when does the tape fall off? when is too soon to pull them off?

i get hiccups every now and then - about once every hour or two. is that bad for my pouch?

doctor ok'd me to eat cottage cheese today (4 days sooner than he orig said) - would egg whites be ok to eat too?

[plain 12]

RAS, your incisional areas are itchy because they're healing. Yee-Haw! The tape is kind of trickier. I tend to dislike covering any wounds for very long. At the same time, you don't want to remove them too soon...pulling the tape when the wound is too fresh could "gape" it a little, resulting in a bigger scar.

Hiccups...sometimes I get them when I eat or drink to fast. Sometimes they're just hiccups.

As for the egg whites, I'm kind of a stickler for following doctors orders. Unless you can cook them as soft as the CC, I'd hold off (but that's just me. Different docs allow different stuff at different times)

[Amanda Pierce 0]

I had my surgery on March 5th and mine still itch. :thumbup:

[connie marie 0]

Had my surgery on 3/31--I was itchy too.........When I went to Doc for post op check he took off the tape.........I was waiting for them to fall off on their own. Itching is healing...........mine have all faded now exept for the port incision........thats still a little red. I did experience some hiccups when I drank too fat...............................but other than that I have done well. Good Luck to you remember it all takes time..............

[Numbrgirl 0]

Itching just started yesterday and man it is hard to control the urge to scrape them with a spatula!!! Glad to be reassured the itching means healing!!!

[CirrusPilot 0]

I am now 7 days post surgery, and the steri strips have been itching like heck. I finally pulled them off this morning because I noticed that I had what looked like poisen ivy under and around the strips. It felt great to take them off and the incisions themselves look fine. I dabbed a bit of hydorcortisone cream on the red areas and that feels even better.

I notice that I still have residual adhesive where the strips and the bandages were. Anyone have a fool proof (and safe) way to get this stuff off? I don't think it agrees with my skin at all.

[jegtlf 0]

I was banded 3-24-08 and mine still itch like heck! The healing process takes so long! I find myself scratching like crazy and I am not even realizing it! Aveeno has a great anti-itch ointment that i use that works great.

Good Luck!

Tracy

[neverB4 2]

Steri-strips should fall off on own, if not, you should be safe to remove 5-7 days post-op. For adhesive gunk, you can use an alcohol pad to wipe it off. This will control how close you get to actual incision to keep from burning. My post-op nurse gave my DH a handful for me to sniff inc ase I got nauseated. This was news to me, but hey, being an RN myself, I can find many other uses for them!! KUDOS TO US ALL!!!!!