Grrrr....infection!

I'll admit, I was stupid. I wore jeans three times last week - only for a few hours at a time, but they rubbed at my incision site. Because I have swelly belly, and that flabby skin that overhangs, I have been meticulous about making sure my incision site was clean and dry at all times.

It has been about 10 degrees warmer in my neck of the woods, too, and even at 26 degrees, I have broken a sweat a few times overdoing things. Last night I noticed my incision site was a little sticky and had that slight yeasty smell. I cleaned it, dried it, and still woke up with an angry incision. It's mostly where the staples were, but it is stinging and I feel like a dolt because this was something my doctor's RN warned could happen. I'm putting some triple antibiotic ointment on it, but if it doesn't start to clear by tomorrow, I'll call the doctor and get an RX for a bacterial antibiotic.

Am I doing the right thing?

lrb467

I'm sorry you're experiencing this.

I think that contacting your doctor is the right thing to do and hope you'll make the call today. Will you let us know what happens?

I hope it improves very soon!

Well, I am sufficiently calm enough to post now.

Woke up this morning, made my coffee, stumbled around a little bit. I'd been up at 5am to take a Motrin because I had a little bit of throbbing pain, which has not happened since the end of week 2 - the having to take meds twice in a night, that is.

I have kept the area very dry after massaging in the neosporin, and at bedtime put a gauze bandage given to me by the doc's office when I had the staples out on it because I'm one of those people who just puts out loads of heat at night, and I was afraid I would sweat.

When I took the bandage of this morning, there was a spot with yellowish-brownish stuff on it. I looked at my incision and there seems to be a tiny (maybe a mm or two) spot that has opened.

I freaked out....had a panic attack.....this is NOT characteristic of me. Not at all. I called my daughter, who was downstairs at my mother's adjoining apartment, and she ran up to look. Then she calmed me down enough to call the doctor's office. The nurse calmed me down some more because I had a mini-freak out when I tried to explain what was going on, and she asked me to come in as soon as my husband can get here to take me. He's on the road with his job and normal makes it home at 1PM for lunch. I got a hold of him and he's coming to take me.

I'm going to talk to the doctor about my hormones while I'm there. The crying jags, the panic attacks, the paranoia......I've always been a worrier, but not to this degree. Even I recognize that it's gotten out of control. I'm HAPPY I had the surgery....really! I don't mourn the loss of my uterus, or feel sad about the way things turned out. I truly am in a better place. But I can't seem to get a handle on this right now, and I think I need help.

I'll check back in after the doctor. I'm very uncomfortable around the incision site so I am crossing my fingers that he doesn't yell at me and tell me I've overdone it.

Okay, back from my doctor's office and very reassured.

He was very thorough in checking the incision and said I have no abcesses or anything, that the incision is healing beautifully. He said that superficial opening on the very top layer of the skin is actually not that uncommon, and that even if my tiny opening gets as big as an inch, as long as I keep it dry and cover with gauze, it should be fine. He said it is normal to experience a bit of weeping, and that I was right to come in when I saw the yellowish pus with blood.

I go back in two weeks. I feel much better now. He is such a wonderful man.

Lori, I'm so glad your doc was able to reassure you and let you know you're "on track."

((((Hugs))))

Me too. I really freaked out over this.