day 8 swelly belly very bad

I'm new to this site but, I was wondering if any of you have had hard spots along your abdominal incision line. The one side of my incision is very hard and of course the whole thing is very swollen. I went to the doctor yesterday and had the staples removed. He thought the incision looked fine but I'm still running a low grade fever and the incision is red, warm and hard in spots. Any thoughts?
The whole thing has been crazy. I was planning a hysterectomy for March 14 and then early last Friday morning I started bleeding uncontrollably. I was rushed to the ER and given 2 units of blood, and then told that the hysterectomy had to happen now. I was rushed to surgery that evening and when I came out I was given 2 more units of blood. I was sent home on Sunday and then started with these low grade temps late Wednesday night . My doctor thinks I just picked up a cold. Am I worrying for nothing?

I don't think that I have a fever, but my little lapro incisions all feel sort of hard and lumpy. They are itchy too, but I am guessing/hoping that is just part of the healing process. I don't know what color they are cause they are still covered with tape.

Was your incision hard and red when the Dr looked at it? And he said it was OK?

Hello Tracey 86,

I can understand your concerns, especially with everything you have been through. Since you saw your doctor yesterday, and he said it's a cold, it most likely is. Now, about your belly. Swelling is very normal and with swelling, it is going to feel a bit hard because scar tissue is forming. If it's like marbles under the skin in places, could be a hematoma (pooling of fluid), call your doctor about that. The thing to really look for with your incision is discharge and if the sides get puffy and pull away (inflammation). Anything white, gray, green, pus-like, call the doctor right away. Normal discharge is orangish (serous fluid).

Incisions can become puckered and rope-like feeling. That does fade in time. Some will say apply heat to your belly, I liked ice packs.

I hope you feel better soon,

bitterpill

	Quote:
Originally Posted by IllTakeTheRain I don't think that I have a fever, but my little lapro incisions all feel sort of hard and lumpy. They are itchy too, but I am guessing/hoping that is just part of the healing process. I don't know what color they are cause they are still covered with tape. Was your incision hard and red when the Dr looked at it? And he said it was OK?

Yep, itching is good! Scratching is not. Ice packs worked for that too, at least for me they did.

bitterpill

Thank you for your reply. Well early this morning the incision opened up and drained out alot of liquid and some clots. I went to the ER this AM after I called my doctor. They gave me some IV antibiotics and sent me back home on oral ones. I now have to see my doctor tomorrow.

Wanted to reply to the swelly belly part of your question. My doctor is making me wear an "abdominal binder" for the first 6 weeks post-op. (I get to begin weaning myself off of it this week.) He said it would help with the swelling and the scarring by training my muscles to stay in and by evening the pressure around the incision. The binder seems similar to the swelly belly band that they sell on this site, but mine goes higher and (I think) lower. It goes from right under my bra to my pelvic area. It has really been a blessing, though. It has minimized the pain, and I have not had much swelling at all. I know that my insurance covered it. Maybe you could ask your doctor about the benefits of you getting one? If he prescribes it, I think your insurance would likely cover it, too. This should at least help with the swelling problem!

I am so sorry for all you have had to go through! I hope that now you can start healing and feeling better!