Would you do anything if...

I was given undissolvable stitches (permanent) in my stomach skin. They were supposed to be pulled out no problem, but they snapped right towards the end. The doctor said I have about a half inch still in me...forever...and he said not to worry about it. He said that I probably wouldn't have even noticed if he hadn't told me. Of course, I'm not happy about it...I was wondering if you would be OK with this if it happened to you, or if you would try to do something about it. My aunt, who's a nurse, said the doctor would think I'm nuts if I asked him to remove them, and that this in not uncommon.

i wouldnt worry about it. do they bother you at all? cause any pain? if they dont, i'd forget they were there. you wouldnt have known unless he had told you.
obviously if they are causing you discomfort, they should be removed.

maybe that will go away. I basically want to ask him if there's a possibility I could have them removed in the future and if there would be any potential problems with that, but I don't want to annoy him.

SciFi, you've got nothing to lose by asking your doctor anything. Do so, I'm sure you won't be the first woman asking him such a question, and I would hope/expect that he will be as sensitive and honest as possible with you as he should be! Answering questions is part of a doctor's job whether or not they want or like to. And asking questions is part of your job as a patient in order to ensure your best recovery possible.

	Quote:
Originally Posted by SciFi I was given undissolvable stitches (permanent) in my stomach skin. They were supposed to be pulled out no problem, but they snapped right towards the end. The doctor said I have about a half inch still in me...forever...and he said not to worry about it. He said that I probably wouldn't have even noticed if he hadn't told me. Of course, I'm not happy about it...I was wondering if you would be OK with this if it happened to you, or if you would try to do something about it. My aunt, who's a nurse, said the doctor would think I'm nuts if I asked him to remove them, and that this in not uncommon.

I am sorry this has happened to you, but let me share something that occured in my own family. My son had surgery as an infant. Part of one stitch also was not removed and stayed inside of his body. He had no problems with it at all. It did make its way, on its own, to the surface close to eight or nine years later. We simply pulled it out, let the doctor check him over, and all was well. No problem at all. It never hurt, never caused a sore, nothing.

If you are concerned, you can always seek a second opinion regarding the situation but my guess is you will be just fine.

s

I know it's not a huge deal, but it's still stressing me out!

OK, I just had to share the question I was afraid to ask my doctor....when I was 26, I had my gall bladder removed. I never had surgery before, didn't know what to expect...afterwards, I found out a metal clip was used to clamp down the tube leading to the gall bladder & that it was left in. I guess the surgery is just done this way, common procedure. But it freaked me out knowing that I had this metal in me so I asked my doc if I would set off alarms in the airport He politely told me that it wasn't an issue & he didn't even laugh at me for which I was greatly relieved...so definitely, ask away if it makes you uncomfortable. Your doc is a professional, he'll understand!

He was very nice about it. He assured me it was no big deal. I still kind of want them out though. I'm the type of person that is very easily bothered by things like this. I know I shouldn't be, and I know there are much worse things, but I feel that if something can be fixed, what's the big deal. I mean, I had a HUGE incision--what's a little cut gonna do? It just bugs me that it seems like the skin is pulling a little and I don't like the way it looks. Sort of like a pulled seam on a skirt (not that noticeable, but still). Arghhh. I hate being like this, and I hate that I'm probably gonna ask him to remove it at my next follow-up, but THAT'S JUST HOW I AM! I guess what I'm looking for is other people to tell me that how I'm feeling is normal.