Open incison (Packing) How 2 deal w/pain??

I am looking for advice from others who have had there incison open up and have to be packed & cleaned.

How have you dealt with the pain?

My pain is so bad when being cleaned that it's to the point I don't want anyone to touch me. When they touch the right side of the inciosn to clean it puts me through the roof. It feels like someone poured gas on me & lite me on fire. I get so tense my body temp drops I turn cold, turn white & the home health nurse is afraid I am going to faint. Everytime I move and the peroxide get's into my incison from the gause soaked in peroxide the feeling returns & it is like this for up to 6 hrs after being cleaned.

For pain the GYN told me to take one vicodine every 6 hrs, home health RN said to take it every 4 hrs. But the pain is still intence. I asked today before she cleaned it if she could just knock me out by hitting me over the head with a frying pan then clean it. She smiled & said sorry it hurts so bad.

I asked her if this sort of pain was normal & she said it's normal, but normally not as intense as mine... ANd assured me I have not infection. I normally have a strong pain tolerance dealt with kidney stones so many times with out pain meds, and had an ovary swell to the size of a football w/fluid in my lungs over stimulated from fertility drugs, the doctor did not belive I was still walking when I came in. So I know I am one tough cookie.

WHen I walk or try to move around after the cleaning for about 4-6 hours it hurts bad & then it's time to do it all over again. It's to the point DH yells at me if I get off the sofa, but I can't stay on the sofa for ever, he is just afraid that I might faint or something because of the pain. My incison is so sensitive it even hurts to touch the gause, just the pressure of touch, I tried to lay in bed with DH this afternoon and every little move he made I felt. I would be okay if I could just stay absulutly still the pain would only be at a 1-2. Any movement, such as trying to adjust my self on the sofa turns into pain of 5-8, depending on my last pain pill & when I was last cleaned.

Any suggestions on how to get through this is greatly appreciated.

Kim

Kim,
I truely feel for you and I'm sorry I can't give you any advice, but your post had slipped to the next page so I'm ing you back to the top in the hopes that someone will respond to your plee for advice.

s

Kim, I dunno what to say except I think you americans are so wierd - hydrogen peroxide in a wound OWWWWWWWWWWWWIE - we use that stuff for bleaching hair and it always says not to get on broken skin.......

Saline is amazing stuff and suitable for every wound and doesn't sting at all.

I am surprised by how bad the pain sounds, I'm in the same boat with the incision (mine fully open) and everyone kept asking me had I had a painkiller before doing dressings and I was like "err no why, are you going to hurt me?"

If I had your pain I would definately be in touch with the on call doctor, it could be something dead simple like a nerve that could be treated or it could be something more serious.

Also what is the wound being packed with - you really need it packing with something that will not disturb the wound bed when removed but that will encourage new growth.

Hi sisters
How does your incision open???????????
Hope you dont think its a silly question..............

There are a few reasons angel, (mine did but I did not suffer the pain that Sweety Tweety is)
I was told it can be if the stitches, staples are removed too quickly, we move in an innapropriate fashion (twist, stretch or pull) infection can make them reopen or Seroma (fluid build up behind wound) can make it open to release the fluid. Sometime the tissue just doesn't knit back together properly, and has to be restitched.

Most people don't sufffer this complication. I was 7 days P/O got an infection on one side then a Seroma on the other (both about 2 inchs long to start with)

Sometimes (as in my case) its just a small area, but with S/T and K/B both had/have most of the wound reopen

Thanx Tanis,

I have a large lump on the right side of my incision. I am really taking it easy today as its very sore. Is this a Seroma?

Sweety Tweety I send you a hug and I hope things will be better for you soon. x

Oh You Poor SweetyTweety,
I am sending you lots of 's and

I did a search on open incisions and pain and here are several articles. Some might apply to your situation and some might not. But I thought you also could see what others have done. Of course, always check with your doctor before doing anything other than what they have already told you. I noticed that some were given extra pain meds to take before the dressing changes, and one person recommended drinking lots of water to help with the pain meds and with the healing.

Here is the link to the articles:

http://www.hystersisters.com/vb2/sea...der=descending


Please hang in there, and know that your Hystersisters are here thinking of you.

Angel,

mine opened because there was fluid behind the wound and because the skin did not knit together fully even though my staples came out in 2 sessions.
I had every other one out then after the weekend I had the rest out and popped open.

sweety tweety....i am so sorry you are having a difficult time right now.......sending you hugs....

my incision opened up to....while i was in the hospital.....rite after the staples were removed....about 1/3 of the middle of my incision opened up.....i did have a seroma also....i drained lots of straw colored fluid for days.....and i had to irrigate and dress my wound 3 x a day for about 2 weeks till it closed. i used 1/2 peroxide/ 1/2 normal saline.....and i didnt experience any burning
or discomfort while doing so....and it did close up totally to a scab in about 2 weeks.

i wish you the best...i would call my gyn again...and see if there is something he can do to help you with the pain you are experiencing.