Gall Bladder Post Op Infected Wound Advice Please

[SweetorDry]

Hi,

not posted on here before. Had a keyhole "large gall bladder with stones" Op 3 weeks ago in the UK. The lower (navel) wound is infected, and after half the course of bog standard penicillin type Antibiotic, the site is now weeping pus and looks no better.

I was surprised to find that there is no follow up for this procedure. How do the surgeons know their infection rate if you are merely fobbed off to your GP when a problem arises? I didn`t know it was so common.

Anyone had similar problems with Lower Port infection? How did it go? What treatment were you offered? How long did it take to resolve?

[LAJ123]

Hello there,

From what you have said, apart from the wound infection the procedure seems to have gone well.

However, no infection is a good thing and needs to be sorted. If the antibiotic was prescribed by your GP, you need to go back to the surgery, if you cant get an appointment tomorrow, ask if there are any nurse led appointments available. Your GP should inform the hospital so they can monitor their infection rates.

If you get worse, such as a high temperature and pain, you could get advice from the NHS 111 service. They can advise you on what to do next or in some circumstances, despatch an ambulance or get you a timed appointment at a Accident and Emergency 'Walk in Centre'

In the meantime, make sure that you carry on with the antibiotics, keep the wound clean and dry and make sure you wash your hands afterwards - you don't want to spread the infection to the other wound.

Take care,

Jim

[SweetorDry in reply to LAJ123]

Thank you for your reply , LAj123. Jim.

I have been intermittently freaking out about this for days. I managed to get an appointment with the nurse at GPs just before lunchtime. She washed it briefly and stuck a plastic type dressing on it and said to come back on Friday for another look. No swabs taken which surprised me.

One other annoying symptom is a feeling of pressure from beneath the breastbone right to the groin and my tum is very distended still. I now look about 7 months pregnant, which is not good on a 65 yr old. I mentioned this but got a blank look. I thought the bloating from the surgical inflation would have gone by now but it seems to be getting worse.

I`m going to finish the antibiotic caps, never fear!

Yes, I assume the op went well, and apart from a poor appetite, I have suffered no digestive problems as a result. I was not previously getting Gall Stone symptoms as such, (just random IBS) but they were discovered during an Ultrasound and being so huge, the surgeon insisted on taking everything out. I did see them and they looked like 3 black gob stoppers so probably better out than in!

One good thing, I am feeling so wiped out that I am not losing sleep worrying about sepsis. I fall asleep, like falling down a black pit. Weird.

Cheers, SweetorDry.