Prickles - stitch irritating bellybutton after lap?

Hi, I've had a strange experience with my last stitches healing after a lap. TMI story here...

All of the stitches were removed when it was time, except for the one in my belly button. It became red and irritated, so I went to see a nurse. She gave me a honey dressing to try. Then, a couple of days later, it also became weepy with yellow fluid, so I went to see the out of hours Dr and was given antibiotics (reluctantly, after I mentioned that it looked infected to me). After a few days, it had also become soft, white- yellow, gooshy, and the stitch knot was sinking into my skin, making a little hole, and hurting (by week 3 after lap). Neither the nurse nor the Dr wanted to remove the irritating stitch because it was in my belly button. Hmm. I know what a red, yellow-weepy, angry tiny little patch of skin means - that's a wee spot of an infection with the irritation of a knot half in and half out of the body. I don't think the Dr or the nurse could see it properly at the end of the miniature deep, dark cavern of my bellybutton.

So, I took out the stitch, and I feel so much better! (Yes, I did it with disinfected, clean tools - I have an amazing hobby lamp to help me see too). I feel strange that the nurse and Dr were cautious about removing a stitch, imagining it would dissolve automatically, when it was making a micro-mess and hurting like a little spike. I guess the mucky area wasn't large enough for them to be concerned about... but I'd say that an immediate 75% reduction in discomfort and an immediate start to the little spot healing was worth a lot to me! Hopefully the sky will not fall on me now that I've tidied it up myself.

Has this happened to anyone else?

[Dogmad6]

Based on sad experience of several operations, both doctors and nurses can be very incompetent. I've had no end of trouble with stitches there being stuck and difficult to remove. I can't help but think you've done the right thing, especially given the care you took so well done. XX