Wound has opened and caused an infection :( - My Ovacome

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Wound has opened and caused an infection :(

Belle profile image
27 Replies

I sent my Sunday afternoon in my emergency gyne.. Where they glued my up after my operation has come open in 2 places.. I've been given antibiotics and when I was at the hospital they covered it up but when ever I have a shower I have to remove it and every time I do it reopened? I don't know what to do for the best do I leave it off for a few hours and see if it drys up?

Was hoping it was all over and done with now :(

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Belle profile image
Belle
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27 Replies
Anne-2 profile image
Anne-2

Hi

Why don't you ring your surgery and see if you can get an appointment with a nurse who is a wounds specialist asap. I was 'glued' after my op and it healed well apart from one small piece at the very end. They did manage to sort me out at my gps though.

Worth a try, isn't it?

Love

Anne

Belle profile image
Belle in reply toAnne-2

I'm in with my gp this afternoon anyway so ill get them to have a look.x

When I had my operation I was advised not to bath, but just have showers and not to apply soap or shower gel but let the water trickle over it, but I had stitches, (not clamps or glue) best wishes love x G x

charlie12 profile image
charlie12

Hi Belle

I am so sorry that you are still suffering. If it opens up when you have a shower I would leave the dressing on for long enough for it to heal.

When I had both my ops i was sent home with a mepore post op dressing over the incision. This is waterproof and you can shower with it. If you don't succeed in getting to see anybody today then perhaps you could try buying some of these or similar dressings from a pharmacy.

Love C xxx

Belle profile image
Belle in reply tocharlie12

All I was given was some little cotton like pads and some tape. And was told to take it of and replace with a new one (they gave me a few) but it just seen that every time I take it off it just pulls at it and opens it again.x

ChrisH profile image
ChrisH

When I had my op I was stapled together and was told I could carefully shower, just swishing the water over it gently. When the staples were removed, 10 days later they were done on the gynie ward in case the wound hadn't quite closed up. Until then it had been weeping slightly, but once the staples were removed it healed up very quickly. I was given some cotton pads to protect my clothes from the weeping, and stop them from rubbing on the wound, but that was all.

Chris

Belle profile image
Belle in reply toChrisH

I was glued starting to wish it was stitched or stapled... I've not covered it up since this morning and its starting to dry up and is not weeping it's still open but hopefully if I let the air get to it it may help it.x I'm at the go this afternoon I'm going to get them to check it

Oh, dear. Please persevere. Luckily this didn't happen to me but I know that a couple of members have had quite nasty wound infections after surgery, both healed well after treatment. Hopefully one of them will chime in soon. My thoughts are with you - hope this afternoon goes well. Cxxx

Belle profile image
Belle in reply to

Thank you.x it's very painfull but itchy at the same time lol.x

lisa4992 profile image
lisa4992

I had the same experience as you. I had stitches but because of an infection inside the wound they started to open so that the fluid that was building up inside could escape.. it was quite scary at the time, springing a leak from your tummy is not so great I imagined everything inside would fall out... but of course it didn't and couldn't. I had a few days in hospital to sort out the infection with an I.V of anti-biotics and then when I cam home I was given more anti-biotics and some really good stick on dressings to apply by the nurse at my GP's (who also kept an eye on it)... I was told to keep it covered all the time because of infection. It took a long time to heal and although two years on the scar has faded well, the place that re-opened is still red. I was told to watch the area around the scar, if it was hot, red and itchy then an infection might be the cause and to go back to my Dr for some antibiotics. I think I might have caused my problems by doing too much when I came out of hospital... people told me to do NOTHING not even fill a kettle, but I didn't listen and I think paid the price. Hope things settle down soon. Lisa

Belle profile image
Belle in reply tolisa4992

Yep I can safly say I also think I've gone to much.. And I'm feeling it now, I'm not going to cover it just so I can show my gp I'm there at 3.20 and I'm going to ask for a better dressing.x thank you,xx

Lily-Anne profile image
Lily-Anne

I had wound trouble, post glue, I rang my specialist nurse who advised me and said the consultant would make time to see me if needed. I had an infection in my abdomen, and I had a pocket of fluid which turned into a huge boil, when it burst there was loads of fluid. The stitch over it at the base had to be cut and took the longest time to heal, it is still the tenderest part despite my operation being last October.

I agree that more rest, and no baths were the answer, along with a double course of antibiotics.

LA xx

Belle profile image
Belle in reply toLily-Anne

I'm on antibiotic 7 days instead of 5 and been to the doctor and have a bigger better dressing on it to they say it looks like it clearing up ok but for me to keep it covered up due to the infection.xx

Zannah profile image
Zannah

Hi Belle,

When my staples were taken out I 'unzipped' from top to bottom in a matter of hours and ended up with MRSA in my wound! I was told to shower with the covering off each day to start with, to let the water run through the wound. That went on for about 4 weeks, some of which time I was on IV antibiotics. Then I had to keep the wound covered for two to three days at a time with waterproof dressings (long ones to cover the length of the wound), during which time I was able to still shower each day. It took about seven weeks before it was fully knitted together. The district nurse team was brilliant as they came out daily once I was allowed out of hospital. They were the ones who advised me to leave the waterproof dressings on for the wound to be able to heal more easily. They said that if they kept being taken off each day it would take longer to knit together.

Hope your wound heals soon.

Love

Zannah x

Smith123 profile image
Smith123

Hi belle I'm actually a nurse myself and deal with abdominal wounds daily. My advice would be not to let water near the wound at all and keep it clean and dry at all times. If you find the wound is oozing through the dressing then the dressing needs changed by a nurse daily it may also need a special packing underneath the dressing to absorb the ooze and help heal the wound. This can be done at your local treatment room but if you have been having treatment then district nursing should call to house as you dnt want to be sitting in a gp surgery with lots of people with bugs. Hope this helps a bit.

Cathy x

Belle profile image
Belle in reply toSmith123

Hey I was at my gp today and my nurse dressed it then was prescribed more dressing the absorb for me to change myself after showering?

Smith123 profile image
Smith123 in reply toBelle

If the wound is opened and infected I def Wudnt recommend getting it wet. Is there much ooze from it? How much is the wound opened ?

Belle profile image
Belle in reply toSmith123

Morning I have to bits that are open.. It's oozes when I'm up walking or sat up straight.. I'm back at in with the nurse on Friday too as there gona keep an eye on it.x

dawnieg profile image
dawnieg

Hi belle, I had the same problem just beneath my belly button which burst about 10 days after my op soaking the bed! This cleared up fairly quickly with antibiotics and a silver dressing. Then my belly button got infected about 6 weeks after surgery and took 3 courses of antibiotics and numerous visits to the lovely nurses at my local surgery for dressings. In the end I started bathing it with tea tree oil and leaving it uncovered as much as possible and lying on my back in bed. It eventually cleared up last month. I think the fact I gained weight before and after surgery was responsible as the air could not get to it. Hope this clears up for you soon Belle. X ps forgot to say I dont do resting. x

Belle profile image
Belle in reply todawnieg

I was at my gp today and seen the nurse she has dressed it for me the doctor prescribed me more dressing for me to change myself as they are not waterproof so will need changing every day.xx

lisa4992 profile image
lisa4992

I had the silver dressings too... very effective. And as Cathy advises, resist taking the dressings off. Hope you heal soon x

TinaWright profile image
TinaWright

This seems to be such a common problem, I was glued then had this liquid skin type of dressing. All was great until the liquid skin wore off, then my wound started to weep real badly. The pinkish fluid ran away from this tiny hole below my belly button. It scared the life out of me. The district nurses came twice a day to dress the wound, but I was allergic to most of the dressings. I tried the silver dressings as well. Then I opened up lower down my scar, nearer the pubic area, this took the longest to heal. I had three courses of anti biotics and my chemo was delayed until the infection had cleared up. Now I have a huge ugly dint in my slower belly where the infection was. The part that wasn't infected healed so nicely there is no scarring hardly at all. The scar below my tummy button went a little wide and I still have two holes that never healed deep inside my tummy button.

I showered daily with waterproof dressing over the top, but avoided soap around that area. It was a total nightmare and it made me extremelly depressed.

Good luck hope it soon heals nicely, love from Tina xx

MargaretJ profile image
MargaretJ

Hi Belle! It is ghastly but I think you need to keep the wound covered and dry.

I had 2 abscesses after my first debulking surgery. I was actually told not to remove the dressings and to avoid getting the wound wet. After the abscesses burst I was admitted to hospital and given intravenous antibiotics and blood transfusions. The dressings were waterproof and I was told that they would come off by themselves in due course, which they did though Arrowe Park, on the Wirral, where I was admitted as an emergency had to improvise because they did not have long enough dressings.

When I got home I reinforced them with Melalin dressings which do not stick to the wound.

I had had my first post op chemo but the next one was delayed until my gynae surgeon had had a chance to check the healing process. My second op was better as I was in hospital for 10 days (until the colostomy settled) and so on antibiotics and close care!

I do not use soap or shower gel every day, and use scent free Sanex or baby preparations when I do. My scar is wider than most because of the double opening but is fading nicely thanks to E45 and bio oil. I rub both in daily! One of the abscesses was on the vault of the vagina and guess where the last tumour was? They say it is not connected but, as that abscess was caused by seepage from the surface of the bladder when they scraped off one of the original tumours, I have my doubts!

I got over the infection reasonably quickly ( about a week) and healed reasonably well but I put much of this down to a diet high in fresh fruit and veg and extra vit C. I have no evidence that vit C is effective other than the fact that, if I stop taking it I get more colds and small cuts take longer to heal.

I seem to live on salads and fresh fruit in huge quantities! LOL!

Good luck with healing!

Margaret

MargaretJ profile image
MargaretJ

Ps

Just a thought! My sister got MRSA after an op to repair a ripped Achilles tendon. They dressed her wound with Manuka honey and advised the to eat it as well. It is very expensive (about £8 for a small jar) the right kind is available in good deli's and holland and Barratt! It is quite thick and I do not like porrage so I do not use it on that but it is quite delicious on toast!

Hope this helps and try asking your district nurses about the dressings, they were the ones who used them on my sister! They are expensive though. She also had silver dressings but I am not sure whether they are available in large sizes! I keep them for small cuts especially on my left hand and arm because the lymph node removal has increased the infection risk there. I am a great believer in prevention being better than cure!

M

Poor poor poor you, Belle. I have nothing useful to add but you have good help above - just wanted to send a hug. A gentle one. Once you come back from GP you are under orders to take to a chair and do NOTHING until healed, ok???

Love

Sue xxx

Belle profile image
Belle in reply to

Thank you I've been told by the hubby I'm too do nothing :/ I don't like doing nothing!!! Haha

in reply toBelle

For once: listen!!! I know what you mean, I am the same. Still getting yelled at for doing too much even now, 11 months on :-D

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