New person here with a question

Nairek · #1 (**permalink**) 04-30-2009, 04:04 AM

Let me see if I understood this correctly. Your stitches came out 4 days after your surgery? That isn't enough time for the skin to come together & heal in my opinion.

Also, is there a lot of redness around the outside of the surgical site? It looks like there is some redness in the outer area (not where the tattoo is) from where the incision is. Is it like that all of the time? Or am I not seeing it correctly? I only ask because I had a wound on my leg like that once where there was redness around the wound & it turned out that I was 1 day away from being hospitalized with a severe infection.

I'm not a doctor by any means. I'm not saying that it looks like an infection to me. You do seem to be concerned about it though & you should get it checked out just to be on the safe side. I wouldn't wait another week before seeing your surgeon. Better to play it safe.

Please keep us updated on your progress & welcome to the board!

mmglobal · #2 (**permalink**) 04-30-2009, 06:54 AM

This does not sound right. Do I understand correctly that your next step is a week away? Is your surgeon aware of what is happening now?

Cindylou · #3 (**permalink**) 04-30-2009, 11:49 AM

I second all of the above. Don't wait till next Wednesday to get it looked at. If there is also a secondary thing going on like infection, and I'm not saying there is, but, you need to be seen sooner rather than later. Don't take no for an answer. You just had surgery, so they should be able to squeeze you in, if you're having post-surgery problems. Demand it. I had two back surgeries that had to be re-opened, for reasons different from yours, but am here if you would like to PM me. But first....get yourself to your Dr. Glad you found us. Let us know how it goes. We care.

Cindylou

Syxx · #4 (**permalink**) 04-30-2009, 01:37 PM

Hey everyone, thanks for the great advice. I'm down in southern ontario, but it happened near Dryden, so I doubt you heard of it

The doc knows what's going on. i have to see him weekly right now to see if it improves. He's got me on anti-biotics right now just in case an infection develops from it being open like that. I"m planning on telling him it has to be fixed, but knowing him he'll want it fixed anyway. He's a top rate surgeon (Dr.Dunlop) and I know he's very proud of his work. He isn't going to want me walking around with it telling people he did it lol.

Course if it isn't fixed, I already have a cover story: I was supposed to be twins and that is it's belly button lol

Katie · #5 (**permalink**) 04-30-2009, 02:22 PM

Not to scare you, but just because you are on antibiotics, it doesn't mean that they are working. They could be the wrong one for the possible infection, or it could be a bug that is resistant to most medications. There is a lot of that going around, and is nothing to mess with.

Sorry, I would still insist on going back in to see him immediately, and take a culture, etc. of the wound to see if it is truly infected. It is pretty red. This is your spine after all, and a whoops afterward may make the doctor feel good, but will not fix any damage done.

I had a similar thing happen after my hysterectomy. The surgeon kept insisting I didn't have an infection when I had drainage from the incision, but by the time he actually took me seriously, I had a nasty infection that took quite awhile to clear.

Trust your instincts.

dshobbies · #6 (**permalink**) 04-30-2009, 04:22 PM

Syxx,

Hi & welcome to the forum. I agree with everyone else. Infections may seem mild but can turn severe in a matter of minutes. My brother went from nothing to intensive care for a week in about an hour.

Also doesn't sound right about the muscle. If it moved or split apart, it needs to be fixed. If your surgeon is going back into the same incision, why wait?????

Good luck to you, Dale

melodyl · #7 (**permalink**) 04-30-2009, 04:52 PM

There isn't much I can add that others haven't, but wanted to welcome you here and encourage you to get back to your dr. (or another dr.....even an emergency room if needed) soon. If you have a serious infection going on, hours between getting the right medical attention can make a big difference. Please let us know how you are doing and what your recovery is like. There are a lot of great people on this site with tons of information and compassion.

Melody