Incision care and pain

[Paul_Y 3]

My surgery was on Monday morning and I have four horizontal incisions and one drain tube hole. The drainage hole is really like an open cut and I change the loose dressing daily until there is no more oozing. The four main incisions are covered in a transparent wax materiel and my surgeon said that I would not be able to remove it unless I tried very hard so it is ok to take showers. My nurses said that I should avoid direct flow from the shower because it could cause it to wash away. What has been your experience with this type of closure?

Question two: I am experiencing a lot of back pain because I am favoring my stomach. I walk slow, deliberate, and hunched over. I have lots of rolling cramps which I understand to be normal, but I also have a persistent pain about 4" below my far right incision. It feels like something is attached there and when I stretch or move it is tearing apart. I am three weeks out from my follow-up appt and I live two hours away from the hospital so I can't just drop by and ask him what to do. Coincidentally, that is the only incision which has any bruising however minimal. Do you have any guess as to the source or time for this pain?

[AnneAC 5]

I have bruising only on that same incision. I think it is where the stomach was removed?

Also, the drain cut....yes, take a shower but don't let the Water hit the dressing too much directly. I no longer keep mine covered... It heals really quickly!

[5McK 10]

Did they repair a hernia when they did your surgery? That might be the feeling of having something attached. The hernia repair was what bothered me for about 2 weeks post op.

My largest incision was the one that the stomach was pulled through. It is the only one that still has some bruising and tenderness and I'm over 3 weeks out from my surgery now.

Hang in there and call your doctor/nurse if you are truly worried.

[Sleevie WonderLand 41]

I had a bit of discomfort when walking initially and I realized that it was because the weight of my stomach was too much for my incision sites. My husband gave me his weight lifting support belt thingy that I was able to use to clasp and support my stomach from below, essentially removing all off the weight that was pulling my tummy down. I used it for the first week and it helped me tremendously.

[Paul_Y 3]

I had briefely considered a maternity belt for that exact possibility, but I could not bring myself to ask my wife to go get one for me. Maybe one of those cheap Walmart fat burning belts that is made for larger than me may work tho.

[BettyBoop 28]

I was sleeved Tuesday, Oct 25 and my doc told me to remove the covers and take a shower just like normal. Leave all the stapled areas alone, but cover the drain after you shower with some gauze and tape, because...well, it drains.

Good Luck!

[Paul_Y 3]

Betty, that is my concern, I have no external staples or stitches. They used some kind of glue/wax stuff that I have never seen before. The best I can explain is that it is like flexible hot-glue. I have searched Google and can't find anything similar. and my concern is do I listen to the Surgeon who applied it, or the nurses who work with the recovering patients. I am relegated to just taking a quick shower every other day for fear of bursting open, or at a minumum leaving a huge scar.

Don't get me wrong, I like the presentation of the stuff and the concept, my four main wounds look great and I can see the healing without any puss or scabs and the sides look well lined up to leave minimal scars. My concern is the durability to withstand multiple showers before it should gradually flake itself off.

[Lissa 2,631]

I would take a shower without too many worries. I was allowed to shower when I came home and my incisions were closed with internal stitches, then covered with steri-strips. I also still had a drain bag for 8 days. No issues with showers, did not get infected, didn't split any of the incisions. The hole where the drain bag was is pretty much healed, and it itches some, but that's the worst problem I've had with the incisions.

Good luck!!

[Terry H. 196]

I have the glue closure on my incisions. I take a shower every day and just pat dry my incision areas. The glue is just now starting to flake and I had my surgery Oct 10. So I wouldn't worry. Note that I don't stand in the shower in a way that exposes the area very long or directly in the path of the shower. Just enough to get the area wet before soaping up gently and then to rinse the soap off.

[Paul_Y 3]

Thank you Terry, that is what I have been doing. I am starting to see two ends of what appear to be thin clear stitches on one of them, but I am avoiding it like the plague because I don't want to set off a reaction that could cause pain.

[longer-life 139]

Hang in there and call your doctor/nurse if you are truly worried.

I second this. You and/or insurance paid a lot of money for this surgery. You should be able to call and ask these important questions. Best wishes!

[Paul_Y 3]

UPDATE: Between days 18 and 20, all of them came off and the incisions look pretty good to me. All are sealed and I only see two stitches at either end of one of the incisions. Looks Like I'm safe for taking a bath.

[BethH 1]

I was freaked out too by my incisions. I have the glue as well and yes, it definitely does look waxy! No maintenance unless they start opening, smelling or if pus comes out. As for the JP site, keep covered for a few days as it oozes then it naturally stops. No direct Water until then. Sounds like you are doing great though!