Two Kind Of Urgent Q-s - Tylenol And Lap Site Infections?

[LoserMama 37]

Hi guys, I'm a week post op today. Woke up today for the first time feeling good without pain as I sat myself up. Though I would try to switch to just plain tylenol today. I feel like I've already taken the heavy duty stuff too long. Anyway, my discharge notes don't specify, and I can't remember-- can we use tylenol caplets, or do we have to take liquid kid tylenol? I took liquid kid tylenol today just to be safe, but man it takes a lot to equal an adult dose, and I couldn't find any adult strength liquid acetominophen. (sp?)

related to that -- my discharge instructions say I can't take ibuprofen anymore. I thought that was one of the sleeve benefits?? They said it would be too hard on the sleeve. it is just temporary?

And other more urgent question, how pink/puffy do you let a lap site get before you call? I definitely have one that is a bit irritated, but not a ton. And i have an appt tomorrow. Can i hold off?.

[rebecca b 19]

i am 9 days out also a couple of nights ago i took 2 regular extra strengh tylenol with out incident. Hope it goes well. I alos had one lap site that was really red, it got better after the staples came out yesterday at the Dr's

[MeMeMEEE 206]

There is a liquid adult but it is nasty. I took junior chewables, 3 did the trick. My Dr says no more ibuprofen also, unless supervised by him.

Pink and puffy is ok I believe, it is when it is red you need to worry.

[LoserMama 37]

Thanks much! I did have jr chewable tylenol around for the kids, it still takes a lot (an adult extra strength dose is 1000 mg, and those are 160 a piece, so it takes six! But that way beats 6 tsps of that really thick gunky kid liquid. <shiver> Bleah.

Good about the pink and puffy. Its what I was thinking, but the change is what is most interesting, it was my best lap site and this developed in the last day. So I am going to keep an eye on it. One thing, this is the site that is highest, and I just got to thinking, I took the bandages off yesterday, because I am allergic to the tape around the edges and the doc in hospital had said I didn't really need them unless I wanted to keep from feeling the staples. The tape is making me insanely itchy. So the one that is getting pink/puffy is my highest up, and um....I think its getting irritated from my bra hang down....LOL. so I put a telfa pad back on just that one. Hopefully that will help, and I'll see the surgeon's PA tomorrow.

Oh, one other thing, did anyone who DID NOT have high blood pressure pre-op, get it post-op? Mine is running high post op, since the hospital and now at home. This happened to me after my last c-section, but they called that pre-eclampsia after delivery, I'm not sure what is going on now.

[favoredone 590]

Yep!! I left the hospital w/ BP meds!

[LoserMama 37]

i am 9 days out also a couple of nights ago i took 2 regular extra strengh tylenol with out incident. Hope it goes well. I alos had one lap site that was really red, it got better after the staples came out yesterday at the Dr's

Nice to meet you, and glad to hear this worked for you!

[LoserMama 37]

Yep!! I left the hospital w/ BP meds!

Ok, did they tell you that this would resolve over time? I am going to ask about it at my 1 week appt tomorrow. Thanks!

[MeMeMEEE 206]

ask about the dosage of tylenol - they don't seem to want me to take more than 375 at a time - not sure if that is related to the sleeve or not. I did take tablets once - just one extra strength - and found taking the junior helped better - maybe because it doesn't have to digest as much?

[UXgrrl 29]

They were giving me my normal pill cocktail in the hospital as soon as I switched to purees (midway through the day after surgery). I've been living on adult tylenol "ez-tabs" which are red, sweet-tasting coated tablets.. not because of any surgery pain (that went away in the 2nd week) but because I have a terrible toothache

I also have an incision site that is giving me all kinds of hell. It's on the far left side, towards my hip, and it looked fine when I left the hospital. It was a pretty large scab but I wasn't worried about it until it fell off and left a crater in my skin the size of my thumbnail. It was oozing constantly and getting all over my clothes and sheets so finally I went to my PCP to have it looked at. She said it was healing fine, and thought I might be allergic to the Neosporin I was putting on it. She switched me to Bactracin (another OTC antibiotic topical ointment just like Neosporin) and told me to keep on with my gauze-and-tape routine.

That was a week ago. It's healing, very slowly, but the tape is ripping up my skin around it. I discovered a few undissolved stitches in there, which I clipped out with a nail clipper. Hopefully once the irritant is gone, it will finally close up. Ugh.

That's going to leave a nice scar!

[obsessedhod 2]

I don't know about the Tylenol - but with the healing incision sites - if the staples/stitches have been removed, you should be able to clean the site with warm soap and Water (not soak the site...just clean it) There is a special "paper tape" that you can get at most drug-stores. It's not plastic, so it doesn't usually irritate, also, you can take a warm, wet compress and place it over the tape for a few minutes to loosen the adhesive before removing it, this will help with irritation. I am a paramedic and we do a ton of post-op transfers and I have the opportunity to see wound care daily!

As for the high BP - I would have to wonder if the surgery somehow affected briefly the ADH ( your kidney's antidiuretic hormone) - sometimes our bodies can be fooled into over or under producing it's natural hormones - when this happens, it causes a Fluid shift to occur - when fluids are retained because the kidney's tell the body to - our blood pressure goes up - if it doesn't last long - this would be my guess. If it remains persistent - it could be something else. I would really question your Fluid intake. Are you certain you are taking in the proper amounts of fluid, if your body thinks you aren't taking in enough fluid - it will retain it, and shift fluids into your cardiovascular system (causing increase in B/P

[LoserMama 37]

Great info all. Uxgrrrrl....oh about the incision, yowza, undissolved stitches!!

Meme, I was told I can take 1000mg, so should be ok, they just didn't specify what form.

Interesting about adh. Yep, I am consistently getting 60-70 oz of Water. My bp was up immediately after surgery, a few google links suggest its a fairly common occurrence post any surgery. So again more doc questions!

Lots of possible answers. Will keep you posted on doc opinion!