Please don't look if this will gross you out. This is what my stomach looked like after port removal. Those horrible blisters are allergic reactions from the bandages I wore for a week. The round red dots were a bonus - I had broken capillaries and asked the surgeon to remove them while she had her cauterizing [sp?]machine out, and she was nice enough to zap them for free. The next picture will be my scar today after port removal.

I forgot to attach the picture... DOH!

Here's the incision today with red dots. She zapped 7 ugly broken capillaries for me. I hold Dr. Lopez and Dr. Carmen responsible for the ugly scar I'll have and all the allergic blisters. They still haven't called me back.

no more pics unless you have on the purple bra!

michelle

Those creeps! When your incision gets healed to the point that you don't worry about getting anything inside, crush some vitamin E capsules and rub on it. Those are great for scars.

I can't find the purple bra cuz hubby has been on laundry duty for 3 weeks due to me being afraid to bend. I guess I should look in the garage or the bathroom cabinets since he's really bad at putting things in the right place.

I already purchased my Vitamin E oil and have been using it on the other scars - maybe that's why they don't look so bad.

Ouch!!! I have the same kind of blisters from the steristrips. All puffy looking where they were and they itch like crazy. My port scar is kinda like yours too. A little jagged looking, but I am using scar treatment on it now and hope that it will thin out some. Not like I was planning on wearing a bikini anyways though. LOL

I'm not planning on wearing a bikini either...naked sounds better!

What cream are you using? There are many new Patches on the market for scars. I know one is Neosporin, which I'm allergic to, so I'll try others down the line.

How long do I need to wait before my sutures are healed and I can go swimming? I mean skinny dipping?

Originally posted by Kaci

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I am using the Curad brand scar stuff. I got it at Walmart. I looked at the Band Aid brand kind, Mederma, and a couple others they had. They all seemed to be different. I got the Curad kind because it had a silicone gel sheet that you can cut to fit over your scars. It stays on for 12 hours or longer. I tried one already on the big port scar and it didn't bother me. No reaction.

I am using the Benadryl spray to help with the itching. I noticed that the one that I had cleaned really well with alcohol to get the stickiness of the steristrips off didn't blister up or turn red or itch. The others did though. I am going to see if alcohol helps the others too.

I will need a lot of plastic surgery before I thought of running naked anywhere LOL.

Kaci aka Kerri B. on OH

banded 6/4/04

268/252/242/160-180 goal

Silicone gel Patches are what the surgeon recommended, so I'll check out Walmart. She also told me to buy Aceita de Melendras (almond oil) while I was in Mexico to get the glue off. It took the glue off easily with tissue. A company called Jaffra (similar to Avon or Amway) used to sell Almond Oil really expensive, but I haven't seen it in years so I bought 5 small bottles for $1.00 each in Mexico. I use it to smooth all over my wet skin when I'm finished showering, which leaves me soft and yummy. Fat and flabby, but soft and yummy.

As far as skinny dipping, think of it this way. If anyone wants to look at me naked, hey, let them look!

Thanks for the hot tip!

Since the topic is going into scar therapy... I would like to add that I used the silicone gel Patches for aboug 9 weeks and saw some improvement, then my dbf suggested I buy a 99 cent coco butter stick at Walgreens. I used that twice a day for 2 weeks and have seen dramatic results. Far better than those patches that cost $15 a box. I am very pleased with the results.

DeLarla, I am glad you are healing well.

Do you mean a cocoa butter stick like a chapstick? I've been using all sorts of stuff on my other scars, and they look great. I rub Walgreen's Vitamin E cream several times a day. I use Almond Oil also. And all my friends have been giving me potions, so I rub anything and everything on there. Now I have to get the cocoa butter stick. Everyone says my port scar looks fantastic compared to the pics I posted. But I still need another surgery to replace the port, so no use worrying about that scar afterall, I suppose. Thanks for the hot tip on the cocoa butter. Back to work tomorrow. Poop.

Awe heck, I spoke too soon. My incision was looking better, then BOOM, suddenly I had a huge wet spot. I sprung a major leak. Dr. Kuri says it's normal. I say STOP IT!

Lisa: Same thing happened to me with my incisions. I had to wear the dressings for along time. Just keep it covered and you will be fine.

But Penni, I thought the leaking had to do with a foreign body/implant? I leaked when I got the band put in, but now the port has been removed. Last time I leaked for 2 weeks. By the time I got to Urgent Care, they said the reason I got infected is because the wound never closed.

How can I prevent infection with an open wound? Do you think I'll leak 2 weeks like I did when I got the original band?

I can't use Neosporin because I had an allergic reaction.

Meanwhile, all morning I felt pinching at the incision site. Was that the skin ready to POP open? Gross.