So today is my 8 day after surgery... I had surgery on November 12th

Yesterday my incisions started to become very itchy and red.. a little swollen but they don't look infected... they're warm to the touch.

I called my surgeon today because the burning sensation was driving me crazy and he recommended that I remove the little surgical tape covering them... maybe it was causing irritation / allergy.

He recommended that I clean them off and he wanted me to put cortisone cream...

My surgeon also recommended I take 1 benadryl to help me with the itching... Big mistake!!!

The benadryl made me want to throw up... my stomach was burning.. felt like my tummy was spasming... I wanted to throw up and I felt like I was actually going to faint. My tummy hurt for 1/2 hour!!!

Well its night time and zero relief I book an appointment here in town to see local doctor and get checked out tomorrow because my surgeon is a few hours away from here...

I'm really concerned and hoping for the best!!!

Benadryl makes a cream that may help with the itching. I'm allergic to latex and have similar symptoms whenever I have a bandaid or latex tape on my skin. I don't like taking oral benadryl because it makes me sleepy, so I use the cream.

Good luck!!

Thank you so much for the reply!

I've never had any allergies to tape or latex.... I had my gallbladder removed a few years ago and I never had that problem before. I will try benadryl cream tomorrow

How would you know if it was an infection or has anybody had something similar????

I've heard of people even getting something called cellulitis???

my incisions itched like crazy.. i just rubbed them lightly through my clothing and it helped. I associated mine with part of the healing process. .It went away and then came one more time in the final healing stage..

Cellulitis is an infection in the layers under the skin. It will start looking red and inflamed, and if you feel around the area, you can feel a hardness under the skin. Sometimes it will pus - might look like a tiny pin prick white head, but has a surprising amount of pus under it. Or sometimes the skin will look angry and pitted.

I used neosporin with pain reliever when it waa at its worst and that helped to numb them. Try it. I hope it helps you. Mine itched like crazy and still do at night at six wks but it does get more tolerable. If you don't have thick discharge you should be okay.

Sent from Lake Travis

Thanks for the tip... I hope it's something simple but honestly looking at it: red circles around each incision... swollen... itchy and burning and it doesn't seem right

I can't wait until my appointment tomorrow afternoon!!!!!

I had a reaction to the tape. But it was withing 24 hours that it started and got really bad over the next 3 days, but I am quite allergic to latex. Did you change bandages? It maybe you have a sensitivity. Sometimes allergies start out like that. Def use a different kind of cover if u still need to cover them. I used Benadryl and it worked really well. If the redness gets worse, I'd call the surgeon again. I developed cellulitis as well. It wasn't pretty, but its not red anymore. Hope all works out well dr you.

Thanks also for the reply can you tell me what is cellulitis???

Does it sound like the same thing that I have???

And is it bad? How do you treat it???

It's treated with oral antibiotics. So keep that doctors appt tomorrow It can just be caused by bacteria on the skin, or sometimes the bugs are picked up in hospital.

And yes, it can be bad if left untreated If you develop a temperature and/or vomitting go straight to hospital.

What they said. I was on antibiotics and Benadryl. Antibiotics works for cellulitis, Benadryl works for the allergy process. I had tons of blisters, but they all popped on the airplane home and are healing now. I'm sure your doc will know what to do. Just want you to know you are not alone. Keep us posted. Hope all heals quickly for you!

Thank you guys for all the awesome information and advice. Tomorrow I'm definitely going to see the doctor here in town... this is driving me crazy and I'm freak out. I will keep everybody posted!!! Thank you for everything

Good luck at the doctor today..

I had an allergic reaction to the glue they used on my incisions, which is common apparently. It was awful. At least I didn't have an infection. I took Benadryl every 6-8 hours for several days since the surgeon did not want me putting anything on the actual incision sites for at least 3 weeks. Even having a soft t shirt on was a killer. I think they might have a oral liquid version of Benadryl, which would be easier to take.

It is good you're having it checked out.

INCISION UPDATE:

NOT INFECTED!!!!

Since my surgeons office is a few hours away I had to see another MD.

A local Dr. agreed with what my surgeon said over the phone... I had a severe allergic reaction... it must have been the tape or glue. I was prescribed an ointment, and he said it should go away within a week

I am so happy... thank God!!! I thought it was an infection... thanks to everyone for your advice!!!