I am a week post-op and my abdomen itches so bad it drives me nuts! I know I am healing and that is normal, but it's as bad as having hives! Did anyone else experience this and what did you do to help?

Have you tried taking Benadryl and using lotion? I just had a plastics procedure and my incisions drove me nuts with as much as they itched, however I started slathering myself with lotion, which should be safe now on your incisions as long as there is the glue over them and I took Benadryl and Zyrtec at one point to make the itching stop. Part of my issue was that I was allergic to an antibiotic they gave me before surgery and then had a nice reaction to Percocet, so Benadryl and Zyrtec tend to only work when you take them in pill form for an actual allergy. Dry skin can be fixed with lotion. If you are potentially allergic to the glue, maybe try some topical Benadryl or Cortisone cream.

Yes, part of it is your nerve endings are healing and re-attaching. This happened to me for surgery and both of my c-sections. Also, I have adhesive allergies so I had to change bandages every day. I would take a 4×4 gauze pad and soak it with sterile wound wash (look for it in the bandage area at the pharmacy) and gently wipe the area of the incision and then scrub the area where the bandages were.

Try using a cool compress, lightly applied to the area, to calm the nerves. Unless you have talked with your doctor and they okayed the benedryl, it may harm your tummy. Get cleared first before taking any meds. Good luck to you!