FOR THE STRONG ONLY... GROSS PICTURES ATTACHED OF MY NEW OPEN SURGICAL WOUND. Darcy, this one's for you.

My wound was left open intentionally. It is packed with several feet of gauze that is packed way into the gap that was left behind from the port. Billy will remove the packing today and replace it with several feet of fresh gauze, and my friend back home will unpack and repack the wound every day. The object is for it to heal from the inside, out. So, hopefully the inches of gauze will get a tad smaller every day.

Dr. Billy opened the port incision to clean it and to remove the port. He also made small slits in 2 of my original wounds (you can see bits of white Steri-Strips) to insert the camera for the laporscopy (sp?) and he made one brand new incision... can you find it? Nope, cuz he was nice enough to hide it inside my belly button, so when it heals it will be completely concealed.

Get your barf bags... Darcy, enjoy.

Photographs by NPM (Nurse Penni Money)

When Lopez removed all that bad scar tissue during my port replacement, I was doubled over in pain for over a week. But I only had one horrible night of pain from Billy's port removal. Considering there was an enormous hole in my belly, I didn't even feel it. No pain at all. Today I put almond oil all over my belly for the first time to start healing all the ugly rough skin. I'm on the road home!

WOW Lisa!

It is looking really great!!!! I am happy for you. Dr. Billy did a good job! And you my friend are a trooper!!

Babs in TX

WE LOVE DR. BILLY!!! SLURP!!! OOPS!! Dennis is cute too though. That is Billy's assistant now.

So Lisa should we ask Billy and Dennis if they want in on the calendar with you and I? LOL!!! YUM YUM BILLY NEKKID!!!

Bumping for Jenna. By the way, these pictures don't do these wounds justice. Just ask Penni, they were much more horrifying in person. I could have stored a golf ball or two in the gaping hole. EEWWWEEE!

Wow, that was especially interesting for me because I had a huge wound (severely infected c-section) which was healed from the inside out. I couldn't bring myself to look at it at the time, neither could anyone else. My husband caught a brief glimpse and still hasn't been able to put it in words. Now I see why.

The good news is that the scar could be a lot worse - not that you can see it at the moment.

Thanks for sharing.

Rachel, my husband never could look at mine, either. Penni changed the dressing the first couple times. Then my friend, Gross Mary, who is totally into disgusting body stuff changed it for a couple months. You are the first C-section infection I've heard of, but it sounds similar to what I went through. Yikes!

I can't believe someone would choose to poke around in that stuff - I think your friends name is well deserved.

How long did it take to heal?

I was in hospital for the first month, so the lucky nurses got to de-bride mine twice a day. The poor women thought that working in a maternity hospital was all about being a hand to squeeze and checking milk stocks. I soon changed that.

Then I spent another 2 months going to the hospital everyday so that they could inject peroxide in to it.

That's right - three months!!! It wasn't until I went to a chinese herbalist that it started to heal.

It's now two and a half years later and I can still detect the odour of rotting flesh in my ensuite.

Lovely.

P.S: how come at the bottom of some messages it has "Post quick reply" and some just say "Post reply"?

I didn't think they were bad....pretty cool actually! heheh

Why does it have to be open like that?? Did you get an infection, not healed properly??

Oh my god at "not that bad". If you have open laproscopic infection wounds like hers, you need to RUN to the doctor. She had to pack that thing with yards of gauze and it seeped and pussed and it was just gory having her tell me about it. Just makes you cringe!!! Maybe the pictures just don't do it justice.

The pictures really DON"T do it justice then.....that sounds painful.

I'm researching banding and trying to be open minded and look at all the issues, food, failing, weight loss and maintenance, problems post-op, long term results, ect.

Is the site infection something that happens often? Also, does the port stay in forever?? Can you see or feel it under the skin or does it stay open? I'm not getting that part.

No, she is not the norm. But our little Lisa is just different in every way and we love her.

Yes, the port is forever (or supposed to be anyway). You can feel it but it isn't visible just looking at it. It is placed in the abdominal wall. Look at the "scar stages" thread and you can see what a typical post op will look like.

Thanks, looked at the scars. Wow, not bad at all....I had laperscopic surgery on my ovaries...he went in through the belly button so there is nothing to see! Invention is a wonderful thing.

Ok, next question...is there any other post-op care for the port site after the scars are healed? What happens when you get a fill...just a band-aid deal?

I can barely even find my scars now.