Stapled, Stitched, or Glued???

gingerbug · January 4, 2008

I am glued and steri stripped here.

faithmd · January 4, 2008

Hi everyone. I am scheduled to be banded on Jan. 11th and I'm just curious how your surgeon closed your incisions. Did s/he glue, staple, or stitch?

I ran a poll about this last year before I was banded. I tried to get my doc to glue me instead of stapling. But the doc is going to close you the way he/she is comfortable doing. At least that's the way it was in my case.

Despite MULTIPLE people being sutured then glued and taking the results of my informal poll to him AND my reaction to staples, I still got staples. My other option was heavy suture material along the skin. Never mind. I'll take a couple staples and a bit of itching over a Frankenstein-looking closure.

Here's the link to my thread, it grew to be a good size. Hope it helps!

http://www.lapbandtalk.com/f17/what-were-your-incisions-closed-31852/

coolcrystal · January 4, 2008

Faith, did you find out which turns out the "prettiest" after its all healed up. I know some people heal differently, but I'm thinking the way they are closed up also affects what the scars look like later. AKA: staples leave little dots on each side of the line, etc.

KarenG. · January 4, 2008

I had the dissolving stitches and the steri strips.

shortgal · January 4, 2008

dissolvable sutures and glue! Some of the sutures are sticking out at the end of the incision line, like Dr. Watkins described.

The office removed some at my last visit, but a few are too short to get, so I have to wait for them to dissolve.

I didn't vote. Wasn't sure if I should vote as Glue or stitches!

Chris61 · January 4, 2008

I had inteernal stiches the disolving kind and glue.

Chris

faithmd · January 6, 2008

Faith, did you find out which turns out the "prettiest" after its all healed up. I know some people heal differently, but I'm thinking the way they are closed up also affects what the scars look like later. AKA: staples leave little dots on each side of the line, etc.

I believe that there are many factors in how your scars will look. Here's a thread of scar stages:

http://www.lapbandtalk.com/f17/scar-stages-share-yours-6117/

I found it very helpful. I agree that the staples leave the dots and that was one reason I didn't want them. But the fact is whatever your doc does is what you will have. My doc uses staples. He was able to give me a valid reason why he preferred staples (not that I liked it, but it was valid nonetheless). That is that staples allow the wound to drain if there is any need for it to happen. If a wound is closed with glue or covered with steri-strips and develops an exudate that needs to get out, it cannot with the glue or steristrips covering it. The chances then increase for an infection. Now one could say it could go the other way, things could get into a stapled wound, but usually it doesn't go that way. Stuff comes out, not crawls in. While the chances of a wound infection are very slim, many people develop seromas, esp. at the port site (A seroma is a pocket of clear serous Fluid that sometimes develops in the body after surgery. When small blood vessels are ruptured, blood plasma can seep out; inflammation caused by dying injured cells also contributes to the fluid.) With staples the seroma can just drain, versus having to open part or all of an incision covered with glue and/or steristrips. The last thing that convinced me was that to date that surgical practice had not had a single infection.

Did I want glue or steristrips? Hell yes I did. Do I wish I had had glue or steri strips, yea kind of. But I weigh that with the fact that I didn't have an infection and it was kind of a wash. I scar badly so I was really hoping cosmetically for glue. However, a) I'm married, who else is going to be looking at my stomach? I'm REALLY fat, I won't be wearing a bikini, ever. c) Given the fact that I am starting at such a high weight, if and when I have PS, the real likelihood is that that entire expanse (or at least part of it) of my stomach that has the incisions on it will be removed.

cookielover · January 7, 2008

I had glue and steri-strips. I love it I almost have no scars. YEE-HAW!

coolcrystal · January 7, 2008

Did I want glue or steristrips? Hell yes I did. Do I wish I had had glue or steri strips, yea kind of. But I weigh that with the fact that I didn't have an infection and it was kind of a wash. I scar badly so I was really hoping cosmetically for glue. However, a) I'm married, who else is going to be looking at my stomach? I'm REALLY fat, I won't be wearing a bikini, ever. c) Given the fact that I am starting at such a high weight, if and when I have PS, the real likelihood is that that entire expanse (or at least part of it) of my stomach that has the incisions on it will be removed.

You're so right... I'm married too and it's not like I'm going to be ever wearing a bikini or showing my belly, except maybe on here for photo's to show my scars. My doctor says he uses a butterfly tape.. whatever that means... lol.

Cerrin · January 7, 2008

No glue just steri strips.

taismommy · January 9, 2008

Im not banded yet but i'm going to ask my doc for all 3.lol I just want to make sure they stay closed!

Jbotsie · January 10, 2008

I had my surgery on Monday and the dr used glue.

Loup_Nocturne · January 16, 2008

Since I am going to see the doctor my dad saw I hope to have the same thing he did (Glue… not sure about the internal stitching part). I hope this is what I get because I am allergic to steri-strips and had a bad reaction to staples once too (how I managed that I am not sure as I thought staples were made from a non allergenic material.) I suppose even if the doc does have a preferred method it may have to be changed due to allergic reactions… I really do not want to have that reaction again… *shudders*