I am 11 days post-op, and in the middle of the night last night, I woke up with terrible burning itching AROUND my incisions. The incisions look great! But the area around them is itchy and sometimes raw. I'm pretty sure (90%) that it's due to the bandages - I've tried Hydrocortisone cream and am taking benedryl. Still little to no relief.

Any suggestions? Been there, done that?

Thanks!

I soooooooooooooooooo hear you!! I had my surgery on Thursday and came home on Saturday. Sunday i had to take off a few of my bandages because it was so itchey. I have TONS of little bumps (sort of like sun poisioning looking is all I can describe it) and RAW. Now they are all popping and i have a constant draining thing going on now. I called my doctor and as long as it is clear, I guess its ok. I too have tried benedryl but so far nothing is working for me either!

Sounds like you are having a reaction to the surgical tape (bandages) I can't have them cause the glue makes me break out. Regular bandaides make me break out hard core. Talk to the doctor and ask him (her) if they have some hypoallergenic ones they can change you out too. They do ok for me I don't break out super bad, just enough to be annoying.

The dark end of the spectrum is you might be allergic to the stitch's or staples they used. I know when I was a kid they used the cat gut stitch's and I was major allergic to those. The ones they use today (silk I think) I am not allergic too, but the staples I have a minor reaction too.

Good news is that I don't have any stitches or staples. I did have steri-strips. I've since changed to band aids and have begun itching 5 days later. Do they make hypo band aids?

After 11 days, aren't your incisions healed enough to go without the steri-strips or band-aids? As long as they're scabbed over and dry, you should be fine without a covering on them. Of course, I'm not a doctor, and his/her advice is best!

I think some people are just more sensitive to either the glue or the healing process. Healing itself is a very itchy affair. Mine started itching a day or so afterwards and it probably lasted for a couple of weeks. The skin around it turned dark red and I developed a rash on different parts of my stomach which I think is a result of all of the itching. My skin is so sensitive that the slighted irritation sets of itching and rashes. If yours only started itching 11 days post op I wouldn't think it was due to an allergic reaction to anything as that would have happened right off the bat. Have you called your dr? Are they oozing? That might be a sign of infection.

They are scabbed over, however, 2 of them lie w/in a "skin fold" and the port incision is so long I'm wary of leaving it vunerable. No discharge - like i said at the top of the thread - incisions look GREAT! Clean, tender, no swelling, etc.

Edited March 18, 200818 yr by Nikaweez

I was told that it was a sign of healing. The itchiness was enough to make me crazy and then it just went away one day, around 2 1/2 weeks post op.

Hey yall. I thought all the itching was healing. As soon as the strips came off, little welts were there. Within hours of the strips being off the welts and itching were gone. I can't believe I have this "allergy" too. AS I get older the list just grows and grows!

Glad to know I am not alone - sorry to hear you are suffering too.

I am five days post op today and am itching like crazy. I did take off my bandages on day 2 per the hospitals order. However, the steri-strips are what are itching. Mine are even looking as if they are coming off. I go back to the doc a week from tomorrow so hopefully all will go well. I think it is part of the healing process.

After speaking w/ my MIL (retired wound care nurse) she gave me a suggestion: New Skin liq. bandage. HOWEVER, only spread it on the skin AROUND the incision but NOT ON IT! New Skin has a powerful antiseptic and it would make you want to light your hair on fire just to get away from the pain of it on the incision.

The great news is that it is protecting the tender healing skin around the actual incision and I've not had to attend to any itching attacks.:wink2:

OUCH, Nu-skin pain. I can SO relate. I keep it in my desk (the liquid, not the spray) for paper cuts, and it burns like FIRE, so I can't imagine putting it on an incision. BUT spraying it around the incision is a wonderful idea. Glad it worked for you!