4 weeks post left thr. Plodding along and making improvements. My wound had initially healed really well but tonite my hubby notes what looks like a minute hole at the top end of my scar (lateral approach ) it's approx 2mm wide and not sure how deep - looks superficial. There was a small amount of pus at the edge of the hole -
My Hubby cleaned it all and removed some of the pus. There isn't any erythema and it's not hot to touch or particularly painful - the only time it gets red and hot is on a nite for some reason and has done since surgery but settles in the morning.
I've put a dressing over it and will see how it gets on - if it hasn't improved or got worse I guess I
Will have to go to A&e ( lucky for me
I work there) and get the Ortho to check. Even tho I've got a
Lot of medical knowledge I'm a useless patient and it's different looking at it from a patient perspective. I'm petrified of the hole getting bigger or it getting severely infected
Anyone else had anything similar happen?thanks Gilly xx
Hi Gilly,
I am 6wk lthr posterior and had one continous suture that i was told would dissolve but to have each end knot trimmed off at 14th day.
When i went for that there was nothing to see and wound looked healing.
However at 3/4th week i got a sore spot on lower end of wound on the thigh that began oozing.
At the treatment room the nurse said it was a knot.
She removed it and sent a swab from the woundsite.
It came back positive and i had to have a week of doxycycline plus dressings twice week till it cleared up.
It now seems fine.
I wouldnt hesitate to go get it checked and swabbed asap...better safe than sorry. And prompt treatment to continue healing process.
Good luck hope you get on ok xx
Hi Gilly - I'm also a nurse ( just makes us worse patients doesn't it !) I had similar - wound was fine for a week then on day 8 I woke up in a puddle - pink haemoserous fluid which soaked through a dressing in ten mins - freaked and went to A and E and saw orthopod who reassured me as it was clear fluid it wasn't infected - arranged early follow up with consultant who checked bloods ( Crp , estimated , wcc all ok ) continued to leak on and off for next 3 weeks - at one stage stopped for 6 days so I decided to shower and then realised I had an arc of fluid hitting the bathroom wall - all this out of a 1mm hole mid wound which by week 5 finally healed up - no other problems - Consultant was really good and saw me every two weeks . Went through a million dressings . No problems since - I'm 12 weeks today . If it is pus and not haemoserous fluid might be a low grade skin infection -not a worry ( unless it's your skin ) and can be treated easily with ab,s . Like you I freaked as first thought was infection , rapidly followed by expectation of total wound dehiscence , needing a spacer as joint infected etc etc etc - we really are the worst ! I've described my wound problem in detail to demonstrate the worry was all mine , my wound was just taking time to heal impeded by a collection of haemoserous fluid xxxxxx
Estimated ? I typed ESR !!!
Very scary Gilly but sounds as if your hubby is on the ball. You got two great replies from Angela an Bini) so I have nothing to offer except some virtual hugs and good wishes for this to clear quickly and completely.
Good luck and please let us know that everything urned out well.
Regards,
Linda
Now I'll have to look ALL that up because I'm in the dark, Gilly & Bini!
Gilly - son had small pinhole that both oozed & briefly bled but no pus, redness or heat. He just called nurse & discussed & was ok. That said yours sounds a bit more serious, so probably should check it out.
Aloha, Soos
Not a nurse but a microbiologist in a hospital lab. I think that it would be wise to get it swabbed and tested. Although it is most likely to be a Staph aureus, we do isolate other things from incision scars.