Has he got any drains still in ?
OMG Lisa sounds just like what our son has had then, this would explain why he was probably in surgery for so long then. He is luckier than you by the sounds of it. Thing is they only left his dranage bag in for a few days and on IV drip for antibiotics. i wonder then if his my bowels had wrapped themselves round his appendix and had stuck to his abdominal wall? Also our son was complaining because they wernt changing his dressing.x
Scary thing was they said to my husband I would be back 40 mins from surgery. Over 4 hours later I returned they told him nothing just kept moving him to different rooms. He though I had died. Lol we can laugh now.
My wound was leaking continually none of the dressing the nurse did worked that well. The doctor said they had vacuumed all the poison out when they operated but my body continued making more stuff although wasn't poisonous. . No one really explained it properly. The took the staples out as they wanted my wound to heal from the bottom to stop.
Open surgery is like having a ceasarian no drivjng , lifting exercise couldn't have a bath for months. Have they said to you when he would be out. They said to me in a few days that lasted a month. Xx
Lisa they let him go home on Monday evening only 6 days after surgery, like you we were rininging and they kept saying he still wasnt back from surgery like 4hrs. later, and yes we thought something terrible had happened to him, his partner in tears, then they said when we rang back again later that he was in recovery, then no he isnt his still in the assesement ward! In the end every department said they had no one by his name with them so now we are really worried thinking did he panic and do a runner but of course he couldnt of hardly of done a runner could he lol. Turns out he was back in the ward but no one seemed to know this, honestly i ask you!
I dont think they explained enough and dont think he is fully aware now of just how open surgery is like having a ceasarian. I dont think they have a shower either! xx
Only just see this one Lisa, no he hasnt still got drains in, think they took them out to soon? Meant to ask you had you spent months prior to all this going to your gp who kept giving you meds and failed to diagnose appendix about to burst!
Sue x
I had drain in because they removed the staples. So sounds like he hasn't had an infection or anything afterwards.
I was probably off it for a week went to the doctors on the Friday to be told was sickness bug or grumbling appendix. 12 hours later I was crawling through the doors of a&e. Even in hospital think they thought I had bad period pains lol x
Oh i say! well our son had been complaining with stomach pain for months! He still has the staples in though, maybe he will end up with another drain when they remove them then? Got more blood tests tomorrow and an xray as well though? x
Sure he won't need a drain I only had one cos wound kept leaking. The blood test will be to make sure there's no infection. I had a few
Ultra sounds to check the area but no x Ray's. I also had ct scan but that was just to see where the liquid was coming from. Sounds like he's on the mend anyway 👍👍
Hi Sue, I am so glad your son is home now. It's not uncommon to have stomach cramps due to wind pain, (assuming that is what it is) your stomach is filled with air during an operation. I had quite severe pains for about 3 weeks after. Diarrhea can be quite common also but not in everybody.
My drain was taken out about 4 days after the operation and I stopped receiving antibiotics. My dressing was changed only the once in hospital but my wound was very clean so didn't need changing anymore than that.
My staples were taken out by the district nurse about 14 days after the operation.
I went back to hospital for a blood test and a chest scan (I think this is standard procedure) its to make sure the poison/mass hasnt spread.
I had a colonscopy about 2 weeks ago because they have removed part of my colon which was damaged also.
It's been 10 weeks since the op and I am feeling so much better. There is still quite a lot of tenderness both left and right sides of my stomach. I'm not sure if this will improve in time or its just something that I've got to live with.
I sympathise a great deal for your son but he will improve in time.
Give him my best wishes.
I'm glad I found this forum....it's helped me a lot too.
Take care
Dee
xxx
Hi Dee and all, im back,Our sons wound isnt healing properly, i think they shouldnt have used staples either, now its oozing still and they are having to pack it up he said? having to heal as an open wound now, said he has to get back up to the hospital every flipping day now to have it changed, he doenst have a car and he cant walk far either, surly the nurse you call on him. His still having to have blood tests because of white cells and inflamation so not out the woods yet. he said the staples wernt holding it together properly.
Sue xx
Hi. Sounds very similar to me it takes time but will sort itself out. I had a district nurse come and pack my dressing at the weekends but had to go back to the doctors in the week even tho couldn't drive. They don t help you that's for sure. I was doing this for 4 months after being out of hospital. I got quite good at chia gong my own dressing as it often didn't last in between visits to the nurse. Xx
Hi Faye, thought id let you know my sons update, its not good, his cut isnt healing, now they are having to keep packing his open wound as oozing poisons, Now he has to get this changed every day, they waat him to go back up to the hospital or drs every day now, he has no car and cant walk properly either. Partner has had to hire out a wheel chair so she can wheel him to the drs very day i presume, I dont know, His dad my hubby can help out but not every single day.
LIsa can he get more dressings and do it himself do you think, he said they were pushing swabs into him this afternoon.im not sure if they still need to do this everyday as well. I say seeing it was all down to his drs, neglegence they should send in a nurse to see to him xx
Might of replied twice but it went funny lol. What they actually put inside your wound is seaweed which looks like cotton strips it soaks up the stuff and helps the wound heal from bottom to top. My hole was about 15 cm so had to be pushed in quite far. I never did this just changed the dressing on top where it had leaked through. The nurses sorted out a perscription for dressings and everything I needed I had to take this with me to doctors when I went for my dressing change x
Hi Sue, I'm so sorry to hear that your son's wound isn't healing properly, it must be terribly sore for him.
I don't see why the nurse can't pop in everyday! Has he asked if he can have home visits? Maybe if he explains that he has no transport and obviously he can't drive himself at the moment. I don't think its fair that he should be travelling backwards and forwards everyday....it's ridiculous!
I had a nurse visit for about four days to administer Clexane injections but my mum was shown how to do it so the nurse no longer had to visit. All the cut-backs I suppose!
I wish your son all the best.
Dee
xxx
Hi Sue
I'm sorry to hear your sons wound is not healing as well. Does he have a VAC pump in? I had to have a vac pump in for 3 months in my wound and I had to go and have it changed every other day at hospital. The first 7 weeks was ok because I was in hospital the whole time so it didn't matter but when I was discharged I had to return like that every other day for a month and then when they took it out surgically (the last time) then I was able to my GP for another month to have it packed. The depth was only about 2cm by that point. I feel your frustration but maybe they want to keep tabs on it too??
Faye xx
Hi again Lisa well it took our son 30 mins to walk to the doctors which usually takes about 7 mins. He arrived 8 mins late so they made him wait around for 20 mins. Ive been searching on google and im reading he should have a nurse in to change his dressings, he cant keep doing this walk every day. should the hospital have requested this, or does our son have to ask for this? Or is it the case there is no such thing as a distric nurse calling anymore because of cuts?
Sue xx
Hi Faye
No he doenst have a vac pump in as far as im aware.It seems the staples didn't do the job and now he has a gaping wound, he litterally had to get himself to the doctors today to have his dressing changed, it took him half hr. to get there as he found it hard to walk, normaly takes him 7 mins. Surley a district nurse should of been calling on him to do this? He simply cant be doing this every single day. my hubby is able to take him tomorrow and what about the weekend when when there is no surgery?
Sue xx
Hi Sue
I really feel your frustration. When I was having it done in hospital even when I had to go back when I was discharged, if it was the weekend and it did fall on a Sunday a few times the nurses at hospital were very good and would come in on there days off and evenings just to change my VAC pump at the hospital. I was very lucky in that respect. When it was much shallower and I was going to my GP's to have it packed if it fell on a Sunday they would just see me on the Monday instead. So would just wait an extra day. It is difficult and i was the same position, was unable to drive until it was closed and walking was a real struggle I had to get someone to take me every time and I felt such a burden but everyone made time for me and to support me. I think maybe speak to your GP's office and see if there is a service available to you to discuss options for the level of care that your son requires?? Hospital gave me no end of contact numbers for all sorts of people so I had lots of support back in my community. I spoke to the district nurses a couple of times and they were always lovely, so supportive and always went out of there way for me, especially with pain relief of it was a weekend and I was running low. Ask hospital for phone numbers too of required? xxx
Hi Sue
Just quickly you will know if your son has a vac pump they are very different from drains and packing. They have small machines/pumps attached to tubing in wound, continuously pumping out infection.
I really hope you find the treatment he needs to make his healing process a little easier
Faye xx