Scar from Surgery

[swtpopcorn]

Hello, I'm new to the forum. My daughter is sched. for surgery 6/6/05 - she is being very brave, but is very concerned about the scar. Anyone have any suggestions for ointments, etc. which helped?

Also, she was wondering if wearing a bra is allowed after surgery.
Thanks

[jc3]

hi swtpopcorn
good luck with your daughters upcoming surgery. How is everyone's nerves in your house?? About the scar, i can't tell you much about creams, but i'm sure you'll get some answers from some other people because i have heard of some creams that you can put on to help fade the scar, my daughter's scar i must say looks really good. She had surgery in november and i saw it at the beginning alot, but it has been a while since i have seen it and the other day i got a peek and it is really fading. I know someone who had surgery a few years ago and she said her scar looks like a cat scratch and is barely noticable. My daughter is still sensitive to anyone touching it, so there is no way she would let me rub some cream on it and about the bra, my daughter took a little while to try and put one on, she thought it would hurt, but i'd say about 4-5 weeks she did and it was fine, it didn't bother her and for the first month she was in the house anyway, so it was perfect by the time she starting going out she was able to wear it.
good luck
Jennifer

[swtpopcorn]

Jennifer-

My daughter is starting to get nervous and is trying to cram her entire summer into the next 3 weeks!! She started banking blood this week and did very well. Thanks for sharing about your daughter's scar, that seems to be Deb's major concern right now. I am planning to ask the dermatologist for advice too.

Regarding the bra - she is worried about all of her male friends coming to visit and seeing a bit too much. I've tried to explain that loose fitting tops are best, but of course she wants to look nice!! I really don't think she realizes how tired and out of it she will be after surgery.

Mary

[nicoles mom]

Hi Jennifer
My Nicoles Is So Very Sensitive Too And Numb. The Pt Is Using Massage To Help Her With That. Her Pt Said It Who Be Good For Me To Also Rub It. So Everynight I Have Been Rubing Cream Into And Around The Scar. She Hates When I Touch It But I Do It Anyway.
Theresa

[jc3]

she may be worried now about what she will look like but that will all change, she will be out of it and not care. My daughter insisted her friends coming to visit at the hospital and even while she was drugged up was still asking for them, so we waited until like the 3rd day and my husband picked up a bunch of them, since the hospital is an hour away, and they were having a party in her room, while she slept the whole time, would open her eyes and then close them. We probably should have waited a little more before they came there. At one point we had alot of people in the room and nicole wanted everyone to leave. She definitely won't be wearing a bra in the hospital and make sure you have the button up pjs they were the best since my daughter couldn't lift her arms over her head for a while to get a shirt on. That is good that she was able to bank her own blood. My daughter couldn't do it, she was too scared and then i wasn't a match and my husband couldn't, so she was going to have to get it from the bank, which i was not happy about, but she never even ended up needing any blood which was great. I thought my daughter would hate her scar, but she doesn't mention it and the only time it will be seen is when she is in a bathing suit. Some girls get kind of proud of their scars.
good luck it will be over before you know it.
Jennifer

[jc3]

hi theresa
At least your daughter lets you touch it. My daughter will not let me touch it at all. We did physical therapy for that too, which does help. When i go back to the dr. next month i will get another prescription for that, we didn't go that much with our last prescription. With her being in school, there just seems like there is no time and she gives me a REALLY hard time about going. When we first starting going to p/t and they would massage her back, she would cry. It was horrible. Then they started something that worked out, the lady would set a timer the first time for 1 minute and massage her back gently and then the next time do it for 2 min, etc. It seemed to work. I'm hoping when she is finished with school we can get back to going.
Jennifer

[susannajon]

Hi Mary,

My daughter had surgery March 9th. Her physical therapist has been doing lots of work with my daughter on the scar. She is massaging the area, doing ultrasound over the area, and stretching the skin. This is helping a lot. She recommends this ointment called Maderma. It is made from an onion extract. I used it myself a couple of years ago after surgery and it is really good stuff. It minimizes the redness and thickness of the scar. You must rub it on three times a day. The massage also helps break up adhesions (scar tissue under the skin) and helps the nerves heal and reconnect. The scar is very sensitive, and may have numb areas, and the massage helps all of this.

As far as the bra, I can promise one isn't going to feel good in the beginning. She probably shouldn't even try until her incision is healed, because it could cause it to open or become infected. Once the incision is healed, depending on how well endowed she is, I would suggest a nylon/spandex tank for light support, or if that's not enough, a really soft front fastening sports bra. I would stay away from underwires or anything really structured.

[Mary Lou]

My daughter had surgery in December and was wearing a sports bra within two weeks of having surgery. While in the hospital, my daughter wasn't worried about wearing a bra. If it is an issue, you could always try a camisole or a tanktop under your daughter's t-shirt or hospital gown. You could also try a thick robe. Any of those might work.

As for the scar, Jamie's looks awesome! Like Jennifer said, some girls are proud of their scars, and that's Jamie! She wanted a bikini that showed off her scar, but opted for a one piece that has a strip of material that covers most of the scar. The reason? She doesn't want me driving her crazy with sunscreen every two minutes! I hate to tell her this, but I will still be driving her crazy with sunscreen. We were told not to put anything on her scar for several months. In fact,we've never put anything on the scar, not even lotion at this point. Be sure to ask her doctor about sun screen this summer. Our doctor told us lots of sunscreen, but Jamie's scar is five months old. I don't know how it will work for your daughter's scar that will be very fresh.

Jamie started p.t. around three months post-op and she worked in the pool and as part of her therapy, they had her sit in front of the jets to massage her back. She has never had a problem since then with anyone touching her back. In fact, she loves me to massage her back.

Good luck with the surgery. Your family will be in our thoughts and prayers June 6th. Keep us posted on how things are going.

Mary Lou

[swtpopcorn]

Thank you all for your responding to my questions. I really hadn't even thought about physical therapy for the scarring! Anyway - just to share, I just bought front button 2pc. pajamas for Deb to wear at the hospital - and since the Dr. suggested I stay with her overnite - I got myself a matching pair!! She's just gonna luv it

I will keep you guys updated, thanks for your support.

[susannajon]

That is totally something I would do, and my daughter would die of embarrassment. BUT, it's definitely character building...

[Gail]

Hi swtpopcorn,

I used "Mederma Scar Cream" on my back. My scar is very slim and looks great...my surgeon did an excellent job stapling my incision and I do feel like the cream helped take away the redness of the scar. My husband would apply the cream down the incision and he would be barely touching me but, it felt like he was pushing in on my back.

My surgeon told me to use Zinc Oxide on my scar any time I was out in the sun. He said if I didn't it would make the scar very ugly.

As for the bra...I wore "Cuddle Duds" (it's a really soft undershirt I purchased at Belks) and then I put my bra on over the undershirt. That really helped to keep the clasp off my skin. A front clasp bras would have probably been better, but I don't like those.

Kindest Regards,
Gail