Scar bleeding

[BeachinIt66]

Hi...
a few days ago someone noticed blood on the back of my shirt.i went to the bathroom and looked-it was the bottom of my scar. Its not a big part, the part that wonders me is have not a clue where it came from? i dont think i bumped in to anything so imnot sure..is it anything to worry about?
and i dont think it has anything to do with my pain or leg going numb..im 14mos post opp

[LindaRacine]

Beachinit...

You need to report this to your surgeon immediately. It could be something as small as an internal stitch making it's way out, or as bad as an infection.

--Linda

[BeachinIt66]

i go to the doctors in a few weeks.i was planning to wait but now right above the initial bleeding spot on my scar it seemsto be expanding a little bit. it almost looks like dried blood--only that part didnt bleed..
will it be okay to wait?

[LindaRacine]

I would not wait. Call the surgeon's office on Monday morning, or have your regular physician check it.

--Linda

[Mary Lou]

Did I read your post correctly--you are 14 months post-op? I've never heard of a problem with the scar/incision except for immediately after surgery. Linda, is this something we should all be keeping an eye on?

Thanks,
Mary Lou

[LindaRacine]

Hi MaryLou...

Since I don't know what it is, I'm not sure anyone needs to worry about anything. Late onset infections can happen years after surgery, but are relatively rare.

--Linda

[lorrie]

Hi there
I agree with Linda - get this checked right away. It might be nothing of importance but, if it is an infection, the sooner you start treatment the better. Definitely a case of 'better safe than sorry'!

Lorrie

[Erin Null]

consider allergic reaction

Hi, I haven't visited this list for about 8 years when I started having a similar problem. I was about 3 months post-op when I started bleeding, and having some clear fluid leakage. That quickly went from leakage to the opening of my incision and to inflammed tissue pushing its way out.

What it turned out to be in my case was an allergic reaction to the nickel in the surgical steel hardware. I developed a nickel allergy when I got my ears pierced at 13. It is common in my fair-skinned family. But it didn't really explode like that until my surgery when I was 20.

Do you have any metal allergies that you are aware of? Do you have your ears pierced? Sometimes people are suceptible to such allergies but it can take months to manifest.

In the end, I had my hardware all removed and replaced with titanium, which has been no problem. I'm now 7 years post-op and am in training for my first marathon.

This might not be the case for you, but it may be something to consider. It took 3 exploratory surgeries for my doctors to figure out what was going on because it is so rare. It's a question to ask anyway that may save you some time and pain.

[LindaRacine]

Hi Erin...

Are you the same Erin who had her surgery in Northern California?

--Linda

[Erin Null]

I am! Are you the woman who connected me with Dr. Hu?

[LindaRacine]

I am!

I'm so pleased to see that you're training for a marathon!

--LInda

[BeachinIt66]

well i have m ears pierced,but i had that done years ago..i have titanium rods in now so im not sure if i am in the same situation as you..

[ScoliMed]

I am 6 years post-op, and my scar tends to bleed in the winter just from the dry air. Is there any scabbing or dry skin nearby? Regardless, I would have it checked out my your doc, though. It's always better to be safe than sorry.