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  • Incision Care

    Hi
    I was just wondering what type of advice people received from their doctors about caring for your incision. Once the steri-strips are off and the stitches dissolved do use antibiotic ointment?
    Thanks
    Jenn
    37 y/o female
    60 degree lumbar
    45 degree thoracic
    1st time anterior/posterior surgery May 8th and 10th 2006
    T 5 to S 1
    NYC

  • #2
    Summer,
    In my case I had staples, once they were out I could shower and use soap & water. Absolutely no creams/ointment etc. just air dry and leave it alone.
    SandyC

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    • #3
      Hi Jenn,
      I didn't use anything on my incision once the steri-strips were removed and it healed well and looks like a thin pencil line today. My husband checked the incisions after each shower to be sure they looked okay. Seven weeks post-op, he found a small infection at the top of my back incision (base of my neck) where a small bit of stitching would not dissolve. I had to have a small surgery to have the infected tissue removed from the area. I don't think that antibiotic ointments would have helped in my case, but you can ask your surgeon for his/her advice on if it's possible or necessary to try to prevent things like that.

      Comment


      • #4
        Nothing much, just unscented lotion if it gets dry. I had dissolvable stitches though, don't know if that makes the treatment different.
        35 y/old female from Montreal, Canada
        Diagnosed with scoliosis(double major) at age 12, wore Boston brace 4 years at least 23 hours a day-curve progressed
        Surgery age 26 for 60 degree curve in Oct. 1997 by Dr.Max Aebi-fused T5 to L2
        Surgery age 28 for a hook removal in Feb. 1999 by Dr.Max Aebi-pain free for 5 years
        Surgery age 34 in Dec.2005 for broken rod replacement, bigger screws and crosslinks added and pseudarthrosis(non union) by Dr. Jean Ouellet

        Comment


        • #5
          heidi

          Hi Heidi
          Wow, I'll have to tell my boyfriend to be on the look out for changes. I didn't know it could become infected as late as 7 weeks after surgery. Did you immediately go to your surgeon or general prac?
          thanks
          Jenn
          37 y/o female
          60 degree lumbar
          45 degree thoracic
          1st time anterior/posterior surgery May 8th and 10th 2006
          T 5 to S 1
          NYC

          Comment


          • #6
            Jenn,
            I became infected 4 months after my A/P, that is why I would be very leary of putting anything on your incision, unless your doc OK's it first. By the way my incision is from T4-S1
            Last edited by SandyC; 06-06-2006, 01:35 PM.
            SandyC

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            • #7
              Hi Summer

              Good morning,
              I can only answer your question from replacement surgery- nothing was rubbed on it until the incision was well healed. Then I used lotion to try and "soften" the scar and would massage the scar. However, that was well after it healed.
              Once again, since your surgery was so recent- I appreciate your messages. They are good warning orders for what is to come with me. Thanks.
              Eric
              Eric
              Army LTC
              13 June 06
              L1-S1 fusion (post-ant)
              T10 - S1 derotation with instrumentation

              Comment


              • #8
                Sandy C

                How did you know you had an infection? What signs should I look for ?
                Thanks
                Jenn
                37 y/o female
                60 degree lumbar
                45 degree thoracic
                1st time anterior/posterior surgery May 8th and 10th 2006
                T 5 to S 1
                NYC

                Comment


                • #9
                  Jenn,
                  The first time I just happen to notice a small dime size yellowish stain on the upper back on my underpants when I went in to shower. My husband said it looked like a small blister that had popped open. I went in to my surgeon's office the next day....had surgery a few hours later. This happened on July 3rd. In mid August I got up off the bed, after a nap and my levis were suddenly dripping wet....like I had wet my pants. I got my levis and pants off, the fluid was litterly running down my leg. The blister this time was about the size of a quarter. Again surgery. The same thing happend again in September and then in again in October, which was when my doc took out all of the hardware. Other than the blister appearing at the incision line I had no other symtoms. No fever/normal white cell count. After the second surgery I was on Vancomycin (IV) and Riphampin. I was having blood work done every week, because of the side effects of these drugs. Other than the blister I had no symtoms
                  SandyC

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Jenn,
                    My husband saw that the area where the disolving(sp?) stitch was sticking out had started to get red and opened up a bit. I saw my surgeon right away. He couldn't tell if it was infected or not, he was hoping it was just irritated so he pulled out as much of the stitch as he could and tried stitching the area over. He mentioned that it might be infected below the surface but he couldn't tell from what he could see. I had the stitches removed a week later and he said that it looked good but to keep an eye on it. Later that night my husband was changing the dressing and saw that the area had opened up again...we saw my surgeon the next day and he set up my surgery the following morning.

                    My big worry was that he told me that if the infection had reached the hardware, it could get into the bone and I would need to be on IV antibiotics for 6 weeks. He found during the 20 min. surgery that it was only a surface infection (just below the skin) so I was very relieved! It did cause my scar to be extended upwards by an inch, which my surgeon wasn't happy about (he had managed to stop my original scar so that it ended just below the neckline and he was very proud of that!)

                    It's something that you shouldn't be paranoid about, but you should watch for. Infection never really crossed my mind once I left the hospital, but my hubby was constantly monitoring my incisions for signs and I'm glad he was...

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Wow..........I didn't think I had to worry about it either, but I'm so glad I know what to look for. It amazes me that my surgeon or his staff didn't mention what to look out for.
                      Thank you so much!
                      Jenn
                      37 y/o female
                      60 degree lumbar
                      45 degree thoracic
                      1st time anterior/posterior surgery May 8th and 10th 2006
                      T 5 to S 1
                      NYC

                      Comment

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