Infection

[Kathie54]

I cut my left hand at the knuckle of the 2nd finger and to the right of that, received a total of 9 stitches on 12/5/08.  I went to have them removes a week later, was put on Keflex for 10 days, stitches stayed in for another week.  I am suppose to get them out again tomorrow.  The ones on the knuckle area are still very painful, red and swollen.  If the stitches are removed tomorrow, with the redness, pain and swelling, is there a chance this will force the suture line open?  There is alot of numbness in both areas, is this forever?  I am a home health nurse, so naturally I am very worried about infection, I go back to work on 12/24.  I have been off since the injury.  Thanks for your help!
Kathie

[dejaland]

this is not related to hands... however, shortly after my plastic surgery (rhinoplasty and breast aug) in Dec 2005 I began getting large warm red swollen areas on my breasts that would eventually form what looked like a small blister, and then burst to leave a deep open hole. i went to multiple doctors for a year who told me i was "breaking out." until one day it spread so bad that it looked like I had fallen face/neck/chest first into a huge fire ant hill. i was told i had staph (finally, an answer). after being on medication for the last 2 years, i am still not cured and am actually being told that my cultures are coming back negative for staph. the antibiotics seem to slow the symptoms down, but a month or two after...sometimes only a week or two after...it comes back and is usually worse than before.

i have posted a few photos in my profile..and was wondering if you had any idea what i'm dealing with...

thank you for your time!

[Howard Rosenberg, MD]

Two weeks is more than sufficient time for sutures to be left in place with a hand injury.  If there is an infection, then the wound might open and should remain open to allow drainage and resolution of the infection..