What the heck is going on????

Hi Ladies, I hope you are all well.  Well, I have a question.  I know this is not the place to ask this, but you are all my friends and I trust you all so much.  OK, here goes....
    As most of you know, I had surgery about 3.5 weeks ago.  They took out a remnant of my ovary, a cyst, cleaned up adhesions (said it was the worst case she has ever see....Go Figure!!!) on my bowels and bladder.  In the process, my bladder got tore.  I had to come home with a cath, and got it out a week later.  I was doing really well and was even able to go to Springfield.  On Saturday night (of that weekend) my incision started seeping (it had not done that the previous 1.5 weeks) but it was just a small amount.  It did it a bit on Sunday and then was fine.  We started school last Wednesday (I am a teacher's aide for 4th and 5th grade) and I was on my feet all day long.  On Thursday, I noticed that my incision was opening just a tad and seeping a small amount again.  On Friday, it looked as if the incision was was open a bit more so I called the dr.  She said as long as there was no yellowish/greenish discharge, no odor, no red around it or red streaks coming from it, or no fever then I was fine and to just clean it well.  Well, the incision is opened a more (about the size of a pencil eraser) it has had a bit of yellowish  discharge (but only one time the rest of the time, it is blood) and it is red around the whole right side.  Also, I notice a spot by where the drainage tube was that was beet red.  Well, I picked on it to see what it was and a bunch of pus came out (sorry TMI I know) and then a black string (for a better term) is sticking out.  I figured it was just a stitch that had finally worked its way to the surface, but when I tried to pull it out, it hurt so bad I wanted to cry.  It is definately attached to something on the inside.  I called the doctor, and they are seeing me in the morning at 9:45.  I am really concerned that she is going to try to pull the stitch out (believe me, I tried pulling it out two or three times and it is attached!!!) without making sure that it is not attached or grown into my tissue.  I am also afraid that she is going to want to open the incision to let it drain.  Has anyone else ever gone through this?  I would love to know how it is done.  Thanks.  Love you all, Kasie  

[Jan214]

If you don't get any satisfactory answer to this problem than you should see another surgeon.  It is not normal for scars to open up and start oozing stuff and as for that black string, if it was a stitch it would have come out. They use dissolvable stitches and have for a long time.  Also a good surgeon ties off each stitch so that as they break down they will come out individually and NOT as a long string.  That sucker sounds like it is attached to something for sure.  Whatever you do don't let her cut it off with any of it stuck inside as that could cause an infection.  If that is the best she can offer you than you need to see someone else and they need to see the whole string.  She may not want to be owning up to a mistake.

I am confused about the cath thing.  They nicked my bladder during surgery and I had to have a cath, which leaked so I ended up with diapers for 3 months until they could do the surgery so I am confused how yours just fixed itself.  

Don't let this Dr give you the run around.  It is NOT normal no matter what she says and if that kind of stuff is "normal" to her than I don't trust her practice.  It sounds like the time a nurse stuck a needle in my arm and blood pooled up in the crook of my arm and was running onto the floor.  When she said it happened all of the time, I said, "it may happen all the time to you but it has NEVER happened to me and I want another nurse."

I have chemo tomorrow so may be out of it but I will try and check in.  Take care of you honey and stand up for yourself.  Don't let yourself be bullied.
Love,
Jan

[fungirl1011]

Hi Jan, thanks for all of the great advice.  When I called on Friday, it was the nurse I talked to, so I do not really know the surgeon's opinion.  I do not even get to see the dr tomorrow, but the nurse practitoner.  I will not let her pull out the string, as I KNOW it is attached to something cuz I feel it pull really bad when I tried to pull it out myself.  Hopefully, I will have answers tomorrow or I have another surgeon I can see here in town and get his opinion.  Thanks again for thinking of me.  I hope all goes well for you tomorrow.  Love you too, Kasie

[marie3B]

Kasie, I agree with Jan.  I did have a piece of string come out of my incision where my i/p port cath got tangled in scar tissue.  It didn't hurt and looked just like dental floss. I have not had good luck with the nurse practitioner at my onc, so I hope you have better luck with yours.  Just be careful and keep taking good care of yourself.  If they tell you something that seems wrong it probably is wrong!!  Keep pushing for answers that make sense.

Jan,  I hope chemo goes easy on you tomorrow.  I will be thinking of you.

Love to you both, Marie

[cirella]

Kasie, when you said the nurse told you it was OK as long as there wasn't any yellow/oozing my first thought was why in the world wouldn't they give you a topical antibiotic ointment or something.  An open surgical wound is just asking for infection.  They need to get you in there and look at it and make darn sure your sutures aren't coming out.  You know that I think you've done too much.  If it shows like that on the outside I really hope it isn't worse on the inside.  

Take care and please let us know what they say.  I think you need more recovery time, too.  OK...sermon over...
((hugs))

[gma718]

Hi Hon..After my second surgery they put me on a wound vac to close up my wound...well when they took me off I still had a slight very small opening that was almost closed but it was in such a low spot that it was hard for me to see but I would feel it and saw that it would bleed...when I went to the Dr he used I think it was called silver nitrate ...almost like cauterizing it which speeds up the healing..maybe it has never really closed or like Lori said you are doing to much..maybe you should have taken some more time to heal..it takes awhile to heal in and out...Speaking of pulling out the string..My surgeon had come into my hospital room as I was laying in the bed and started cutting some scar tissue around the incision area without any anesthia..I thought I would throw up and I started screaming!!! The pain was unbearable!!! But I am sure iyours might just be a little infection and they may give you an oral antibiotic and a cream..please feel better and keep us posted!!! Love, Gia :)

[SimplyStar]

it takes longer than 3.5 weeks for internal healing, if it is a stitch and I am sure it is, do not remove it,  you may have to have the incision irrigated to cleanse it out, then a sterile stripe put across to hold it together, 3.5 weeks is too soon for you to be back on your feet all day. Chill out girl.  if the skin is red , get some bacitracin to rub into that area. pus means infection, you could have an incision abcess (abscess), this needs attention.  Take care  marty

[TrudieC]

Oh, Kasie, I can't imagine you doing as much as you've done in that time frame.  Please take it easy and I hope this easily solved in as little pain as possible for you.

[vegas2cr]

I am sorry Kasie that all this is going on.   What frustrates me the most is so many of my friends on here never see their doctors but only a nurse practioner.. NOw I have great respect for nurses especially  ones who become practioners but they are NOT doctors... If you are not happy with her answer demand to see your doctor...Hoping all is well in your world.  Ronni

[fungirl1011]

Hi everyone,sorry it has taken me so long to post on how things went today.  The nurse practioner was really nice.  She said that the opening in my incision was superficial and did not involve any other skin or tissue.  She cleaned it out really well and then glued it back together.  Then she moved onto the stitch.  She said that she was just going to cut it even with the skin and then let it dissolve on its own.  She cleaned it really well and started squeezing it to get the end to come out enough to cut it (that hurt pretty bad, but I think it was more from the infection).  Next thing I know, she said " OK, the stitch is out!!"  She said that when she got a better look at it, she knew it was not the dissolveable kind.  She showed me the stitch and it was about 1 inch long.  She said that it was kinked.  It really did not hurt at all.  I think it hurt when I tried cuz of the angle I was pulling and from the infection.  So now I should be as good as new.  I asked her if I was doing too much and she said that the opening of the incision was from the glue not sticking in that spot not because I was overdoing.  I went back to work and had a pretty good day. I hope you are all doing well.  Love you, Kasie

[gma718]

great news....Happy that it was an easy fix!!! Hope you continue to stay well and take it as easy as possible....Love, Gia :)

[gah_70]

Excellent!  I know it wasn't a walk in the park, but I'm glad it didn't require reopening the incision.  I'm hoping you'll be good as new in no time!

Love,
Gail

[cirella]

Oh good!  I'm glad it was better than expected.  Still, try to take it easy when you can.  I know you're a go-getter, though.  

Take care and happy healing!

[crecco]

I am so glad that all was well! But I agree that you should still take things a little easy.
But now that the problems are out of the way, I hope the rest of your recovery goes fast and that you are good as new in no time.
       Chris

[marie3B]

I am glad you are okay.  It felt really gross to have a string coming out, didn't it?  I felt so icky until I got mine cut off.  It didn't look like any stitches I have ever seen.  It looked extactly like dental floss.  Love, Marie