BUMMER...wound infection

Not such good news at the doc visit today..but, duh, I have been TELLING them ever since I started running a fever in the hospital.............INFECTION!! Yup, sure enough...he pulled a couple of staples where it was swollen the most, and..........well, think Christmas colors..red and green........liquid...........lots...........really lots. Then he stuffs a 4x4 gauze in it!! And pulls it back out.........OUCH! And repeats a few times. So, he says," This is what you will have to do twice a day....get in a warm, soapy shower, pull the packing, let the soap and water wash over it, and then repack, letting part of the gauze hang out as a wick. It is a minor complication, a wound infection, and should clear up just fine in 3 to 4 WEEKS." ARE YOU KIDDING ME??? I HAVE TO GO AROUND WITH A WET, BLOODY, GROSS PIECE OF GAUZE HANGING OUT OF ME FOR ABOUT A MONTH???? "Well, yes. Be sure to wet the sponge (gauze) in the sterile saline each time..........and if you are going out somewhere and don't want it all over your clothes (NICE), they make those thin maxipads now.............." IF I GO OUT I AM GOING TO WEAR A MAXIPAD TAPED TO MY CHEST? "Yes. Come back Monday. We will take a look at it and take the rest of the staples out." And just to had one final insult to injury, I was lying down too flat on the table and COULD NOT GET UP!! Holy Cow..........I guess this really isn't a walk in the park. Wesie, a week out, down 5 from admit weight, plus the 13lbs of fluid I gained from fluid.............I guess you COULD say down 18??

Louisa I am sorry that you have to go through this. I will pray for you. I hope you feel better soon Rabia Lapband 9/2/04

I'm really sorry this happened to you I was worried that you might have had a infection. When you said in your other post that you were running a fever. Hopefully it will get better quickly and you won't have to do the gauze clean out thing for a whole month. Good luck I will keep you in my prayers.((((((((HUGS)))))))) Laura

Thanks, Rabia and Laura! It is still soooooooooo worth it...........got to move one of the BIG weights on the scale today!!! Although it was only 6lbs from my admitting weight, it is still in the right direction....

Louise- God's speed......friend!!! Remember, to keep the wound very very clean during this process. I am so sorry to hear about your situtation. God Bless you and yours, -Gwen

Well let me just start off by saying that intuition should never be doubted. All the medical schooling in the world isn't as good as how you know your own body. I am sad for you that you have to go through this. I think (no feelings hurt please) that your doctor is pretty insensative. To make you change the bandages without even asking if it is something you can handle isn't very nice. Not to mention if you even able to see what your doing. I have a few incisions and the one on my side I can't see unless I look in the mirror. Sounds like really yuck that came out of that wound. My moter in law had to have a wound on her tummy packed after one of her many surgeries. (Cancer issues) Since no one wanted to touch it I opted to help out as much as I could. I wore those lovely gloves and made sure everything was sterile. They offered her a nurse but the lady was a little barbaric the first time and my mother in law wasn't having that. I had to pack her pretty deep though. She never compalined but I always felt like I was hurting her. After a short while she got better and is no completely healed. 3-4 weeks seems like a life time when it comes to the nature of your problem. I am just glad you found out before it became something majorly major. Also instead of a maxi pad I folded up a huge gauze pad and laid it over her wound then taped it with that special skin tape that tears with extreme ease. I hope you get better soon and have no more pains in the a$$. Shannon

Thanks, Shannon..... I really did not think it would be such a big deal to pack the wound.......but I was wrong. I had a pretty hard time doing it, and was unsure how deep to go, and it hurt, and I didn't know if I had put enough saline on the gauze, and now if feels sort of burning, ugh......... I am not so sure I will be able to handle this on my own.........Ah well, I go back Monday....perhaps we can revisit this "idea"......and I can get some help with it. I didn't offer up any objections on the spot..frankly, had never seen or heard of a wound being packed........so I guess it might be a little bit my fault..... I am starting to freak a bit..have visions of my entire abdomen filled with pus and yuck...and of it bubbling out this hole...........maybe that is why my belly is so sore, all of it? Maybe I will just try to sleep......... Wesie The good news is that it is right up front, at what would be the midline of your bra...so easy to see.

So, I slept. And got up this am. took a shower, and changed the packing. It was not as scary in the daylight........and somehow a bit less gross. Maybe I can do this after all........... The weight is still headed downward, which is the whole point, right? And I seem to feel a lot more human today.........still really sore, etc....but like there is light at the end of the tunnel.....and I fear I am HUNGRY!!!!!!!!!! UH OH.