Not for the squeemish! 2 Week check-up was a "doozie" !

I'm 2 weeks post-op and having a little trouble with my incision. I have been fighting off an infection for about a week now. 3 days after I got home, the incision started to drain....alot! So I called the Dr. , and he told me to not worry, it was normal and the "junk" has to come out. So I have been changing the dressing up to 3 times a day and cleaning the wound. When I finally saw my surgeon, he started to squeeze and push all around the site. Then I see him take a long q-tip swab and start to insert it into the bottom of the incision. Then he wrapped a piece of gause around the swab and stuck that up inside the wound. He said that it will act as a wick and make it drain faster. All I can say is ....OUCH >>OUCH>>>>OUCH and YUCK! So, thank goodness it is not infected, and is draining quite a bit now. Hopefully it will end soon and let it all heal. Oh, and it's all not negative.............I lost 20lbs ! Has anyone ever had this happen to them after OPEN RNY? Thanks for listening, Peg G.

Hi Peg, so sorry you're going through the problems with your incision. I didn't have that problem, but as a nurse I can tell you that it is not that uncommon for an incision to not completely heal, leaving a small area to continue draining. Now that area has to heal from the inside out, which takes some extra time. I'm glad to hear that it isn't infected, but keep your eyes open for any increased redness, swelling, yellow or green colored drainage or fever. And congratulations on the 20 pounds! In just a few short weeks you'll only remember this as being a blip on the road to sveltness. Linda

That's great to hear Linda. As I get more and more responses I can see that it is quite common and you have to keep watching for infection until it is healed. Is there any idea of how long it will drain before it starts to heal?

It depends on how deep it is. I would imagine it will be healed in the next couple of weeks, but that's only a guess. It might take a lot less. Hang in there! Linda

Congrats on the 20 pounds Peg... WTG... EWwwwieeee about the incision. I am glad to hear that it is not infected though. Good luck and I hope it heals quickly for you. Shawn M.