Question on spitting stitches
HW 304, SW 291, GW 160, CW 140 H-5'9.5"
I will post what I'm doing, but not sure what is actually recommended. I sterilize tweezers and try it pull it out. But if it doesn't come out easily I leave it alone. So far the few I have had have come out super easily. I would probably trim the ones that don't want to come out. I am six weeks out also and so far have only had maybe 4 or 5 so far.
Jennifer
Jennifer
I wish that this forum had stickies so we could put together a frequently asked question list. Many of the same questions, problems, and concerns are shared by all of us and come up again and again. Your question is totally normal and you deserve an answer. Because I am lazy, I am copying a previous post and providing a link to the thread.
www.obesityhelp.com/forums/plasticsurgery/4510167/strane-thi ng-happening/#37340933
Post Date: 3/9/12 10:37 pm
Michelle is absolutely right. You have spit a stitch. When it becomes raised like that it is called a stitch abcess. Your body is just rejection a dissovable stitch that for some reason it couldnt dissolve. Sometimes you get a clear fluid leaking from the area which is called serrous fluid - it is just white blood cells and stuff your body was making to fight the foreign body.
You can just wait for those other ones to push thru or when it becomes quite raised you can use sharp tweezers to push thru the thin skin and grab the stitch and pull it out. This can be harder than it sounds since as you saw, the stitches tend to be made of a clear thin synthetic substance and can be hard to see. If you notice the pimple area expanding or see tissue breaking down on the scar line, you or a doctor might need to remove the stitch as sometimes the stitches can masticate the skin from the inside out. (Thats what happened to me.) Most patients spit a stitch or three and have no real problems.
Just wipe the area with hydrogen peroxide and continue to wash with an antibacterial soap. No need to bandage and usually no need to use Bacitracin. The areas just seal back up and heal up without incident in most cases.
I know it sounds stupid but don't forget to wash your hands before handling the incision or stitch area and be sure to sterilize any tweezers you might use. I was chatting with an ER doc a few months ago and she talked about how many folks infect their own surgery incisions because they forget this basic rule.
The only thing I would add to answer your second question more completely is -
Usually only a single stitch is pushed to the surface. In some cases where the body truly fails to absorb the stitches or where you have a reaction to the suture substance, a portion of the stitch line may push thru the skin but you will see that it is still attached to the suture line. In this case, pull as much as you can of the stich out of your skin, snip the line and discard, then check the suture line to see if you can grab another section. Usually, the suture line zips back under the skin and you just wait to see if it will now reabsorb. Sometimes though, you can still grab and remove more stitches.
You need to take out anything that remains exposed to the air. These sections can become breeding grounds for bacteria colonies.
www.obesityhelp.com/forums/plasticsurgery/4510167/strane-thi ng-happening/#37340933
Post Date: 3/9/12 10:37 pm
Michelle is absolutely right. You have spit a stitch. When it becomes raised like that it is called a stitch abcess. Your body is just rejection a dissovable stitch that for some reason it couldnt dissolve. Sometimes you get a clear fluid leaking from the area which is called serrous fluid - it is just white blood cells and stuff your body was making to fight the foreign body.
You can just wait for those other ones to push thru or when it becomes quite raised you can use sharp tweezers to push thru the thin skin and grab the stitch and pull it out. This can be harder than it sounds since as you saw, the stitches tend to be made of a clear thin synthetic substance and can be hard to see. If you notice the pimple area expanding or see tissue breaking down on the scar line, you or a doctor might need to remove the stitch as sometimes the stitches can masticate the skin from the inside out. (Thats what happened to me.) Most patients spit a stitch or three and have no real problems.
Just wipe the area with hydrogen peroxide and continue to wash with an antibacterial soap. No need to bandage and usually no need to use Bacitracin. The areas just seal back up and heal up without incident in most cases.
I know it sounds stupid but don't forget to wash your hands before handling the incision or stitch area and be sure to sterilize any tweezers you might use. I was chatting with an ER doc a few months ago and she talked about how many folks infect their own surgery incisions because they forget this basic rule.
The only thing I would add to answer your second question more completely is -
Usually only a single stitch is pushed to the surface. In some cases where the body truly fails to absorb the stitches or where you have a reaction to the suture substance, a portion of the stitch line may push thru the skin but you will see that it is still attached to the suture line. In this case, pull as much as you can of the stich out of your skin, snip the line and discard, then check the suture line to see if you can grab another section. Usually, the suture line zips back under the skin and you just wait to see if it will now reabsorb. Sometimes though, you can still grab and remove more stitches.
You need to take out anything that remains exposed to the air. These sections can become breeding grounds for bacteria colonies.
HW-345,SW-300, CW-144lbs. DS 5/11/10. First round of plastics with Dr. LoMonaco 11/8/11 LBL, BL. 14lbs of skin removed.
2nd round with Dr. LoMonaco 2/8/12 Brachioplasty, Thigh lift, Breast Implants.
Looking_Forward
on 4/4/12 2:09 pm
on 4/4/12 2:09 pm
Thanks Jennifer & Raven300! It is definitely a spit stitch. I tried to pull it out with a tweezer but it's not budging. The surrounding area looks fine & I have no fluid leaking. I'm going to check with my doctor what he wants me to do with this stubborn thing.
Cindy
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