Question:
Has anyone had surgery to treat a post op infection that won't heal?

I am 5 months out and have been packing this thing every day. It is still a major wound with lots of drainage. I was wondering if anyone had the surgery where the surgeon goes back in and cleans things up and we start again. How long is the recovery?? How bad it the discomfort?? Is it typically an outpatient thing? Just curious. I see the surgeon next week and I don't want to be blindsided. Thanks.    — ceecee127 (posted on November 22, 2008)

November 22, 2008
I had the same problem with my panniculectomy. At 4 months I had to go back in to surgery for a wound debridment. The revovery is the same with any major surgery. Your recovery will be the same as any other major surgery. You know how you heal from surgery. Make sure you have lots of pprotein for healing. Take plenty of Vit E and when your wound is healed pretty good with the permission of your surgeon put tons of Vit E oil on to make it heal better. Thats what I do when I have a post op wound infection and my scar looks alot better. The pain should be pretty much the same. I really don't know if this can be done outpt because you have a big infection and it mite be better to keep you a few days for powerful antibotics to kick in. I think I pretty much covered everything and if you need to ask more questions please PM and I will help in any way I can. Good Luck. Dawn
   — [Deactivated Member]

November 22, 2008
Sorry about repeating my self in one of the sentances. I just got bad news that a WLS friend's father died about 1 hour ago.I quess I should of proofreed a little better. Dawn
   — [Deactivated Member]

November 22, 2008
I developed "fistulas" from an abdominal surgery different from my RNY. I found out I'm allergic to dissolvable sutures They had to go back in, cut everything out that wasn't healing and sew it back up with a different type of suture material. It healed right up after that but my immune system was already shot from fighting the infection for so long.
   — JODI_13