Question:
I'm 2 weeks post op and the skin under my lap scars is sensitive to clothing.

No matter what shirt I wear, I end up having to hold it away from my stomach. It almost feels like a brush burn and started when my surgeon removed the bandages last Thursday. Any ideas what this could be and how to stop the problem?    — Colleen S. (posted on November 25, 2002)

November 25, 2002
I also had this happen to me. Two things I found that helped somewhat. First of all, try and wear something that fits -- not something that rubs over your skin -- does that make any sense? Like a t-shirt or something that fits snuggly but not tight. If the material doesn't "rub", it doesn't cause that senitivity problem. Also, rub a good cream/lotion/oil into the incision sites. It helps to reduce the sensitivity - not to mention it helps reduce scarring. Despite everything I did, I still walked around holding my shirt out a lot. I think some folks just have more sensitivity than others. Best of Luck.
   — Pam S.

November 25, 2002
It may be that you had a slight reaction to the adhesive in the dressing and that made your skin more sensitive. As suggested, try to avoid wearing anything that rubs on the area. If its really bugging you - you might try applying a light dressing over the area until its less sensitive. Just 2x2 gauze and some paper tape should work. If you want something a little less bulky, check out the "tattoo" type bandaids that 3M has out for kids. Its kind of like the clear dressings the hospital uses. The sensitivity should resolve with time. :)
   — Anne R.

November 26, 2002
Hi Colleen, It may not be the same thing but at 2 weeks post-op I got a yeast infection of the skin around my gastric tube. The doctor had me use some antibiotic cream and it cleared right up. Good Luck, Suki
   — Suki L.

November 26, 2002
I'm three weeks out of open RNY and have the same problem with both my open scar and the tiny scars from the two tubes I had in. The only thing that has helped me is to cover the smaller ones with band aids and I fit a long piece of gauze over the long vertical scar and use surgical tape to keep it on. Also, I don't know if this will help the healing process or not, but a friend of mine suggested putting Vitamin E on the wounds to promote faster healing; I just started doing that yesterday so can't tell you yet whether it helps.
   — Arlene S.