Aug
20
Skin infection around scar at week 6.5
August 20, 2009 | |
A slight setback over the last couple of days, I have developed a bit of cellulitis (skin infection) around the scar.
It started of at what was the last part of the scar to lose its scab, about an inch up from the base of the scar. This area had been behind the rest in healing, was the last to lose it’s scab, and had remained a bit sensitive to touch - it looks like it just never completely healed over.
I noticed at physiotherapy on Monday that it was more sore than usual, and over the course of Tuesday an area of redness grew from this point, spreading to about 3 cm long and 2 cm wide. The whole area felt itchy and sensitive to touch. I wasn’t able to get an appointment with the surgeon until Thursday afternoon, so on Wednesday (yesterday) I took myself off to the GP to get a course of antibiotics.
As of today midday (after 3 doses) I think it is starting to improve, the redness doesn’t go quite as far up the scar. I’m still carrying on with land-based exercises, but am having a break from the pool until it has fully cleared up, and also (obviously) not massaging directly over the scar line. At it’s worst the redness extended about 50% further than in the pictures below.
I’m very glad I got it seen to quickly, before the wound started to break down, as it should only slow up my rehab by a few days.
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- small area of skin infection 1 inch from bottom of scar (left of picture)
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- close up of affected area. This is after 3 doses on antibiotic, the redness is decreasing and some dry skin is flaking off.
Comments
6 Comments so far
- dsut4392 has completed the grueling 26.2 ATR miles to full recovery!
Goal: 152 days from the surgery date.
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- dsut4392 has completed the grueling 26.2 ATR miles to full recovery!
If you check out my 1-month post, you can see how much better the scar was looking, but also see a lttle red area where this started off from…
I am over 10 weeks post op and I still have some areas of redness that flare up especially after a lot of walking or a heavy PT session. I asked the PT and he said as long as the redness and soreness goes away after a period of rest, then it is just the scar stretching (tearing I think) and not an infection. Mine usually does, but this New England heat and humidity isn’t helping matters.
Good luck
Chuck
Thanks Chuck. Unfortunately mine is a low grade infection (my wife is a doc), and over the last few days it still hasn’t cleared, although it hasn’t got much worse. Time to change antibiotics…
Dylan-Hey! Looks like u r healing well. Yep on no pool…with any wound that’s the worse thing u want is getting dirty water in it. Sounds like you’ll be healed in no time! Have a great week!
Thanks Kristina. After reading your story I can see why you would say it looks like I’m healing well, but it looked better than that weeks ago and it’s disappointing to go backwards. Since that picture the redness has spread most of the way up the scar and it gets raised and puffy if I don’t keep it elevated.
I have managed to get an appointment with my surgeon tomorrow. Hopefully he will get me on some antibiotics that actually clear this infection up as what the GP gave me (cephalexin) obviously hasn’t worked.
Going back to keeping the leg raised and avoiding exercise is exactly what I didn’t want to be doing when I should be hitting the physiotherapy hard.
Yep, u r right..it’s getting the right antiobiotic. And, as u know it takes a while for the skin to thicken up. It’s so thin, but in time you’ll be at 100%. Take care!