9 weeks post op - no bueno
Hi all, I went for my 9 week post op visit this afternoon. To quickly recap what has been going on since it has been awhile since my last post - my incision does not seem to want to heal, thus, I have not been cleared by my OS to begin any type of weight bearing nor did he clear me for PT. Each time I go to an appt., which has been weekly for the past 3 weeks to check on the healing process, I am told to give it another week. I asked to be referred to a wound specialist and was told it wasn’t necessary. I have been doing wet to dry dressing changes twice daily but have seen no improvement in the size of the incision. I was told it was not infected, hallelujah, but the dang thing won’t close up. I have researched different wound care methods/products and mentioned them to the OS but he seems to have an “only what he has been taught” viewpoint. I don’t know if I should try an alternate dressing treatment on my own or not. I fear it might make matters worse. Has anybody experienced this and what are your thoughts on all this. I have been stressing quite a bit over this, along with being extremely frustrated, as well as, very sad and depressed. Any help, pointers, suggestions would be so greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!
May 23rd, 2015 at 6:46 am
My thoughts would be to see a wound specialist for a second opinion if you think that will help alleviate your stress about the situation. It may just give you peace of mind. Even my incision is still not 100 percent healed ( I still have a scab on the lower portion of the incision at 12 weeks). Just one thought- even though my OS and PT did not think my incision was infected, it still was healing slowly and the skin looked different in that area. I ended up having to go on 7 days of antibiotic for an unrelated condition (root canal) around week 10- and my PT did feel that helped my incision turn the corner towards healing. Hope you are back on your road to recovery soon.
May 23rd, 2015 at 10:43 am
I am sooooo happy I found a post from someone that isn’t having a WOUNDERFULL time with this thing! haha Just kidding. Does that make me an ass? Here is my take. I think that some people my self included it just takes time. Also I am not on antibiotics as I truly fell that even though it didn’t look infected before I bet there was something in there no letting it heal. Do you still have your sutures in? My doc was very explicit about leaving them in as a preventive measure. Here is my plan. I am going to let this next round of treatment from the OS go as he plans. If there are ANY and I mean ANY more complications I am going to a wound care specialist weather he likes it or not.
May 23rd, 2015 at 11:16 am
Linda, I am taking an antibiotic despite there being no infection, I suppose to err on the side of caution. I return to the OS on Tuesday and I also plan on seeing a wound specialist if there is no improvement by then. Gdubz, have you looked into Medi-honey or Manuka honey at all? It is supposed to work wonders for hard to heal incisions. I ordered some online and today will be my first time trying it. I am doing this on my own without consulting my OS for I feel that I have gotten nowhere following his instructions and he seems unwilling to offer me any alternative type of treatment. I will let you know if there is any improvement with healing. And no, there isn’t one thing wonderful about this whole process!!! I, as I know you are as well, am ready to live a “normal” life again. I have not been able to work since March 6 when I incurred the injury. I am unable to work as I run a preschool out of my home, which is in our basement. I am unable to manipulate the stairs without my hubby’s assistance so obviously I can’t return to work at this point. I was anticipating returning by mid-June, however, at the rate my incision is healing, I don’t foresee that happening. I worry continuously about not working and I know stress does nothing to help the healing process. This whole situation is like a living nightmare. I will keep you posted on any results using the Medi-honey. In the meantime, happy healing!
May 23rd, 2015 at 11:25 am
I also go back to the OS on Tues to take another look at this thing. I really hope he doesn’t just rip the scab off and let it just bleed like last time. I will also keep you posted on what it looks like on Tues.
May 24th, 2015 at 10:24 am
Honey has worked great on our mares. Not sure of antibiotics though when you have no infection as it is known that body builds up resistance to these drugs, which I suppose makes them less effective when you do have a problem.
May 24th, 2015 at 1:27 pm
The only honey know to have antibiotic properties is manuka honey. It comes from manuka trees which grow mostly in New Zealand and some in Australia. It is exported all over the world however the amount of this honey sold is about 10 times more than produced so it seems some people are being less than honest. It is commonly used as a wound treatment for animals here as well. If you try antibiotics then make sure they are not the type known to cause AT rupture but taking antibiotics when there is no infection does build up resistance. There are so many factors affecting wound healing that I would agree with others and say get a second opinion as it is affecting your recovery. There have been many through this site with similar issues but it is hard to say if they have the same root cause. Have a read of this page journals.lww.com/aswcjournal/Fulltext/2011/04000/Checklist_for_Factors_Affecting_Wound_Healing.10.aspx for more information on why wound don’t heal. You will have to add those w’s before it.
May 24th, 2015 at 2:27 pm
Maybe luck on our part then but our honey was a standard from the supermarket. We’d had healing probs and they went when the honey treatment started.
May 25th, 2015 at 10:57 am
Hi,
I too had a slow healing incision. I bought the “Medihoney”, the Manuka type grown in New Zealand. It is medical grade. I think the bees use the Tea tree flowers and the tea tree healing properties are in the honey. It cost about $22, for a tube; I got it from Amazon. I used it twice a day, covered my incision, and it healed nicely from then on. Do a bit of research on the net and see what you think. I think it will help you.
May 25th, 2015 at 2:40 pm
Atrbuff - very interesting. Raw honey contains Hydrogen Peroxide which is formed when the bee introduces and enzyme to the nectar to turn it into honey. This remains in the honey and can have antibacterial properties but as it is quite unstable once the raw honey is treated commercially with heat the HPO is gone. There may be some traces of it but tests show there is very little antibacterial benefit. Manuka honey’s antibacterial quality does not rely on HPO.
May 25th, 2015 at 8:01 pm
I went ahead bought the Medi-honey and have been using it the last 2 days (4 dressing changes) and have already seen some improvement. The incision is a bit smaller and is no longer draining. I have been taking an antibiotic, as well, so I can’t be certain whether this is due to the honey or the antibiotics. I hope it continues to heal as it seemed as if it was healing a couple of weeks ago and then it took a turn for the worst. I am not sure how my OS will feel about me using the honey. I guess I will find out tomorrow. I figured it was worth giving it a try. What the OS had me doing, wet to dry dressings, was not working. Wishing everyone a quick and easy recovery.
May 26th, 2015 at 1:26 pm
The OS will no doubt say the affect is due to antibiotics but the medicinal honey has been clinically proven. The good thing is things are getting better.
May 27th, 2015 at 10:20 pm
I had the f/u appt yesterday to assess the progress of my non-healing wound. The OS said it looked better than it did on Friday, however, it still had quite a way to go. Thus, I am unable to start any type of weight bearing, although he did say I can start PT with modality treatment only. No ROM or stretching exercises yet. The incision is not infected just healing extremely slow. He reassured me that it will heal, however, at a slow pace. He was also ok with the Medi-honey and said I can continue using it as it does seem to be helping some. He did mention that an option to help speed the healing process is a hyperbaric chamber. I have done some research on hyperbaric therapy but was wondering if anyone has tried this type of treatment or might know something about it. As always, any information would be greatly appreciated. I have an appt with a wound specialist on Tuesday for a second opinion. Will keep you all posted. Happy healing!