Buying Dressings

Westywoodpecker

Glad to hear you got on ok. If I was you I would leave them exposed now anyway as the fresh air helps them to heal quicker.

shelly

I too have a wound in my belly button from surgery 2 weeks ago. Looks to me like its infected but nurse says it isn't. She recommended I clean it with boiled then cooled salty water then to keep it dry by putting a piece of folded clean tissue into the tummy button hole. Apparently due to the nature of the wound being in a crease and like you say all the heat and sweating its best not to have a dressing on it as that just keeps in any bugs. Mine is much better since doing this.

I got some good dressings from Tesco, they are more like a plaster. I don't think they are sterile but they have an antiseptic pad. They are waterproof so you can shower in them.

I still have 3 small wounds covered as for some strange reason I feel safer knowing they are covered. They are coming off tonight though when I have my shower

elisebutt65

Yeah - I've taken one for the dressings off now as I seem to be developing another allergy to the adehsive - Got these ones cos they were hypoallergenic - yeah right!!!

My BB wound now looks a bit better as most of the gack has gradually been washed off though there is an area of rawness - looks like a stitch has popped - ick - I've got the nurse tomorrow soi she can have a proper look. This happened when I walked too much with my appendix. I'm doing 1.5 miles to school, then back and the same again in the pm. BF has now taken over - picking up DS and taking him in for me so I can rest up a bit.

shelly

I got hypoallergenic dressings/plasters too but when I took off one of them off tonight it took a shed load of skin off too :eek: Hurt like heck.....bled alot too. I think though that I just left them on too long.

elisebutt65

Aargh - Because of the rash, I have to put up with the stitches for another week. The nurse wanted to snip them out - they are supposed to be the type that dissolves but they're tightening up and digging in instead. But the wound then needs to be covered for a day of so after they're out. My weals, as she called them, mean that I can't have any dressings on for about a week - gaaah!!!

My bb is fine though the scab needs to come off, so she put on a seaweed dressing to draw it off - weird!!!! And I've also got a weird rubbery type sticky thing on top of that which won't make me rash - allegedly!

God, I never used to be allergic to anything - now my skin is getting so fussy. I can't even use soap powder nowadays in the washing - thank god I found out about the soapnuts on here - lol

shelly

I saw a nurse this morning and she won't take out my stitches. Said that as they are disolvable I have to let nature take its course which could take weeks. She's worried that taking them out before they are ready might "pop open" the wound :eek:

How old are your wounds elise? Mine are 17 days old and I was really hoping to get the stitches out.

elisebutt65

Mine are a week old and mine was quite happy to take them out - alos hospital told me that they could come out after a week - I'd get a new nurse - lol.

I can't have them out due to this rash though if it goes down after the weekend I might invest in some forceps and surgical scissors and do it myself as they are SOOOO tight. I've done it on patients before when i was a student nurse 20 years ago - lol. Alternativley I might get my mum (midwife) to do them next week, if I do get desparate.

wigginsmum

Not all dissolvable stitches dissolve - I've still got my internal ones from my hysterectomy 2 months ago. My surgeon doesn't seem concerned but they're a bit spiky if I rummage around.

elisebutt65

wigginsmum wrote:

Not all dissolvable stitches dissolve - I've still got my internal ones from my hysterectomy 2 months ago. My surgeon doesn't seem concerned but they're a bit spiky if I rummage around.

Oh blehhhhh - Horrible visions now of internal rummaging!!!!:rotfl:

wigginsmum

Just concentrate on the expression on my face instead