Has anyone had to get steroid shots in their incision???

[Rosebud54]

It's been 5 months since my surgery. My incision is very red, itches, and sore to the touch. My cardiologist gave me a referral to a dermatologist for steroid shots. I haven't went yet, I can only imagine how it's going to hurt!!!

Carol

 

[piglet]

It's probably going to hurt alittle but if it helps the annoying itch I'm thinking it may be worth it. Heck you've been through OHS, you can get through this no problem.

 

[Greg a]

I think Malibu82 had it done

 

[kfay]

I had them after my first surgery. I'm not going to lie, they hurt...a lot! It's not the actual shots that hurt, but the steroids burned like crazy. I felt like I had a fire in my scar. Unfortunately for me, they didn't help at all and I ended up having my incision cut out. I think you can have a lot of work done on those scars now with lasers. I would look into that if I were you.

 

[Bill B]

The bottom half of my scar is red, swollen, tender and itchy even 2 years post-op. Strangely, the top half is not. I have a very, very good dermatologist. He made nothing out of the "bad" part of my scar, saying that's just how some people react. Somebody here reported that a steroid shot into the scar resolved this for him, but the shot(s) hurt quite a bit. I asked my dermatologist about it, and he offered that he could inject the scar if I wanted but was not pushing it. He suggested a topical scar cream available online called Kelo Cote. It looked like a snake-oil product to me, but I bought some. It did not help at all. I've held off on the shots hoping the scar will decrease over time.

Here is a scar treatment site that catalogues the creams and other treatments. I'm not suggesting this site is unbiased, just that it shows what's available.
http://www.scartreatmentassociation.com/

 

[AgilityDog]

I had the steroid shots for the same reason, in the bottom 2 inches of my scar.
I tried all the creams and the silicone patch, etc.

The dermatologist first shot me up with some lidocaine (which itself burns) then shot up the cortisone. Lots of little injections up and down.

The itch stopped. However, I now have a depression in my incision area about half the width of my pinky in that area of my scar, where the tissue around the scar collapsed from the cortisone. It's a trade off, but I prefer it to trying to surreptitiously rub at my itchy scar, under my bra, all day long for ever and ever!

I don't know if it will ever fill in, but since a similar place in my ankle, where I once got horse kicked, has filled in over the last 20 years, I expect it will, eventually.

 

[jake]

My scar went keyloid and I had two steroid shot treatments. I didn’t think they were bad and it really improved the appearance of my scar significantly.

 

[MCCooper]

I had surgery a year and two months ago. My scar still hurt when touched and is still very red. My cardiologist mentioned having the steroid injections, but I didn't think I could take it. Does anyone else still have scar issues after a year? I am beginning to wonder if it will ever feel better?

 

[carolinemc]

If it helps, sure do it. You have to get control over the itches and soreness. Just do as the doctors tell you. Hugs for today.