Chest incision --- How long to heal after surgery ?

[CAWwindy1]

It has been 5 1/2 weeks since my operation for AVR and CABG and although my leg incisions have completely healed on the outside I can't say the same for my chest incision. As of this date I still have an open wound along this incision that requires daily care. There is a clear sticky fluid that leaks from the wound very slowly but just enough to keep it from scabbing over and healing . Seems like I am doing the same routine over daily with no improvement in the healing. how long should it take for the chest wound to heal over on the outside.

 

[bw00]

Hi, my surgery was 6 Weeks ago and my incision is almost healed completely. Or at least it's closed. Only the bottom part is not fully healed yet because they reopened it. They told me that if after 4 Weeks the wound was still leaking fluids, I would have to get it checked at the hospital. I'm sure it's fine, but you can better be sure! Hope my English is okay, and good luck!

 

[bluefields409]

Incision is now (18 days post) almost "scab" free( pink, a bit lumpy in places, not a smooth glue job:biggrin2 but chest tube holes are still a nuisance. Noticed some stitches after shower this morning, presumably from chest/belly tubes .:confused2:

I still think they could have slipped in some" breast augmentation" whilst I was... ahem, open...:rolleyes2:

Helen

 

[Mentu]

Hi, Windy, I kept notes during recovery and watched closely as my incision healed. Mine was fully healed at the end of three weeks, however, the four little holes were more stubborn and continued to ooze and scab over until 5 1/2 weeks when they finally scabbed over for the last time. I agree that there may be no problem with your incision but I would have someone look at it now. The inability of incision to close could be caused by some unresolved issue below the skin. If so, your surgeon needs to deal with it at once. If you don't squeak, you aren't going to know, so I say be a squeaky wheel. At worst, there is no serious problem but you can only know this after it is examined by someone you trust. If you don't want to talk to your surgeon and have a better relationship with your GP then talk with him or her. I liked my surgeon but when it comes to my GP, I've grown to deeply respect her opinion.

Larry

 

[tom in MO]

I had no noticable discharge and was completely closed after about 2-3 weeks from surgery. I would ask your doctor.

 

[clay_from_nj]

My incision was glued shut and never bandaged in any way. It looked pretty much healed from day 1. The only issue I had was a couple of little threads from sutures in the inner stuff poking through my skin shortly after returning home. The nurse at my surgeon's office just plucked them out with a pair of tweezers. My drain tube holes were bandaged for a few days, but healed up pretty quickly.

 

[Aggie85]

Did they say anything to you about leaving the incision open to air as much as possible? Don't know what you're doing for daily wound care, but one of the best things for scars is to let them just be straight out open to air. This far out, you may want to go get it checked though, just to be safe and sure.

This is my 4th OHS and 12th surgery. Lots of experience with wound care. It never hurts to ask and make sure all is ok but could be a problem if you don't. If you do go, ask about recommendations for how long to expose to air each day.

Good luck and Best wishes!
Linda

 

[carolinemc]

It will take a few more weeks to heal, openings also, just be sure to use what the doctor says for wound care. And you do want the fluid to leak out for it helps in the healing process. You do not cover the open area, for it helps in the healing. You just have to be patient, it will heal and do not over do things before your incision is completely healed, which will be fairly soon. Just do not rush the healing, you can get infection when you do.

 

[AdrockTN]

My chest incision healed waay fast than the drainage tube ones did ... the latter oozed for several days.

 

[river-wear]

At 3 weeks, my chest incision is completely healed in the middle. The top and bottom still have scabs, as do the drainage holes. The whole area is still very sensitive to touch.