Chest Scab

[Freddie24]

Quick question for all post-surgery members:

I have one little section on my scar, about 1/4'' long that still has a scab on it. My surgery was 10.5 weeks ago and this little scab is still there. Once in a while it will drop off but then it's back a day or two later. Is my tissue still filling in underneath? Is this a problem. I've had two checkups since surgery and my doctor hasn't even mentioned it. Other than this I feel great but it just seems wierd to me. Any insight would be great. Thanks!!

 

[Nancy]

Hi Freddie

I don't know how your surgeon's office operates, but the surgeon who operated on my husband Joe has a nurse, a nurse clinician and a physician's assistant who are all available to answer minor questions and if need be take a little peek at something like that. If it would help your peace of mind, by all means call the office and ask about it. When Joe had his original mitral valve surgery 2 years ago, he had a small area which was red and a little swollen and had a little discharge. The surgeon's colleague swabbed the area and cleaned it out, put a sterile bandage on it in the office and we were on our way. No biggie. It of course, healed up just fine.

I'm sure they would rather you ask a small question than worry about it. If your surgeon is far away, I would call anyway. They can tell you if it's a problem and maybe your primary care physician can look at it.

Good luck.

 

[Kevin M]

I agree with Nancy. It's worth checking into; particularly if it's sore, red or itchy. 10.5 weeks is a long time.
Kev

 

[hensylee]

First, I have to say I had quad bypass, not valve replacement, but the actual surgery of enter & exit is the same. Where they removed the saphenous vein in my leg, down at the bottom near the ankle there was a spot that seeped. (They had warned me at hospital before discharge that if ANY of the staple area whether it be leg or chest had seepage I was to call immediately). I went to my primary dr (who is also a surgeon) and he found some stitches that were still in there (thread ones below the surface). He removed them, but it seeped again, he dug further, found another, removed it. End of story. If you are having scab forming, that probably means something is going on under it. Be sure to check it out TOMORROW. Don't let it hang - may be nothing, but do check. God bless

 

[Kevin M]

Good point, hensylee.
The other day I was looking at my incision and noticed what looked like lint or something.

I tried to pick it off and noticed it was attached. I took some tweezers and gave a little tug. I thought maybe it was an ingrown hair, which is common even on the relatively hairless like myself.

It was like a thread unravelling a sweater on a bugs bunny cartoon. Well, ok, maybe I'm exaggerating. It was maybe 1/2" long. It turned out to be an undissolved piece of stitch.

I cleaned it up with hydrogen peroxide and it healed up nicely within 24 hours.

I then got paranoid and began a monkey-like grooming search for more.

At the bottom of my incision was a big bump and it felt pretty tender and was still oozing a bit after 4 weeks. It just would not heal, so I came to the conclusion that this is where the final stitch was tied off.

Sure enough, once I removed the offending material, I woke up the next morning and all was well.

I didn't realize this stuff made a home in there. I guess some parts do not dissolve as well as others.

Anyway, sorry to be gross, but I just wanted to point out that it seems fairly common for small pieces of this stuff to just rest there under the skin where it can cause small infections.

Personally, after going through surgery, I wouldn't want to risk even superficial infection on the incision.
Kev

 

[hensylee]

RISK NO INFECTIONS. Glad you solved it. Mine, also was 'the last stitch', apparently, or the beginning of the stitch, but I'd have never got it as it was a knot.