5 and a half weeks, and still the stitches persist

Has anyone had long term dissolving stitches? The doctor insisted they'll dissolve in 4-6 weeks

Tiff,

If the wound has healed, try hot baths followed by the use of a heat lamp. Be careful not to burn yourself. This would be the same type of lamps that are prescribed by gyneocologists to help heal epistomotomies. (They sometimes cut the vaginal opening during childbirth so that it does not tear and then suture it back together. Personally, I think that stretching the vaginal opening is a better thing to do to prevent tearing, but it makes the nurses nervous and they think that you are some kind of a pervert. It also can make the mother uncomfortable, but not half as much as an epistomotomy.) Sleep on a towel without underwear under loose covers if your incision is draining. You should not, however, be draining now.

(DO NOT EVER SLEEP UNDER A HEAT LAMP!)

When you are home wear a robe with nothing under it so that the air may help dry and break down the sutures. If they are not getting dried out and crusty you may want to call the doc who put them in and ask if they are sure that they used dissolvable sutures. Refrain from activities that will make you sweat "down there".

Sometimes these types of sutures can take over a month to dissolve. DO NOT CUT THEM OUT! Be patient. Go to the Pharmacy and get a cocoa butter lotion to use after bathing to help the scars take on a color more like skin tone than a scar-like color. If you take the sutures out too soon the incision can break open or heal with a wider scar, although you should not have to worry about dehesion at this point.

Oh, and lose the kotex. It is keeping the area moist and not allowing the sutures to dissolve. IF you are draining more fluid than a few drops a day do see the doctor for a follow-up. You should not be draining at all by now.

I hope that this helps.

A-1

A-1 (imported) wrote: Sun Jun 06, 2004 2:53 pm Oh, and lose the kotex. It is keeping the area moist and not allowing the sutures to dissolve. IF you are draining more fluid than a few drops a day do see the doctor for a follow-up. You should not be draining at all by now.

I hope that this helps.

Thank you for that

the last of the spotting was last week Sunday. So I am out of the gauze/pads and into regular underwear (and once the stitches are gone, i can tuck again)

I was worried though, there was some whitish grey (almost scaly) around the stitches

it may just have been a reaction to the antibiotic (neosporin) that I had had on it, as it vanished after a shower

TiffFox (imported) wrote: Mon Jun 07, 2004 11:58 am I was worried though, there was some whitish grey (almost scaly) around the stitches it may just have been a reaction to the antibiotic (neosporin) that I had had on it, as it vanished after a shower

Tiff,

Neosporin also keeps things moist. It is an anti-biotic in a non-watersoluable base. Unless you know that you are infected it is best to discontinue that now, too.

Sounds like you are well a down the road to recovery. You will be horseback riding again before you know it.

A-1

TiffFox (imported) wrote: Sun Jun 06, 2004 1:31 pm 5 and a half weeks, and still the stitches persist

Has anyone had long term dissolving stitches? The doctor insisted they'll dissolve in 4-6 weeks

I usually end up picking out stitches myself if the area is otherwise healing well, even if they are supposed to "dissolve". Just cut them where they are exposed and use tweezers to pull out each piece.

Tiff,

A-1 (imported) wrote: Mon Jun 07, 2004 8:20 pm Sounds like you are well a down the road to recovery. You will be horseback riding again before you know it.

managed to get out of that

going to a convention the weekend of their next party/excursion, and volunteered to work the July 4th weekend (which i assume is the next date they'd put something together)