Allergic to stitches

[curious703]

8 months ago I had surgery to remove cysts under my arms and disolving stitches were used and I ended up with an infection. 3 months later I had a hysterectomy and both stitches and staples were used. 4 days later I had a severe infection.  All was removed. My question is; I currently am breaking out with hives, I swell and get itchy throughout my body. My GP thinks I could be allergic to the dissoving stitches. They were all removed but she tells me that I still have some that were used inside by body. Has anyone heard of this?

[tamas77]

hello,

a month ago i had a surgery. a titanium screw was inserted into my broken index finger. internal dissolvable stitches MAY used (not sure). Also I took tylanol/codeine, and probably I've got antibiotics during the surgery.

Everything was fine, but 8 days (!) after the surgery I broke out in terrible, unbearable rash, redness and hives all over my body. At 8am I was at the dermatologist (couldnt sleep all night b/c of the itchiness) who diagnosed me with very severe (10/10) dermographia. It's a skin condition when pressure, scratching will trigger welding, bumps, hives, and itchiness anywhere you press or skretch your skin.

I never had any allergies before. Now I'm trying to figure out, why do I'm going through on this hell? It's been a month now and it's still on. It's the titanium? Well officially it's 100% biocompatible but recent tests showing it's NOT! About 4% of the people are allergic to this material even if doctor's doesn't admitting it! Or stitches? I have to ask if I have any. Or some painkiller/antibiotics?

This is hell on earth, doesn anyone had similar dermographism symptoms as I've described above? The hives/itchiness can be triggered by pressure/skretching at any given point of my body.

There is definitely something irritating is in my body and my immunes system is fighing against that!

[rose1122]

Very interesting - I never thought to consider the allergy aspect but it has answered so much for me. I have a latex allergy have had for many years and over the years have undergone several surgeries. My C section was stitched on the inside and clips used outside. The stitches never disolved I was pulling them out through the skin years later. I had surgery on both my arms recently and the first one I went back after 10 days my lower arm was covered in raised welts... the itching had kept me up at night!! I thought it was exema! the nurse snipped the top of the stitch and pulled it from the other end, ( just one long one stitch knotted each end) she said it was a little early to do but it had healed nicely, when it came out she said it looked like new! The next arm I was going back later to see consultant, I recall both my upper and lower arm were raised and itcing with the welts.... and whilst healed the surgical site was pulling the stitch so I removed it myself! -
I have recently undergone further major surgery and have many internal disolveable - stitches the internal itching is agony! i dont know what to do. My lymph nodes in the groin are raised and painful, my legs are itching I scratch till they bleed, I now realise from what I have read it is likely this is an allergy - I wish I had worked it out sooner with the arms!! We need to educate the medical profession. I know what an ordeal it was when so many were not familiar with Latex allergies and I would take my own gloves for them particularly as my son had a latex allergy also and underwent a lot of surgery. This is a terrible dilemma but at least I know now!

[Sickofit33]

I had the vicryl stiches so I'm wondering what type I need now?  we want another baby but i'm terrified I will have more hives!  What are the most safe?

[Ijustwanttobewellagain]

I'm allergic to c-vicryl sutures.  I had a doctor refuse to take me off of prenatals after I had my second child, and it caused a rip in the rectum. I had to have rectal surgury from the fisher that wouldn't heal.  About 20 months later, while pregnant, I got food poisoning and because the stitch area was still a problem (which I didn't know about) it caused a vaginal/rectal abcess.  That ruptured into the vagina and the baby had to be delivered by c-section.  Almost 12 years later, a new doctor felt I needed to have the vaginal rectal fistula repaired, and when that surgeon was working on me, she found a wad that she sent off to a lab, thinking it was a tumor or something.  When the lab results came back, it was the sutures from the rectal surgery that had never disolved and my body was still fighting them!  Unfortunately, she had used the same sutures also, because she didn't know either, and 9 months after that, another abcess developed from those sutures that wouldn't disolve and she had to do the entire surgery over.  NOW, because of lymph node pain in the groin, and a left leg that has swelling problems,  it occured to me that I HAD A C-SECTION and they probably used the same sutures for that.  I'm in the middle of seeing doctors, and the most probable next step is exploratory surgery to see if indeed the prior sutures are the problem for my pain all these years, 21 to be exact! I have had a painful spot since the day of my c-section in the aproximate area of where they sewed up the uterus.  I've been looking online tonight to find out as much info as I could regarding others being allergic to c-vicryl sutures.  I hope this info I'm shareing will help someone else to seek help if they are still having pain in an area of a prior surgery.  Hugs from Missouri...

[ConqueringandCopingAllergies]

5 years ago I had a partial hysterectomy, after I was released from the hospital and came home 2 days later, I was spitting stitches. My ob just said to lie still longer.  Didn't matter, they spewed out every bathroom visit anyway.  She said enough of them stayed and I was healed enough, well I've had abdominal pain ever since, now I'm scheduled for exploratory surgery because the abdominal pain is so painful. Every time I sneeze or cough there's a sharp pain at the abdominal area of my sutures from the surgery.  Then one year prior to that was the miscarriage and when i awoke from that, I had the hives.  Then any small cyst or nodule I've ever had removed topically, the stitch has always worked it's way out and infected the area, for as much as 10 years, and noone said It was due to my allergicness to the stitch.  I've just come to accept it! I think I now at 43 have the attention of my surgeons and I'm allergic to 'everything' under the sun. But at least I'm still alive to raise my children. :)

[msharvey6199]

I had epicondlyitis surgery about 5 weeks ago. 2 days post-op there was a huge red welt covering my elbow, the Dr. thought it was the beginning of an infection and perscribed some anitbiotics. Well about a week after my surgery I started developing hives all over my body. I immediately started taking Zyrtec, which seemed to alleviate the itching. I could not figure out what was causing the allergic reaction. Finally through the process of elimination I figured out it was the dissolving stitches they had used. When I told my Dr. he would not believe it was from the stitches...but I KNOW IT IS! How long will it take for the hives to stop???  Why do people get reactions to these stitches? What are they made of?