Aa
Back from laparotomy! But w/huge open wound thanks to hematoma-drainage :(
Hi everyone!
Has anyone had an experience with a hematoma that was drained and maybe left as an open wound to heal?
Specifically, my laparatomy incision (bikini cut and horizontal) was re-opened without anesthesia yesterday due to a hematoma (luckily the nerves in that area in my abdomen have been cut and I didn't feel even the doctor swabbing the *inside* with hydrogen peroxide!).
The doc was one on-call (my actual surgeon/gyno I couldn't get in touch with) who had seen me once at the hospital last week and he thought it would be better to leave it as an open wound and heal, rather than stitching it shut. I've got to wait until Monday to see my actual doctor and get her opinion.
My insurance covers home care, sending a nurse to dress the wound twice a day using a wet-to-dry dressing (sterile water-moistened gauze packed into the incision and adry abdominal pad/big-gauze placed over it). My wound/lap incision is about maybe 4" long and is shaped like an oval with pointed ends, or this shape :
()
with the widest part being almost 1" across and my mom who saw my wound thinks it goes down about 1-1.5 cm deep. I never thought of myself as being squeamish, enjoying horror movies, but the sight of a gap in my abdomen and from lying down and tilting my head up to see some of the fatty tissue layer, I panicked and cried at the doc's office yesterday. I just wish this could be closed up as it'd make it easier for me to bathe, but this doc at least said open wounds tend to heal "better" (didn't mention faster) from the inside to outside than those stitched closed again.
Frankly, I don't care if there's a tad unsightly scar...I'd rather go with the option , leaving open vs resuturing, that heals the fastest. I'm recovering at my family's house for probably longer than expected originally, thanks to the hematoma/draining. Here my boyfriend of a long-term, 3-yr relationship, is not allowed to step foot inside the house (long story...due to his body art and conservative parents) and I've been crying every night, missing him and our pets. I need to get over this as this emotional stress isn't doing me good, but I just want to heal up quickly and be able to go back and see my bf/pets :(
btw, I didn't get a chance to do this in the whirlwind of stress and confusion (i'll explain in a bit) but thank you, MarieMichele and Totie for responding to my previous post about bowel prep and Reglan!
Below, I wanted to share how my first laparotomy went..................................................
Brief catch-up on what happened in December :
I was supposed to have a laparotomy for two dermoids with possible removal of one ovary (that had the big cyst , almost 10 cm big) on December 16th, and fasted/clear-liquid-dieted/bowel-prepped for a day and NPO the morning of the 16th, and it turns out that my surgery was cancelled! Because of lack of beds! argh!!!
So I got to have my surgery done on Christmas Eve, and spent Christmas Day at the hospital. Booo. But the doctor took out my big cyst, saved that ovary (!!!) and even managed to scoop out the little cyst on the other ovary! Bikini incision done.
I remember going into the OR and being scared. And I think I was helped onto the OR table from the cot with wheels from my pre-op room, or I don't know-- this is EXACTLY where my memory ends and I don't even remember getting the anesthesia, or the anesthesiologist telling/reassuring me that it was coming. I only remember waking up suddenly (no breathing tube in me and I was lucky that despite being a heavy smoker, I didn't have any breathing problems post-surg), in the recovery room and my stomach hurt a bit , and I was crying for pain meds, and vaguely angry at the nurse who was conversing with another nurse and ignoring my whimpers. Then I think I had the stuff injected into my IV and I felt much better and very much out of it, dizzy and wavy-feeling, and my boyfriend coming up to me and giving me a stuffed toy to hug.
And as of one week, I have been smoke-free! I was discharged on Saturday after I finally could pee without assistance of a catheter! Even better, as of yesterday or maybe even another day ago, the pain is totally manageable , and I don't even take any of my Tylox (narcotics...all that tylenol in there scares me) nor my Motrin pills! It only hurts A TON if I cough hard, sneeze hard, laugh, or get up/sit down without being careful. If I catch a cold with a cough, I'm in for it.
Only bad things:
1. The darn hematoma post-op complication that leaves me with a giant hole in my belly.
2. I also can't bear down/strain too hard to go to the bathroom. Peeing is weird-- sometimes I can't fully empty my bladder. The jumbo cyst had been pressing down on only my bladder, and I think with the cyst now gone, I need to slowly practice re-using all of the bladder muscle that was previously not used, due to the cyst making it easy by pushing down on the organ....
3. Bruising....I have light bruises that are fading on my inner thighs, right next to my vulva, and I have heavy bruising somehow on my vulva so that the skin is dark purple/indigo. Dr believes it will take some time to resolve and it was due to blood maybe in me internally + gravity?
Has anyone had an experience with a hematoma that was drained and maybe left as an open wound to heal?
Specifically, my laparatomy incision (bikini cut and horizontal) was re-opened without anesthesia yesterday due to a hematoma (luckily the nerves in that area in my abdomen have been cut and I didn't feel even the doctor swabbing the *inside* with hydrogen peroxide!).
The doc was one on-call (my actual surgeon/gyno I couldn't get in touch with) who had seen me once at the hospital last week and he thought it would be better to leave it as an open wound and heal, rather than stitching it shut. I've got to wait until Monday to see my actual doctor and get her opinion.
My insurance covers home care, sending a nurse to dress the wound twice a day using a wet-to-dry dressing (sterile water-moistened gauze packed into the incision and adry abdominal pad/big-gauze placed over it). My wound/lap incision is about maybe 4" long and is shaped like an oval with pointed ends, or this shape :
()
with the widest part being almost 1" across and my mom who saw my wound thinks it goes down about 1-1.5 cm deep. I never thought of myself as being squeamish, enjoying horror movies, but the sight of a gap in my abdomen and from lying down and tilting my head up to see some of the fatty tissue layer, I panicked and cried at the doc's office yesterday. I just wish this could be closed up as it'd make it easier for me to bathe, but this doc at least said open wounds tend to heal "better" (didn't mention faster) from the inside to outside than those stitched closed again.
Frankly, I don't care if there's a tad unsightly scar...I'd rather go with the option , leaving open vs resuturing, that heals the fastest. I'm recovering at my family's house for probably longer than expected originally, thanks to the hematoma/draining. Here my boyfriend of a long-term, 3-yr relationship, is not allowed to step foot inside the house (long story...due to his body art and conservative parents) and I've been crying every night, missing him and our pets. I need to get over this as this emotional stress isn't doing me good, but I just want to heal up quickly and be able to go back and see my bf/pets :(
btw, I didn't get a chance to do this in the whirlwind of stress and confusion (i'll explain in a bit) but thank you, MarieMichele and Totie for responding to my previous post about bowel prep and Reglan!
Below, I wanted to share how my first laparotomy went..................................................
Brief catch-up on what happened in December :
I was supposed to have a laparotomy for two dermoids with possible removal of one ovary (that had the big cyst , almost 10 cm big) on December 16th, and fasted/clear-liquid-dieted/bowel-prepped for a day and NPO the morning of the 16th, and it turns out that my surgery was cancelled! Because of lack of beds! argh!!!
So I got to have my surgery done on Christmas Eve, and spent Christmas Day at the hospital. Booo. But the doctor took out my big cyst, saved that ovary (!!!) and even managed to scoop out the little cyst on the other ovary! Bikini incision done.
I remember going into the OR and being scared. And I think I was helped onto the OR table from the cot with wheels from my pre-op room, or I don't know-- this is EXACTLY where my memory ends and I don't even remember getting the anesthesia, or the anesthesiologist telling/reassuring me that it was coming. I only remember waking up suddenly (no breathing tube in me and I was lucky that despite being a heavy smoker, I didn't have any breathing problems post-surg), in the recovery room and my stomach hurt a bit , and I was crying for pain meds, and vaguely angry at the nurse who was conversing with another nurse and ignoring my whimpers. Then I think I had the stuff injected into my IV and I felt much better and very much out of it, dizzy and wavy-feeling, and my boyfriend coming up to me and giving me a stuffed toy to hug.
And as of one week, I have been smoke-free! I was discharged on Saturday after I finally could pee without assistance of a catheter! Even better, as of yesterday or maybe even another day ago, the pain is totally manageable , and I don't even take any of my Tylox (narcotics...all that tylenol in there scares me) nor my Motrin pills! It only hurts A TON if I cough hard, sneeze hard, laugh, or get up/sit down without being careful. If I catch a cold with a cough, I'm in for it.
Only bad things:
1. The darn hematoma post-op complication that leaves me with a giant hole in my belly.
2. I also can't bear down/strain too hard to go to the bathroom. Peeing is weird-- sometimes I can't fully empty my bladder. The jumbo cyst had been pressing down on only my bladder, and I think with the cyst now gone, I need to slowly practice re-using all of the bladder muscle that was previously not used, due to the cyst making it easy by pushing down on the organ....
3. Bruising....I have light bruises that are fading on my inner thighs, right next to my vulva, and I have heavy bruising somehow on my vulva so that the skin is dark purple/indigo. Dr believes it will take some time to resolve and it was due to blood maybe in me internally + gravity?
how did that work out for you? im in the hospital right now and had to have my bikini cut openeded again to put in a tube to drain a hematoma. they told me as well that they're not gonna stitch it back up, just let is heal on its own, which kind of scares me to be honest. did you have any problems with it? how long did it take to heal? did it leave a bad scar? i tried to google some images but didn't find anything...!
I had that happen twice. My incision remained open 12 weeks, both times. I went to the Dr everyday to have it cleaned and packed. I had a couple of infections along the way but it never caused me to be in much pain. It was more frusrating than anything.
I call the scar my second belly button and my kiddos and hubby even gave it a name.......
Have you asked about a wound vac? I didn't hear about that until I was healed but it may be worth asking about. Hope you heal fast and get back to your full life soon!
Heidi
I call the scar my second belly button and my kiddos and hubby even gave it a name.......
Have you asked about a wound vac? I didn't hear about that until I was healed but it may be worth asking about. Hope you heal fast and get back to your full life soon!
Heidi
Thanks Marie! I've gotten a different visiting nurse and she is terrific! thank you for your words of encouragement and I'll be updating..... :)
Wow. That's quite an experience. Having to prep for surgery only to be told it's been cancelled.....then having to do it again, ending up with a hematoma issue. Yes, I've heard of this occurring. It's not a common complication of surgery, but it can happen. It is fortunate it was discovered quickly. There was one story here of a hematoma that went undected for awhile causing additional agony that could have been avoided. Please keep us updated on your condition.
I am glad you are getting a different nurse. You need to be mindful of any infections until this wound is properly healed. That one nurse needs to be reported. That is basic nursing common sense and he was lacking on all counts.
I can relate to how it feels to have those first bowel and bladder movements. Everything gets inflamed from surgery and the muscles must be used gently. Don't eat anything too heavy and slow to digest (no steaks for awhile) to avoid constipation.
It may take a bit longer for a full recovery but it will come. Give yourself time, don't overdo, and let others fuss over you as long as possible. Having the surgery behind you has got to be a huge relief. I found recovery much easier than the anticipation of surgery.
I am glad you are getting a different nurse. You need to be mindful of any infections until this wound is properly healed. That one nurse needs to be reported. That is basic nursing common sense and he was lacking on all counts.
I can relate to how it feels to have those first bowel and bladder movements. Everything gets inflamed from surgery and the muscles must be used gently. Don't eat anything too heavy and slow to digest (no steaks for awhile) to avoid constipation.
It may take a bit longer for a full recovery but it will come. Give yourself time, don't overdo, and let others fuss over you as long as possible. Having the surgery behind you has got to be a huge relief. I found recovery much easier than the anticipation of surgery.
sorry for the long post...i just wanted to contribute my run-through with surgery for the first time! forgot to add:
even though I'm lucky to have home wound care nursing services, the first guy who came today was totally unprofessional or undertrained. The very gauze that was going to be doused with sterile water and was going to be *inserted* into my deep lap incision and packed there was not in sterile packaging, and this nurse took them out of a paper bag from his backpack and set them on the consent forms that we had just handled and signed with bare hands! plus, he didn't wash his hands either, even before donning gloves. i can't believe this happened! luckily i had a few extra supplies my doc had given me yesterday so my brother made him use those. my brother called and we're now getting a different nurse to come by tomorrow.....
even though I'm lucky to have home wound care nursing services, the first guy who came today was totally unprofessional or undertrained. The very gauze that was going to be doused with sterile water and was going to be *inserted* into my deep lap incision and packed there was not in sterile packaging, and this nurse took them out of a paper bag from his backpack and set them on the consent forms that we had just handled and signed with bare hands! plus, he didn't wash his hands either, even before donning gloves. i can't believe this happened! luckily i had a few extra supplies my doc had given me yesterday so my brother made him use those. my brother called and we're now getting a different nurse to come by tomorrow.....
Have an Answer?
You are reading content posted in the Ovarian Cysts Community
STDs can't be transmitted by casual contact, like hugging or touching.
Syphilis is an STD that is transmitted by oral, genital and anal sex.
Normal vaginal discharge varies in color, smell, texture and amount.
Bumps in the genital area might be STDs, but are usually not serious.
Chlamydia, an STI, often has no symptoms, but must be treated.
From skin changes to weight loss to unusual bleeding, here are 15 cancer warning signs that women tend to ignore.
