One of the things they warn you about after surgery is the risk of wounds getting infected. Four out of five of mine are clearing up nicely. However one wound - the biggest along the bikini line - is playing up.
Last week (31 July) I was sufficiently concerned to ask the GP’s practice nurse to take a look, as a small amount of puss had come out when a patch of surgical glue detached itself. She took a good look and advised that the wound didn’t appear to be infected, but I should keep an eye on it and let them know if it got worse. She suggested taking a photo of it on my phone, so I would have a base line to compare its appearance over time.
I noticed over the weekend that the area was stinging and painful if I wore my usual jeans, so I took a photo this morning to compare with the one taken 8 days ago and changed back into my baggy trousers. Sure enough, the wound looks redder/more inflamed than before and is weeping a little. There is also a slight odour. So…back to the surgery today to get it checked out.
A different nurse took a look this time. She agreed it looks like an infection, but my body temperature is normal so the infection appears to be very localised around the bikini line. I’m now on a course of antibiotics and should notice an improvement in 48 hours or so. If there’s no improvement, the redness spreads or become painful or if I become unwell or confused, I need to contact the surgery. If I develop any of the features of sepsis, then I need to seek urgent advice.
Hey ho…it was all going so well up to now! Still, I’m glad I erred on the side of caution and consulted the GP before it got any worse. Here’s hoping that there will be a noticeable improvement in the next 2 days. I’ll keep you posted…
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