Allergy to dressings

[Bryan B]

Hi all,

I had an allergic reaction to Septra back in Aug/Sept while being treated for UTI/prostatitis. When I had my PICC line for endocarditis I got these terrible skinburn blisters from the clear dressing on my arm every time they changed it. Now I have the same skinburn blisters from the Angioseal dressing I had on my groin after the cath.

My question is, have any of you who have been through OHS had this problem and were there alternatives to the dressings I'm sure to have during and after surgery? By the time I was done with 7 weeks of the PICC line it looked like someone had tortured me with a cigarette, because I had perfectly round scars from all of the blisters I got on my arm around the edges of where the dressing was. Do they use much of the clear dressings during and after OHS?

I plan to bring this up with my surgeon and the hospital staff, just wondering if anyone else has had this problem and what the solution might have been.

Thanks

 

[Glenda]

Bryan this is so strange that you brought this up. I am also allergic to surgical tape. Everytime they take my blood for tests and tape over the needle opening I break out.

It acutally turns very red, just where the tape sticks. Isn't that strange? I've mentioned it to them but doctor's never seem to be able to explain it or plan on using anything else. I think I could withstand "duck tape" better than surgical tape. LOL

What's going to happen after the serious heart sugery where they tape you everywhere? I'll look like I've been out in the sun for a week! LOL

 

[Nancy]

When Joe had his massive bleedout after gallbladder surgery, he had many, many very large dressings for a long time. Some of those allergy areas from the dressings were actually worse than some of the wounds they covered, and they left scabs and eventually scars.

There are alternatives to some things like paper tape for simple things, but the heavy duty stuff, I don't know, there didn't seem to be any alternatives for them.

Don't have much of an answer for you. Just tell the doctor, but you will also have to remind everyone else who changes dressings.

 

[bvdr]

I wonder if applying a skin sealant to undamaged skin and allowing it to dry before letting tape touch the skin would help.

I don't know.........just thinking.........