stiches poping through scar

[kurli]

Hi,
I had my surgury 16 months ago and now for the seccond time since then, my supposedly dissolvable stiches are poping through the skin. This is painfull and annoying because it leaks a yellowish fluid and I now have to be re opened in the small area that it is happening in and have them removed by my doctor. Has anyone else experienced this?

 

[hensylee]

wires, yes - dissolvable stitches - don't think so (at least not in the chest area - is that where it is?).

Get right in to see your doctor. Yellowish doesn't sound good. So go. Then come back to tell us so we have the information for others should this subject come up again.

I wish you well and that all turns out to be something easily resolved.

 

[Turkey Hunter]

Yes, I have

Yes, I have

Kurli,

I had a similar situation with my stitches. The docs said I had some sort of a reaction to them. That is why my scar is a keloid as well as the pimple like areas where a knot from the stitches would work its way out.

I also experienced the yellowish fluid, I did have my docs look at it and they were none to worried as long as it stayed to a minimum. They gave me some scar treatments. I don't remember the name of the drug they used but it entailed about fifty tiny shots all over my scar area and was performed three times (I think three??)

I would call my doc and let him know what is going on and let them decide if there is need for concern. If they offer the treatment.........take it. It will help bunches.

I had extreme itching to go with the pimple like releases and keloid scar. Treatment helped everything.

God Bless,

Ben

 

[Kevin M]

Ben, could it have been Cortizone that they injected you with? I hear they use that for keloids to break them up.

I had the knot come through, as well as a stitch or two, but it was within about three weeks of surgery. I used the little "stitch removal kit" that the nurse left me (I took out my chest tube stitches with them). Once they were removed, everything healed up very quickly, although I still have a hint of keloid scarring right where those stitches were.
Kev

 

[Gemma]

Keloid scars??

Keloid scars??

Hi,
Jim's now 16 weeks post-op. His scar is still quite red, and a bit lumpy towards the bottom (he had an infection in it which the doctor finally got around to diagnosing a week ago, and it cleared up in 2 days with some antibiotic cream. A different doctor (not Jim's regular one) gave him antibiotic tablets, which didn't work, in January!!!).
Anyway, my question is does this sound like a keloid scar? If it was healing "normally" should we be expecting it to be fading by now? He's also got a couple of pimply looking white things just to the sides of the scar which could well be stitches working through the skin.
Think there's something he could get done to make it less red if it is keloid?
Thanks,
Gemma.

 

[Turkey Hunter]

Kevin, I thnk your right. That was what they used.

Gemma, You are pretty much describing what mine looked like right after surgery. Did the doc mention it when he prescribed the antibiotics?

Ben

 

[Gemma]

Hi Ben,
I didn't go to the doctor with Jim, but I'm pretty sure he (the doctor) was only concerned about the fact the scar hadn't healed, not how it was looking generally. Jim's got an old scar on his leg from where a car licence plate implanted itself during a motorbike crash (nice, I know!) - he had 27 stitches in that and he reckons it faded to white after about a week or so, same with some grazes on his back from the same crash, so the redness of his chest scar isn't how he normally heals.
There is a part of it which has almost completely faded, a couple of inches in the middle, but the rest is red and uneven/lumpy, with bumps in the scar next to where the "pimples" are. Sounds pretty horrible in writing!! He hasn't had any yellowish discharge like Kurli described though.
I'm starting to think he should go back to the doctor and see if they think it's something that could be treated, maybe cortisone as you and Kevin mentioned.
Gemma.

 

[Turkey Hunter]

If it concerns you in any way.........it is worth the trip to the doc.

I delayed asking about mine and they stated they would have been able to make it look alot better if they would have treated it sooner.

Bne

 

[Birky]

scar

scar

My scar looks pretty much what you are describing for Jim's. The top is really white but from the middle of my girls, it really looks rough. I did have 3 wires taken out last September due to a fracture and that is the area I am having trouble with. Something is moving around when I do certain things. Have an appointment next week. Have to go get a chest xray this week. I would have it checked out if you are not sure.

 

[kurli]

stiches poping through

stiches poping through

Hi,
I visited my dr and he said it was a sticher absess. He gave me some antibiotics and said to keep and eye on it. Last time this happened was about 3 weeks post op.and he opened me up and removed the offending stiches. This time he doesnt want to touch it unless its absolutely neccessary.
My scar is also keloid, this is mainly because I allready had a scar from previous OHS and they cut open directly over it.

 

[Gemma]

Isn't google great!!

Isn't google great!!

Hi Kurli,
Glad to hear you're getting your problem sorted.
Apparently Jim's doctor did actually say the scar "should" fade. However, being of an inqusitive nature I decided to Google "keloid scars". Came up with 11 pages, but here's one that has quite a lot of info:http://www.health24.co.za/default_old.asp?action=article&ContentID=12502
Jim seems to fit into a few of the factors for keloid scarring - he's under 30, the scar's over the breastbone, presumably under tension, it was infected and creased during healing (if only they'd stopped cutting 3mm higher up As the bottom of the scar healed it pulled together and caused a permanent crease in his skin at either side! - maybe if the scar wasn't so raised it would sort that out?).
Does nearly 4 months sound too soon to be asking the doc about this? Have other people who had scars that were red, hard and raised at this stage post-op had them fade away spontaneously, or is it time to be asking about some kind of scar treatment?
Gemma.

 

[Turkey Hunter]

Four months should be enough.
I'd ask the doc.

Ben

 

[Gemma]

Link doesn't work!!

Link doesn't work!!

Hi again,
just tried to read that article again - seems the link doesn't work unless you go to google, put in the search (keloid scar) and link directly from there. That particular page I quoted above is on page 4 of the google results.
Just in case anyone's trying to read it!!
Gemma.