# How was your incision closed ??



## Crohn's Mom (Jul 4, 2011)

*how was your incision closed ??*

I'm curious...

How was your surgical incision closed up?

Stitches, staples, glue, bandages or no bandages, etc..??

I've read a lot of recent post-surgery threads talking about staples.
Gab had nothing, nada, zero.
We were actually quite astounded when there were not staples, or stitches..just glued shut and no bandages.
In fact, the surgeon specifically said do not do anything at all to it for care.  Just normal bathing/shower with soap and water and pat dry.
Her scar is quite impressive and there were no post surgical complications with it what so ever.  
I had never seen this before and in the end it seemed so much easier compared with my own hysterectomy incision that was stapled and healed strangely and took forever.
Is this something that is new ?


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## DustyKat (Jul 5, 2011)

Both Sarah and Matt had a continuous dissolvable suture, it was under the skin so not visible, covered with a post-op opsite until day of discharge. Neither of them had post op complications with their wounds and it leaves only a thin red line. 

Sarah's has scar has faded to the point that you really have to look hard to see it. 

Just out of interest, this was same method of closure Matt had when he had an inguinal hernia repair at 12 months old. 

Dusty. xxx


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## bruscar (Jul 5, 2011)

I always had staples, 56 the first time and 29 the other four times.

All healed reasonably well each time bar the first when it got infected and i had three holes that were left to heal from the inside out and i had to have it packed morning and evening for about a month.

Wishing you well

Bruscar


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## LOSTnut (Jul 5, 2011)

Staples. The ones close to my (former) belly button didn't keep the scar closed and needed special attention for a while to prevent infection. But, now it's all good -- well, in that it is closed. However, mine doesn't !


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## tiloah (Jul 5, 2011)

I had a bunch of staples. I believe I also had dissolvable sutures? But I may be mistaken. I don't see them from my point of view, in any case.


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## archie (Jul 5, 2011)

staples after resection and the skin grew over one, (sounds gross) and I had to get it treated for 5 weeks post surgery it was yuke!!! looks ok now though still can't decide where my belly button is / was but according to the surgeon I had an insignificant belly button in the 1st place!!! had dissolvable stitches after both c sections though had an infection after the last but they've both faded really well.  I was told that it takes about 2 years for the scar to heal and right enough when my son turned 2 my section scar disappeared...


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## Terriernut (Jul 5, 2011)

16 staples!  I'm only 5'1"!!! :yfaint:


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## Rich.Gully (Jul 11, 2011)

i had a laparoscopic resection 2 weeks ago i was amazed to see no external stitches but i think there are some internal ones with glue on the outside. i have 4 port holes and a 5 inch incision and all is healing well its incredible what a good surgeon can do nowadays.


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## ekay03 (Jul 11, 2011)

I had emergency exploratory abdominal surgery in 2000. They did a bowel resection and left the 9 inch wound open due to infection. They did use retention sutures. You did not mention those. The wound had to be backed daily, between the retention sutures. It took three long months to heal. I had mesh from a hernia surgery become infected in 2003 and they removed the mesh and healed the wound w/negative pressure wound therapy. Also not mentioned above. 
 Now here is my review: retention sutures are terrible!!!! Painful and made me cry every day for months. I had to sleep on a lazyboy chair for months cause I could not lay in any position but my back and I began to get bedsores before it was all said and done.So they fail!!!
Negative pressure wound therapy: Well the only negative is that this had to be done in hospital. I spend 2 weeks inpaitiant w/ negative pressure wound therapy. Hardly any pain. 
 Obviusly the latter option is much more expensive.
and ther is my 2 cents worth


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## Crohn's Mom (Jul 11, 2011)

Wow Ekay...that sounds just terrible! 

I didn't even know about retention sutures... sorry.  That's why i started this though, to see all the different ways there are to close up the incisions, so thank you for sharing


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## ekay03 (Jul 11, 2011)

Crohn's Mom, I found this info. I thought maybe you would find this intersting.

Alternative Methods of Wound Closure
Steri-Strips
Wound closure tapes, or Steri-Strips, are reinforced microporous surgical adhesive tape. Steri-Strips are used to provide extra support to a suture line, either when running subcuticular sutures are used or after sutures are removed.
Wound closure tapes may reduce spreading of the scar if they are kept in place for several weeks after suture removal. Often, they are used with a tissue adhesive. Because they have a tendency to fall off, they are used mainly in low-tension wounds and rarely for primary wound closure.
Staples
Stainless steel staples are frequently used in wounds under high tension, including wounds on the scalp and trunk. Advantages of staples include quick placement, minimal tissue reaction, low risk of infection, and strong wound closure. Disadvantages include less precise wound edge alignment and cost.
Tissue adhesive[13, 14, 15]
Superglues that contain acrylates may be applied to superficial wounds to block pinpoint skin hemorrhages and to precisely coapt wound edges. Because of their bacteriostatic effects and easy application, they have gained increasing popularity.[16] They have demonstrated either cosmetic equivalence or superiority to traditional sutures in various procedures, including sutureless closure of pediatric day surgeries, saphenous vein harvesting for coronary artery bypass, and blepharoplasty.[17] [18, 19] The most commonly used adhesive, 2-octyl cyanoacrylate (Dermabond), has also been used as a skin bolster for suturing thin, atrophic skin.[20] Advantages of these topical adhesives include rapid wound closure, painless application, reduced risk of needle sticks, no suture marks, and no removal. Disadvantages include increased cost and less tensile strength (compared to sutures).
The use of tissue adhesives in dermatologic surgery is still evolving. It appears that using high viscosity 2-octyl cyanoacrylate in the repair of linear wounds after Mohs micrographic surgery results in cosmetic outcomes equivalent to those of epidermal sutures.[21]
Greenhill and O'Regan reported on the use of N-butyl 2-cyanoacrylate (Indermil) for closure of parotid wounds and its relationship to keloid and hypertrophic scar formation versus using sutures.[22] Their results indicated a simpler technique and a comparable result. In a related area, Tsui and Gogolewski report on the use of microporous biodegradable polyurethane membranes, which may be useful for coverage of skin wounds, among other things.[23]
Barbed sutures
A barbed suture has been developed and is being evaluated for its efficacy in cutaneous surgery. The proposed advantage of such a suture is the avoidance of suture knots. Suture knots theoretically may be a nidus for infection, are tedious to place, may place ischemic demands on tissue, and may extrude following surgery.
A randomized controlled trial comparing a barbed suture with conventional closure using 3-0 polydioxanone suture suggests that a barbed suture has a safety and cosmesis profile similar to the conventional suture when used to close cesarean delivery wounds.[24]
Barbed sutures have also been used in minimally invasive procedures to lift ptotic face and neck tissue.[25] In a recent study, average patient satisfaction 11.5 months after a thread lift was 6.9/10.[25] By 3 months postprocedure, the skin of the neck and jawline relaxed and the final results became apparent. Overall, the barbed suture lift was determined to provide sustained improvement in facial laxity.[25] However, painful dysesthesias and suture migration distant to insertion site have been reported.[26, 27] Although the long-term efficacy of barbed suspension sutures remains unclear, they may allow for a minimally invasive facial lift with few adverse effects.[28]
Novel punch biopsy closure[29]
Placing sutures lateral to a punch biopsy causes the defect to taper, allowing for a more linear closure and improved cosmetic outcomes. A simple interrupted stitch is placed 1-3 mm lateral to a wound edge, a second stitch is placed 1-3 mm lateral to the opposite wound edge, and a final stitch is placed at the center of the wound. Sites greater than 4 mm may require additional interrupted stitches. Disadvantages include extended procedure time and increased risk of suture marks.


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## tiloah (Jul 11, 2011)

Oooh I should mention I had Steri Strips. They put them on when I left the hospital (after removing some of my staples). My surgeon removed them and the rest of the staples a week later.


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## Crohn's Mom (Jul 31, 2011)

I guess I can add my own answers to this now 

Although 3 of mine are very small, and 1 is about an inch and a half I would say, they are all closed with Steri Strips.  I don't believe there are any stitches anywhere.
It's hard to see the bigger one because the area above it is extremely swollen, but I don't think there are any stitches.

Does anyone else find it really gross when they cut into the bellybutton ? LOL ewww..I hate looking at that one!:eek2:


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## Terriernut (Jul 31, 2011)

If it makes you feel better, my wee belly button opened up after about 4 months.  Looks normal now!  One day, just opened.  Needed a good scrubbing though!!!  Eeeeew!  :yrolleyes:


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## Mountaingem (Jul 31, 2011)

28 Staples, and I'm only 5'4"-yeah not a great bikini look lol!


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## hopeful (Jul 31, 2011)

I had staples. But note - the staples are only for the top layer. There are sutures below for the several layers, muscle and peritoneum etc.

I suffered hell from the staples. I had a friend doc remove many of them and replaced it with steri strips. I asked him why they used staples and not sutures (stitches) and he said it saves a lot of time - no other good reason...

Funny, because first surgery I had there was nothing there, maybe they used glue or maybe dissolvable sutures - but it was clean.


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## Nyx (Aug 1, 2011)

I had staples...not sure how many but I have huge scar that starts above my bellybutton and goes down to the top of my pubic hair...so I'm guessing alot...lol  I had a few areas that needed to be packed for about a month after surgery.  Now, 20 months later my scar is still very visible and red.  Not sure if that's because of the emergency surgery, the way they closed the incision, or just the way my body heals.  It's really ugly though


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## Jefferson (Aug 1, 2011)

I've had steri strips, glue and a rail roads worth of staples. Anyone else have JP or Jackson Pratt drain after surgery?


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## Crohn's Mom (Aug 1, 2011)

my daughter had the JP drain for about 4 days after her surgery


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## Gems867 (Aug 1, 2011)

lots of staples


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## Mountaingem (Aug 1, 2011)

Nyx said:


> I had staples...not sure how many but I have huge scar that starts above my bellybutton and goes down to the top of my pubic hair...so I'm guessing alot...lol  I had a few areas that needed to be packed for about a month after surgery.  Now, 20 months later my scar is still very visible and red.  Not sure if that's because of the emergency surgery, the way they closed the incision, or just the way my body heals.  It's really ugly though


@Nyx-Is your skin really fair? I ask because I have Scandinavian pale skin and my scar stayed red for like the first year or two. I put cocoa butter on it every day; not sure if it was time or the cocoa butter but it started to fade out after the second year; now it's white in some places and light red/pinkish in others and no where near as scary looking as it was at first.


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## Nyx (Aug 1, 2011)

I'm very fair...if you looked at my scar you'd think I just had surgery recently.  It's wide and red and just nasty...


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## Crohn's Mom (Aug 1, 2011)

Have either of you tried a product called "Bio Oil"?  Gab's friend recommended it for the awful stretch marks she got all over from the prednisone. It has done wonders for the stretch marks, and from what I understand it can also be used to reduce the appearance of scars.  Worth a shot maybe


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## Mountaingem (Aug 1, 2011)

Oh, I haven't tried it but I've heard of it-lots of my friends use to to heal acne scars. 

Nyx-I know it's spooky, but mine was the same and it will fade, I promise!:thumright:


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## Nyx (Aug 1, 2011)

I don't know why I'm worried about it..it's not like anyone's going to see my belly anyway.  I'm never going to wear a bikini again, unless bags come into fashion....lol


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## Mountaingem (Aug 2, 2011)

I know, me too-it's just a girl thing!


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## Emily (Aug 8, 2011)

i had the dissolvable stitches & steri strips. and tracy and misty, about bellybuttons, i seriously thought mine was gone until it randomly opened itself back up too! now im religiously putting vitamin e oil on my incision scar and the four little laparoscapy scars. im just glad to have my belly button, even if it is a little squashed by the scar


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## MelissaAnn (Sep 2, 2011)

I had surgery on aug 10 2 port holes and a 6 inch incision right along my belly button.  I had a crapload of Steri-Strips they stayed on for about 18 days after surgery. No staples THANK GOODNESS =)


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## Grant (Sep 2, 2011)

I've had ordinary sutures, dissolvable & staples.
Sutures-no real problems bit of pulling a tugging etc. Slightly sore on removal.
Dissolvable-brilliant. Had to keep them dry with waterproof dressing for two weeks but really good.
Staples-didn't get on with them, i walked with a more pronounced stoop than normal for someone who'd had abdom surgery. The pulling & tugging was far worse than sutures. And very very painful when being removed & two of the areas were slightly infected.
Not sure whose idea it was to start using them but I'd suggest it was someone who's never experienced them for themselves probably.
Rgds
Grant


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## rob101 (Sep 2, 2011)

The surgeon told me that they sewed the internal bit (not sure if that is the stomach muscles ) with nylon to prevent hernias but externally there was nothing visable apart from a see through dressing and this had healed enough in a week to remove the dressing ,which was pretty amazing also he discharged me today from his care ,now just waiting to see the gastro guys again .


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## Starla86 (Sep 7, 2011)

I had emergency surgery in June and ended up with a 10" incision. They closed my abdominal wall and muscles with stiches, but left my fat and skin layers open for 6 more days. I was septic and they thought they were going to have to go back in so they kept me open to reduce infection?? That wound was packed 4 times a day for 4 days and then they put a wound vac on it (which means they shoved a sponged into the wound covered it with plastic and tape and then attached a vaccum tube to it to bring the blood back to the incision) for two days, it was excrutiating!!! Then I was taken back into surgery to be closed up, they used stiches for my fat layer and skin glue for the top layer. I was very surprised there were no staples since the incision was that big. I too am very pale, Im Irish, so the incision is still bright red and extremely tender.


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## Carrie (Sep 9, 2011)

I had staples for a week or so, and Steri-Strips until the fell off for my first two resections.

I just had 24 staples removed today, after being in three weeks, from my strictureplasty. I think it hurt less to have the staples removed after such a long time, probably because the area around the wound was no longer bruised/tender. However, those things were really starting to tug and poke me uncomfortably over the past week, so I'm happy to have them out and to be walking mostly normally again.


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## SarahAnne (Sep 9, 2011)

Staples, 15 years ago. I didn't have any problems with them, but I was 19 and I thought they were so gross to look at! I hated cleaning around them, but they came out pretty easy, just a little tugging.


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