Question:
Has anyone had tension sutures?

I had open RNY on 06/23/03. I am so lucky to have had a wonderful surgeon. It turns out that my tissues are really poor. They are thin and tear easily. I lost a ton of blood and my surgery took an extra 2 1/2 hours. When my surgeon checked my pouch for leaks by filling it with air, the stiches/staples pulled right through! He had to sew me up a different way. To be safe he added tension sutures on top of regular ones when closing me. I have 6--4" plastice bars with screw heads in addtion to the regular incision and stiches. Each has a suture attached that wraps around the screw and can be adjusted (have to loosen them to change the wound dressing underneath) and retightened. They kind of look like the plastic pieces that manufactures use when securing products to a box with wires. The more I move the more my stomache seems to swell (1 week postop) so they really pull some times. My question is-- has anyone else had these and will they hurt as bad as I expect when they come out after a month of healing?    — Kathy J. (posted on July 1, 2003)

July 1, 2003
I also had tension sutures. My surgeon called them bridges. They were clear yellow plastic that went across my incision. I had three. I had open rny on March 17th and I developed a leak and had to have emergency surgery on March 24th. Since I was opened twice in one week he put in the bridges so my incision wouldnt bust open. They did not hurt coming out but the sutures that were holding them in were long, it went in the skin, under the incision and out the other side and tied. It was more uncomfortable than anything. To compare to the feeling, it was kinda the same weird feeling when the JP drain was taken out. Good Luck!
   — hwheeler

July 1, 2003
Hi there, Kathy! I had them as well, I had four rows of them. When I had my first change of dressing, in the hospital, I kept thinking that the doctor butchered me up, my Mom was so worried about it. It looked so weird, like big rows of sausages coming off my tummy, I had never seen anything like that before. But when I asked the doctor about them, he explained why he put them in and it didn't bother us as much anymore. They unfortunately left scars, but I was very glad I had them when I finally came home, there were so many times, I kept thinking I popped an incision. I have to agree with the previous poster it felt like the JP drain coming out. Hope it goes well for you. Vi. Open RNY 9/23/02 down 142 lbs.
   — Vi F.