Incision ? Almost 5 wks out

Hey all! I am 2 days away from being 5 weeks out from RNY. I am finally not regretting the decision to have surgery. I am slowly increasing my foods and have started exercising. I have only been released to walk (treadmill) or swim. We got our pool ready and I was looking forward to swimming and then our weather went crazy again, and it's back in the 70s here in my part of GA. But, it will soon be hot again and I will be able to swim.

Anyway - I have a ? about one of my incisions. I had 5 small incisions and 4 have healed beautifully. But I have 1 that is being stubborn. When I look down at my stomach, it is on the right side of my tummy, a couple inches up and to the side of my belly button. My PCP said this is where the biggest trocar went in and that's why it is bigger and taking longer to heal. I have also talked to my surgeon's office numerous times about it and they have told me to leave it alone - no neosporin or any other ointment. They said I shouldn't have anything to worry about as long as I am not running a fever, the incision doesn't look infected and my skin is not hot around the incision, which none of these things is happening.

My concern is this: The scab was loose, so I pulled it (I know, I know). Well, there's this little string/cord looking thing that is attached to it and it goes down into a hole under the scab. My husband thinks it is just skin, but it concerns me. I described it to the nurse at the surgeon's office and she didn't seem concerned. I have been leaving it alone for about a week now, but it is still there. The scab is loose so every now and then it will work up and I can see that string-thing, but I pu**** back down into the hole. I put a band-aid on it when I'm wearing pants so that it doesn't rub it.

Has anyone else had this kind of thing? If it was you, would you go see your surgeon just to have it looked at? By the way, my surgeon is almost 2 hours away, but if I need to go, I will go!

Thanks for any advice. I love, love, love this site and get so much information from reading everybody's posts!

You could probably have your PCP check the incision to see if it's infection or anything. But I had something similar when one my of scabs pulled off on my shirt. But everything is fine now. When you shower use dial soap. That's what most surgeons suggest using and mine suggested that as well. I was also told no neosporin, peroxide, etc not only from my surgeon but my PCP and several of the RN's i work with as well. If it scabs up again and starts coming off, leave it alone. It will come off when it's ready(all of mine but one came off when they softened up in a shower)

Get an RN on the phone from your surgeon's office.  Here's why:

One of my incisions got infected last week.  Finally yesterday, I saw my doctor - that thing hanging out is probably a long strip of gauze.  I'm serious.  When my surgeon packed my infected and drained wound yesterday, he stuck a long piece (like 2 feet long) of gauze in my wound.  Today, when the wound care RN came over, I saw it, and it looked exactly as you said - it was a white piece of string (looked more like a shoelace) hanging out.  She pulled it out and it looked like a magician pulling a snake out of a basket, or a trail of hankerchiffs out of a pocket.  It was gross.   It can not heal in there - get it out with your surgeon's help.

Best of luck!

Thanks for y'alls responses. I think I do need to go ahead and have it looked at.
Janine - did it hurt when the nurse pulled it out? Mine is very tender if I touch it.

Umm... not hurt, but felt VERY weird. 

That little string is part of one of your internal stitches. I had that sticking out on three of my incisions. Don't pull on them hard they could end up getting infected or making your incision worse.  Eventually you will be able to pull them a little bit and they will come off.
 

 I had surgery on Jan. 24th and I still have an incison with a scab on it and it still "leaks" and gets on my clothes. 

I agree with the poster who said its prolly one of your internal stiches. It will disinigrate in its own time. I had this same thing happen when i had my RNY and when i had my gallbladder out.

I noticed that too with one of my incisions. I figured it was an internal suture hanging out. I called my surgeon's office and described it. They said it was normal, don't touch it, keep the area clean. It was gone without incident in like a week.

I am 5 weeks out and still have one incision that sounds like yours.  The surgeon's office told me the same thing, let it go unless the redness increases or it feels warm around it.  The scab was beginning to fall off and I noticied under it really was not ready for it to come off so I sort of "pushed" it back on.  While it was loose it did drain a little, sort of stickly drainage, not much, just a few drops.  Since then it is beginning to heal much better.  It is smaller but does occassionally get a drop or two of drainage on my shirt.  My appt is next week so I will have the surgeon look at it then just to make sure.