Anyone else's scar breakdown??

[dsuvb12]

I was just wondering if anyone else had a problem with their scar opening up?  I came home with staff infection and about a month later there was some nasty stuff coming out of my scar and the whole thing opened up.  The dr. said this was the first time he saw a scar break down that far postop.  I just had my third surgery a month ago because my scar opened up again.  This time there was no infection (Thank God!) and the whole in my head was only the size of a quater.  This surgery looks like its going to hold up but with the luck that I have been having I'm not counting on it!  I was just wondering if there was anybody out there that has had the same problems or if I'm just one of the lucky ones!

[Catflower]

I was just wondering if anyone else had a problem with their scar opening up?  I came home with staff infection and about a month later there was some nasty stuff coming out of my scar and the whole thing opened up.  The dr. said this was the first time he saw a scar break down that far postop.  I just had my third surgery a month ago because my scar opened up again.  This time there was no infection (Thank God!) and the whole in my head was only the size of a quater.  This surgery looks like its going to hold up but with the luck that I have been having I'm not counting on it!  I was just wondering if there was anybody out there that has had the same problems or if I'm just one of the lucky ones!

Oh, I know what you've been through.  My scar opened up 3 1/2 weeks after my surgery.  It all started a few days before with a lump behind my ear right in front of the scar.  I went to the local ER and they gave me a topical ointment to put on it.  Two days after that the nasty stuff started coming out and I went back to the local ER.  The doc there consulted with the on-call neurosurgeon at the facility where I had the surgery and they decided I could wait until a scheduled appointment I had 5 days later and sent me home.  Three days later the entire incision opened up and I could see the wire mesh.  I ended up with a second surgery and six weeks of IV antibiotics due to infection.  Luckily, I've had no more problems. 

[dsuvb12]

Oh my gosh I can't believe you could see the wire mesh!!  On mine you could see the bone mixture but that was it.  Did you have to pack the wound with gauze too.....man was that a pain!  I wasn't on IV antibiotics but they had mine on oral stuff for about four 1/2 months.  It wouldn't of been so bad but my body was resistent to the first meds they put me on so I had to change the dang stuff about 3 times!  Hope your good luck keeps going!

[lori67]

Luckliy this didn't happen to me, but my doctor told me a story of someone he had done surgery on that turned out to be allergic to the sutures and the whole thing opened up.  He had to go back and clean out the "gunk" and close the incision up with silk sutures instead of whatever they used the first time.  Could it have been an allergy?

I hope you're doing okay.  I think I would have passed out cold if I saw the inside of my head!!

Lori

[dsuvb12]

Yeah it was from an allergy to the disovable sutures.  They told me it was like I developed an allergy because it happened 3 weeks out of surgery.  I never looked at my scar the first time it opened up because of everybodys reaction to it.  My mother has been a nurse for just about 30 years and I made her gag!  I looked at it the second time because it was just scul and their was no infection.  It didn't bother me that much but most of the people around me were amazed when I took the dressings off that they could see my scul. This third surgery seems to have done the job though there was one little spot that wasn't healing and their was a hard bump over my scar.  The Dr. that I'm seeing picked at it and pulled out a peice of my skull.  We are assuming that when they did the third surgery they didn't flush out the bone that they shaved off well enough.  I'm just happy that they found it before there was another infection!  Best of luck to you in your recovery!

[lori67]

Wow.  I'm glad they figured out what it was and were able to fix it.  I'm a nurse too and I still think I would have hit the floor if I saw that happening! 

One of my Mom's famous quotes - she's a nurse too - was "You can develop and allergy overnight".  I guess she's right.  I always thought it was one of those "Mom quotes" that all kids hear.

Hope you heal quickly now!
Lori