Bloodwelded dressing after minor surgery

[Paul_B]

Got a dressing welded to a stitched wound. What's the best way to remove it? I'm squeamish with dressings and I can see the stitches are sticking to the dressing.

Can you soak it off?

I've cut away as much of the dressing as I can and dressed it with adhesive sterile dressing. Dressings removals have always been my problem. Needles and stitches OK, but not stitches.

 

[Mesquite]

Gently soak it lukewarm water for a little while and it ought to come off pretty easy.

 

[Globetrotter.uk]

If the stitches are dissolvable ones then just leave it otherwise soaking it after a few days from surgery will be fine. But if you've hit a nice nurse around that would cheer you up.

 

[Paul_B]

Non dissolvable stitches. Ended up taking a shower with a nitrile glove on to keep dressings dry. Sweat ended up soaking it enough to take it off. I did say I was squeamish, hence the glove. Did not like what I saw. It's like a ridge he pulled the stitches so tight.

Had to cobble a dressing together as they sent me home with 10cm dressing to cover part of my finger. Chemists shut for Easter so had to cut down and tape up. Must improve my home kit. All my first aid kits are depleted or out of date on sterile dressings.

Anyone know if sealed, sterile dressings that are out of date really no good? Got some from August last year.

 

[Mesquite]

Anyone know if sealed, sterile dressings that are out of date really no good? Got some from August last year.

Just because the best before date has passed germs are going to infect the dressing right away. If it's all I had I'd use it without another thought.

So long as the packaging is sound and undamaged you should be ok to use it until the chemists open again tomorrow.

 

[Andy BB]

Interesting. Had my hip replaced 3 weeks ago. Top layer was butterfly-taped up, not stitched (obviously deeper, sub-surface stitches put in with dissolving stitches). Whole lot covered with waterproof plastic, which survived 2 weeks of daily showers. Took it off after 2 weeks, and scar almost disappeared! (OK, maybe not disappeared, but not glaringly obvious either without a second look!)

 

[Macaroon]

Best way to "un-weld" dressings is with lavender oil ( or any light oil like almond - dead cheap ) which is a good thing for skin wounds and damage. Never a good idea to get wounds wet while they're healing.
I always carry a tiny bottle of both lavender and tea tree oil in my FAK and been glad of them many times....................atb mac

 

[British Red]

You wouldn't have enjoyed being me a week ago if squeamish.....surgery under local and an accidental cut artery Its quite amusing to smell yourself cooking as they frantically go nuts with the cauterising tool .

I asked for a flannel to wipe (my) blood off my face whilst saying "wow, I smell like roast pork"

Blimey, you have ice water in your veins

The warm and salty taste from my arteries suggests otherwise

Okay that's just sick

Made me laugh!

 

[Rod Paradise]

You wouldn't have enjoyed being me a week ago if squeamish.....surgery under local and an accidental cut artery Its quite amusing to smell yourself cooking as they frantically go nuts with the cauterising tool .

I asked for a flannel to wipe (my) blood off my face whilst saying "wow, I smell like roast pork"







Made me laugh!

I only hope I'd have the savoir faire to come out with that line Red!

 

[British Red]

It really is quite fuuny to watch a posh surgeon in scrubs have an "oh sh**" moment

 

[Paul_B]

I used to be like you. Broke my hand once and when being stitched up the local didn't have any effect. I felt everything including the drag from the thread being used to stitch me up. I still watched it until the last two stitches right next to my knuckle then bottled it.

Ever since then I have had trouble with needles. I get very anxious giving blood now which never troubled me before. I hate plasters though.

 

[Paul_B]

BTW think you're pretty cool joking about the artery incident when the surgeon was probably bricking it for Fear Of legals.

 

[British Red]

<shrug>

He was doing his best - it wasn't a major artery and he fixed it quickly. Sh** happens in surgery. It was just a squirter and because it was facial surgery it was messy.

As they say

Keep them laughing as you go - because remember that the last laugh is on you

 

[rik_uk3]

I would imagine it a more "Oh S**t" in an "Oh bullocks" sort of way, more than a sign of stress or panic Red.

 

[British Red]

Oh exactly that Richard, no stress on his part although the (fairly young) nurse had a bit of a moment as it squirted in the air and rained down on my face . He did ask me to keep the pressure on as he didn't have the cauterising tool to hand and had to fetch it

It was just an "oh damn it" moment for the surgeon

 

[woodstock]

Just because the best before date has passed germs are going to infect the dressing right away. If it's all I had I'd use it without another thought.

So long as the packaging is sound and undamaged you should be ok to use it until the chemists open again tomorrow.

I think Steve meant if the packaging is ok germs are NOT going to contaminate the dressing right away.

I treated a nasty axe wound with birch poly pore and that was ok.

 

[Harvestman]

I used to be like you. Broke my hand once and when being stitched up the local didn't have any effect. I felt everything including the drag from the thread being used to stitch me up. I still watched it until the last two stitches right next to my knuckle then bottled it.

I had a similar experience in my youth, after a childhood fight with my brother in the bathroom. I smashed his face into the sink and broke his two front teeth and his lower lip (blood everywhere) and he hit me onto a sink tap which got me in the eye. I needed stitches in my eyelid. Except I didn't quite go under. After two stitches the surgeon looked at me:
"Are you awake?" he asked.
I nodded yes.
"Can you feel the needle?"
I nodded again.
"Does it hurt?"
I shook my head, no.
"Okay then, only one stitch to go, stay still", and he carried on.

I was aged about 8 or 9. I can still see the needle coming towards my eye, and feel the drag of the thread through my eyelid, but I had total trust in what the doctor was doing, and there was no pain, so there is no fear attached to the memory at all. No adverse reaction at all. There is a near invisible scar on my eyelid now.

People cringe when I tell this story, but for me it is just a curiosity, and says more about anaesthetics in the 70s than anything else.

 

[santaman2000]

My last minor surg was only a few weeks ago. I had a fungal toenail pulled and the toe treated to prevent another nail from growing. Indeed the podiatrists gave instructions to soak the bandage if it was stuck. That said I have no idea if they would be the same for an inscision wound.

As for dressings being out of date, I don't think I've ever even seen a date on them over here. I haven't always looked for one though. I do know that on the military dressings they used to say, "STERILITY GUARANTEED IF PACKAGE IS UNDAMAGED."

 

[Elen Sentier]

Best way to "un-weld" dressings is with lavender oil ( or any light oil like almond - dead cheap ) which is a good thing for skin wounds and damage. Never a good idea to get wounds wet while they're healing.
I always carry a tiny bottle of both lavender and tea tree oil in my FAK and been glad of them many times....................atb mac

Mac - I keep lavender and tea tree too. Used lavendar to ease the tape of both knee replacements ... they were going to cheerfully rip!

Red - Arrrrggghhh !!! But I did giggle too

 

[British Red]

Red - Arrrrggghhh !!! But I did giggle too

That wasn't the funny one. The funny one involved self sufficient cooking - and rather more stitches in the end. The old hands here may remember the tale, but for those who don't

I have a "thing" for thai sweet chilli sauce. I love it - as a dip, over meat, on chips etc.

So, I make my own, and dashed fine it is too.

My lady wife suffers from the rare medical condition "asbestos gob" so requested a more "robust" version.

Ever the obliging man, I prepared a mix of habanero, tabasco and Scotch bonnets.

At this point I was caught short nad nipped to the loo. I would have (naturally) washed my hands afterwards, but neglected to wash the BEFORE.

I said "oh gosh deary me" (or something) -it really hurt - I was grabbing flannels, dowsing them with water, dropping my trousers, then not being able to remove them over my boots, hopping, hobbling, then realising I hadn't washed my hands so I had transferred the chilli juice to the flannel.

So I jumped back and wadded up loo roll.

Still hadn't washed my hands

Jumped back to sink and fell.

Caught sink in one hand and bath in the other, nearly wrenching sink from the wall

Righted myself, washed hands, dropped soap and couldn't see through the tears.

Knelt on floor to find soap.

Failed.

Stood up and smashed head on underside of sink.

Shuffled back to loo

Grabbed clean loo paper

Ran loo paper under tap and beagin to scrub.

Tissue paper shredded (stained with chilli juice).

In desparation grabbed a hand towel and ran it under the tap. Soap is AWOL so grabbed shampoo and squirted generous measure on wet towel.

Ever noticed how similar conditioner is to shampoo? Its also greasy. Particulary when applied to your chilli covered, papier mache encrusted short hairs.

Naturally, whilst screaming in frustration. I then trod on the soap and fell over backwards, striking my head on the loo seat and engendering a fair sized cut.

Then my wife came into the bathroom to find me naked, supine, rubbing frantically at my greasy man parts with my blood covered head in the toilet.

I like to think of that as one of my finer moments