Rash from gallbladder removal since today

Posted , 28 users are following.

Gallbladder was removed on Tuesday. Today, as I emerged from the haze of my meds, I noticed a red rash from my bellybutton to my breasts. The rashes aren't concentrated around the incision sites. The nurse told me to take a benadryl and a shower, but the rash hasn'y gone away, Should i wait till monday, or go into the ER? I've inclued an image of the rash. Thank you .

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  • Posted

    That's normal as long as nothing is infected. Take the Benadryl when you get home. Remember they inflate your belly with air like a tire to have more space to work in your abdomen. Maybe it is a reaction to something like medication or IV. Just don't be alarmed.
  • Posted

    It does just look like a normal rash to a reaction fro. Something. . Be on the lookout if you start getting hives or have difficulty swallowing or breathing. . Or get swelling in your lymph nodes or eyes ,ears etc. .. if the rash doesnt go away after another day or 2 or of benedryl, then definitely contact your Dr. You may be allergic to 1 of the meds your on or possibly the pain meds they gave you. Maybe even the percs if it has aspirin in it. Just be aware of your body and how it is acting and you'll be OK.

    Good luck!

  • Posted

    Hi.I think your rash looks like an allergic reaction rash ie.hives....maybe a reaction to the stuff they clean your skin with in operating theatre... I have an allergy to hair dye and hives come out over my back...so it doesn't necessarily have to react to the specific part of skin that has contact... If you feel unwell with it get it checked..I also suffered an out break of hives after being given antibiotics intravenously and it was all over the top half of body..good luck
  • Posted

    Hi Jenny 01611,

                              It looks as if you have had a reaction to something they have used. I came out with a bad rash, which was caused by the plaster dressing they used. I would wait to go to your doctor on Monday. It has to be better than waiting for hours to be seen in the ER. Try putting some savlon cream on it, it will stop the itching and it's perfectly safe.

                            Good luck, Sandrog  

  • Posted

    I had my gallbladder out on Monday, by weds night this same rash showed up and its horrendous. My doctor told me to take benadryl to, but its getting worse! I've also tried hydrocortisone creme and it hasn't helped. Its spreading and its very itchy and painful. Any suggestions? I also discontinued all painkillers just in case.

  • Posted

    I had a similar reaction, despite having only one known allergy (to steri-strips) and being given a red allergy wristband in the hospital. Only dermabond was used on my 4 incisions. The rash started below the incision at my navel. within 5-6 days, additional patches popped up all around my torso front and back. By the second week, it was spreading down my arms and up my neck. I only took the meds (percocet and zofran) for the first 2 days, so that is not the cause. The other 3 incisions look perfectly normal, so I don't think it's the dermabond. The OR nurses told me no tape or other adhesives were used on me. It's a mystery! My surgeon was unconcerned since it's not infected. Nothing over the counter could even touch the itching and irritation. Out of desperation, i went to urgent care 3 days ago (almost 3 weeks post-op) and they put me on a 5-day course of prednisone 40mg daily plus hydroxyzine 3x/day plus a prescription ointment. This combination has cleared up the redness and most of the itching, but of course brings its own side effects. I just hope when I finish the pred that it doesn't flare back up! The cause is still a complete mystery.

    • Posted

      My wife is 10 days post surgery and has same rash. Did the rash return after meds?
    • Posted

      The Prednisone seemed to knock it down within 2-3 days. Once I finished the course of Prednisone, I did not get he rash back on my torso. It's still there on my arms, bit not nearly as bad and is manageable with over the counter calamine lotion. I hope it clears up eventually!

    • Posted

      Thank you Lisa. My wife was given the same medication. Unfortunately the rash came back immediately after the steroid course was completed. 
    • Posted

      I'm so sorry your wife is still dealing with this. I wish someone could have explained to me why the rash happened in the first place. I hope she is able to get some answers and relief from her doctors.

    • Posted

      Hi Lisa how are you after the medicine did it go away? My dr said it was allergy to surgical tape taking the meds now but the itching is driving me insame , seems the rash is getting better and some new shows up
    • Posted

      I know it's been many months since this question was asked, but I wanted to reply in case others have the same issue. When I had my GB out in 2017, the rash I developed was finally beaten down with a taper course of prednisone and did not return. However, after a more recent surgery in March 2019, the same exact thing happened. It was determined that the surgical drape material is stuck to your skin with an adhesive strip, and I reacted to that adhesive. This time, the reaction was much more severe, caused a secondary bacterial reaction from all of the hives and oozing, and took two rounds of steriods to make it go away. I am now going in for allergy testing with a "kit" of surgical drapes, scrubs, bandaging materials, tape, etc. to see what is causing me to react. Each time it happens, the body mounts a stronger defense, so I need to get to the bottom of this before I ever go under the knife again!

  • Posted

    Mine turned out to be Psoriatic Arthritis. I have never ever had skin problems until my gallbladder was removed. I broke out all over. My rash looked like Jenny01611s photo. I have it in head so badly, I was going nuts clawing and scratching it. Since we have animals, I really thought it was fleas. But it wasn't. Thankfully, I had already had an appointment lined up with a RA doctor. I am so thankful to have a diagnosis! I had never heard of Psoriatic Arthritis. I will begin Humira injections soon. I hope this helps somebody.

  • Posted

    I have a rash all over my gallbladder incisions now is spraying all over my abdomen the incisions look fine o dnt see nothing wrong with them but I still worries me cuz now is goes all the way to my chest are i already try benadryl n another itching medicine n it doesn't go away but I never got a problem with rashes be4 n my surgery was 6/6/17 that's wht is more weird do someone had problems like this thank u

  • Posted

    Hello! I had my gallbladder removed 11 days ago. Just went in for my 1 week post op visit and the doctor said everything was looking great. The incisions are healing nicely! No infection. 2 days ago I noticed that I had red itchy bumps on my sides (around love handles) and in my mid tummy area. They look EXACTLY like the photo. I only took hydrocodone the first day after surgery for pain then discontinued due to the way it made my head feel. I hate it. I just used Tylenol (acitmenophen) for about 6 more days. I don’t think it’s the Tylenol as I’ve used it before with no rashes that I remember. If it isn’t better after a couple of days of benedryl I will go speak with my doctor and check back in. This seems to be a pretty common reaction after surgery. The problem is I haven’t  yet found the common thread linking the reactions together. 

    Keep digging. Keep posting! We’ll figure this out! ill check back in later.

    • Posted

      its been 3 weeks since my gallbladder was removed due to a large stone but about 1 week after surgery i started to itch on my hands, feet, head, everywhere. i thought i had poison ivy but never developed the typical rash. i have started to get welps that itch like crazy. my skin is so sensitive. my doctor did blood work that came back good but my urine came back with bilirubin 1+, and trace of keytones and protein. Im not too sure what that means but i am wondering if something happened with a bile duct during surgery. my doctor has ordered an ultrasound so ill see what that says, hopefully that shows something cuz if not my doctor isnt honna do anything else. she says my liver and kidneys are good and im not in a bunch of pain so she usnt too concerned. shes just doing the ultrasound to be sure.

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