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skin infection along incision line

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april99094
april99094

ok now i am on the 3rd skin infection that is the size of half of my incision. My incision has been healed for some time my total knee revision was 11-28-16. The surgeon has put my on antibiotic 2 times alread and 1 time in the hospital.  The is white stuff coming out of infection.  I called the surgeon again today to be seen asap.  My sister in law who is a doctor thinks it is cellulitis.

0 likes, 7 replies

7 Replies

  • martinarvelo
    martinarvelo april99094

    Posted

    You really have been unlucky!  I suppose they have done a culture to discover exactly what the infection is and the proper antibiotic to zap it?  Quicker the better I would think!  You certainly don't want it travelling inwards towards the new joint.  fingers crossed they sort it out soon.

     

    • april99094
      april99094 martinarvelo

      Posted

      well now the ortho is putting me in hospital over night on sunday and on monday he will put me to sleep and cut it open and clean infection out. On sunday they will do some testing on my.  Fingers crossed
    • martinarvelo
      martinarvelo april99094

      Posted

      Only just seen this!  Well, at least they are taking it seriously, and hospital sounds like the place to be to sort out this problem, which must be very worrying for you. fingers crossed here that they can sort out what the infection is, and hit it with an almighty antibiotic so it never dares to come back!  Let us all know what happens, and the very best of luck with it. 
  • urbanremedy
    urbanremedy april99094

    Posted

    Antibiotics are used to treat most wound infections. Sometimes, you also may need surgery to treat the infection.

    ANTIBIOTICS

    You may be started on antibiotics to treat the surgical wound infection.   The length of time you will need to take the antibiotics varies, but will be for at least 1 week . You may be started on IV antibiotics and then  changed to pills later.  Take all of your antibiotics, even if you feel better.

    The pus from your wound may be tested to figure out the best antibiotic.  Some wounds are infected with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureau (MRSA), which is resistant to commonly used antibiotics. A MRSA infection will need a specific antibiotic to treat it.

    INVASIVE SURGICAL TREATMENT

    Sometimes, your surgeon needs to do a procedure to clean the wound. They can take care of this either in the operating room or in your hospital room. They will:

    Open the wound by removing the staples or sutures

    Do tests of the skin and tissue in the wound to figure out if there is an infection and what kind of antibiotic medicine would work best

    Debride the wound by removing dead or infected tissue in the wound

    Rinse the wound with salt water (saline solution)

    Drain the pocket of pus (abscess), if present

    Pack the wound (if it is a hole) with strips of saline-soaked dressing and a bandage

    WOUND CARE

    Your surgical wound may need to be cleaned and the dressing changed on a regular basis. You may learn to do this yourself, or nurses may do it for you. If you do this yourself, you will:

    Remove the old bandage and packing. You can shower to wet the wound, which allows the bandage to come off more easily.

    Clean the wound.

    Put in new, clean packing material and put on a new bandage.

    To help some surgical wounds heal, you may have a wound VAC (Vacuum Assisted Closure) dressing. It increases blood flow in the wound and helps with healing.

    This is a negative pressure (vacuum) dressing.

    There is a vacuum pump, a foam piece cut to fit the wound, and a vacuum tube.

    A clear dressing is taped on top.

    The dressing and the foam piece are changed every 2 to 3 days.

    It may take days, weeks, or even months for the wound to be clean, clear of infection, and finally heal.

    If the wound does not close by itself, you may need a skin graft or muscle flap surgery to close the wound. If a muscle flap is necessary, the surgeon may take a piece of muscle from your buttocks, shoulder, or upper chest to put over your wound. If you need this, the surgeon will not do this until after the infection has cleared.

    • april99094
      april99094 urbanremedy

      Posted

      Thank you so much for all the information that helped, i know they are going to take me in the operating room and put me to sleep to do it.  I know they are going to open up about 3 inches of skin, i thought they stitch it back together but i do not know.  With my revision surgery i did have a wound vac, but they never changed the pads.  I am allergic to that clear tape i have to remember to tell him that.  Thank you again
  • irma85119
    irma85119 april99094

    Posted

    I am very shocked to know your problem, I think you should change your doctor and go to a best skin specialist to solve your problem. 
  • joanna20027
    joanna20027 april99094

    Posted

    I have a similar issue. Four weeks in, I have a wound along my incision that is about two inches that has not healed. There is no infection (no pus, nor pain, nor inflammation) but it's taking a mighty long time to heal. I was sent home after a week post-op and antibiotics but not presribed any to take when discharged. Then two weeks later, when I went in for my followup appointment, they admitted me for observation and pumped two types of antibiotics via IV. On Day 6, they changed to oral antibiotics and had planned a debridement and muscle flap. But when my surgeon took a look at my wound, he discharged me with a week's worth of antibiotics, saying it was healing nicely. I've changed my dressing twice since my discharge on the 7th of this month and there's still a bit of yellowish discharged left on the dressing, along with scabs of dead skin that has shrunk dramatically from the first week the dressing was changed. I don't know what it is but it is worrying me a bit.

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