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Wound healing

Posted , 6 users are following.

karenjaninaz
karenjaninaz

In Easter I accidentally badly scraped my left side of my shin closing a car door. Naturally it hurt like crazy and bled . I cleaned and sterile dressed it- using antibiotic ointment. I couldn't really see the wound well to acertain how deep it was and never though of sutures. The next day I went to the fast track ER - after going to a mislabeled urgent care that said "we don't do this go to the ER". It required sutures but after 24 hours too late for this so they gave me 5 days of antibiotics abdtaped the wound. I was sent to a plastic surgeon who handles secondary wound closures. He looked at it and painfully manipulated the wound edges is a more advantageous alignment and prescribed 5 more days antibiotics. The thing hurts still. I dress it every day - no pus or swelling but is it normal for pred people to have so much pain during heaI recognize that healing is greatly prolonged.

Anyone with a similar experience?

0 likes, 12 replies

12 Replies

  • Nefret
    Nefret karenjaninaz

    Posted

    Yes - I fell off a kerb (don't ask) last August and a metal strut went into my shin. It came up initially as an enormous haemotoma which burst after 12 days and I had to go to our GP's surgery for dressings as it ulcerated.  I was discharged from the surgery dressings (2 each week) only last month and it still hasn't quite healed over.  I'm going to have a lovely scar!  So 7+ months for that one and it was very painful for many weeks.

     

  • Anhaga
    Anhaga karenjaninaz

    Posted

    Much less dramatic than your and Nefret's experiences, but when I was first on pred I had an insect bite or sting which took absolutely ages to heal and was very painful because my shoe pressed on the place.  Very unusual reaction for me.

  • ptolemy
    ptolemy karenjaninaz

    Posted

    Steroids can impair the healing process as they have supressed the immune system, so wounds can take longer to heal depending on the dose being taken. Probably around 5mg would not make too much difference while 15 mg would.
    • ptolemy
      ptolemy karenjaninaz

      Posted

      I am always covered in bruises. When I see my osteopath you can see her fingerprints in bruise form afterwards!
  • nick67069
    nick67069 karenjaninaz

    Posted

    I did exactly the same, except on the left leg ( steering wheel in Japan is on the opposite side ). It was much less serious though, but never the less it took weeks to heal and I still have red mark after several months. Prednisone slows down recovery dramatically.
  • EileenH
    EileenH karenjaninaz

    Posted

    I don't have any trouble healing - I think it depends on the person and the majority probably do. But I haven't had any problems with thinning skin either. 

    I'm surprised they thought it was too late after 24 hours - and they could have used butterflies instead of stitches to hold the edges together if it bothered them. And that would have been far easier than what the plastic surgeon had to do.

    • ptolemy
      ptolemy EileenH

      Posted

      Around the 5mg point I don't think it makes a blind bit of difference whether you are on pred or not as far as the healing is concerned. I assume it is for the much higher doses.

    • EileenH
      EileenH ptolemy

      Posted

      But I also didn't have a problem at 15mg...

    • ptolemy
      ptolemy EileenH

      Posted

      I don't think 15mg is too bad either it is above that. I seem to heal reasonably quickly too.

    • karenjaninaz
      karenjaninaz EileenH

      Posted

      What happened was that the wound was jagged and had separated. The plastic surgeon, who here commonly does fresh wound repair, massaged the flap to stimulate primary intention then butterflied it together. The problem is my legs swell from pred end of day and this bothers the wound which is in the lateral lower leg.
    • nick67069
      nick67069 ptolemy

      Posted

      I think it is different for everyone... I am at 5mg and healing takes for ever. My skin is very thin and gets scratched very easily and then does not heal for a long time.

      But I still consider myslelf lucky, because that is just about the only side effect I have from pred. I am 99% pain free, can enjoy lots of activities  with no problem.

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