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Children's health

Anybody know what's normal for stitches (with picture)?

28 replies

ShowOfHands · 15/12/2017 21:12

DD had an excision of a lesion 2wks and 5 days ago. She had it done in Birmingham and we're in Norfolk. She was told to keep it covered and then see the GP after 2 weeks to "trim" the sutures.

We saw the nurse on Tues who said she had never seen stitches like it. There were two sutures of around a cm protruding at each end of the wound and no other visible sutures (reminded me of my cs stitching tbh). None of her colleagues or the GP had seen them before either so they called the hospital in Birmingham who said to just trim them flush with the skin and then leave alone.

The thing is that the wound is clearly healing from the ends in iyswim. However, as you can see from the pic, there are two little holes at either end and you can feel the end of the sutures there. They're sharp and like fishing wire. The skin there scabs but then the sutures break through and open it up again. Should they be dissolving? I can't see how it's going to heal with two little jabby sharp threads sticking through slightly. It's also itchy and sore at those two little dots which is fine if it's healing but is it? Any dissolvable stitches I've had disappeared within 2 weeks.

Will it all dissolve and heal on its own?

Anybody know what's normal for stitches (with picture)?
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ShowOfHands · 15/12/2017 21:30

Tried to make the non healing bits clearer.

Anybody know what's normal for stitches (with picture)?
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welshweasel · 15/12/2017 21:36

Looks fine. She’s had what’s called subcuticular closure. Basically it’s done with a dissolvable stitch, you go in through the skin a cm from the edge of the wound and come out in the corner of the wound then do a sort of running stitch just under the skin to the other end then come out a cm away from the wound again. Because you don’t tie any knots you generally get a very nice scar. Cutting the ends flush to the skin is the right thing to do, the stitch will dissolve over time. Don’t worry about feeling the ends poking out, it’s normal.

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CMOTDibbler · 15/12/2017 21:39

I had a stitch like that for my wrist fusion. In the end, the very end bit of stitch did just pull out, but the scar is far, far better than my other scars on that arm which were conventionally stitched

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twinone · 15/12/2017 21:39

No help but that scar is marvellous, very minimal.

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ShowOfHands · 15/12/2017 21:40

Thank you!

Sounds similar to my cs (that had beads on the end but had to be removed).

As long as it's normal I won't worry. Not sure why it baffled our entire surgery though.

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ShowOfHands · 15/12/2017 21:41

It is healing remarkably.

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ShowOfHands · 15/12/2017 21:54

Should I keep it covered?

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welshweasel · 15/12/2017 22:08

No I wouldn’t cover it. Shower/bath as normal too.

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ShowOfHands · 15/12/2017 22:13

Her consultant said absolutely no baths at all until it's 100% healed. Showers must be brief and the leg wrapped with cling film first. Said nowt about covering past the first 2 weeks though.

Is he overly cautious re bathing? DD is desperate for a bath.

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Katescurios · 15/12/2017 22:16

Feeling a bit jealous this is my lumpy bumpy scar 8 weeks after surgery

Anybody know what's normal for stitches (with picture)?
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ShowOfHands · 15/12/2017 22:19

I guess at 10 she has youth on her side. She can get up at 6am and function normally too. It baffles me.

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ItsAllGoingToBeFine · 15/12/2017 22:19

That's a lovely job, not like the mess I had. I had the same sort of stitching except it all came out too early so I have a really sides scar the issue I had was that it kept getting infected at the ends where the suture pokes through - hers looks nice and clean though

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ShowOfHands · 15/12/2017 22:20

That scar isn't too lumpy bumpy though.

What did you do?

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ShowOfHands · 15/12/2017 22:21

That's my worry Fine. It keeps trying to heal but the poky bits are keeping it open.

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ShowOfHands · 15/12/2017 22:22

Perhaps them insisting we drive a billion miles to Brum to see the experts was a good thing after all! They were certain they were the best people to do it.

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Katescurios · 15/12/2017 22:23

Bus driver slammed the brakes on, me and Dd went flying, she was fine (thank god!!!!!!) but I broke my hand and did some tendon damage to my ring finger.

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ItsAllGoingToBeFine · 15/12/2017 22:26

Ok confession time: I got fed up of the repeated infections so I pulled the ends as far out as I could with sterilised tweezers and then snipped with nail clippers - that made the end short enough so that the skin could heal over the top. One end just came right out when I hoicked it - they can't really dissolve if they aren't inside the body. I also washed a couple of times a day with diluted hibiscrub.

I don't necessarily recommend this course of action!

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ShowOfHands · 15/12/2017 22:27

Ouch. That sounds nasty. How are you healing? Will the tendon heal completely? My sil snapped the tendon in her ring finger playing rugby and I was surprised at the surgery and lengthy recovery.

Were you well looked after by other passengers when it happened? I would imagine you were in a bit of shock.

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ShowOfHands · 15/12/2017 22:28

I won't fiddle just yet Fine but I fail to see how it'll heal with poky fish wire sticking out of it.

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Katescurios · 15/12/2017 22:33

Healing OK, can't straighten or fully bend the ring finger so having physio and seeing OT next week for a night splint (Yay). Bit of a bugger because its my right hand and I'm right handed, so typing/writing/lifting...are all a bit messy, but it could be worse.

Absolutely no one on the rather full bus offered any help, so I gathered up screaming 3 yr old and assorted bags by myself and carried her off the bus to sit on the bench and sort ourselves out. Even the bus driver didn't check on us or offer help. Complaint and insurance claims have been raised!

Sounds like your DD is doing wonderfully and coping really well.

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PurplePoppySeed · 15/12/2017 22:33

I had something similar years ago, the ends did take a lot longer to sort themselves out and I could feel the stitch still in there for a while, then one day one poked out a bit so I gave it a little tug and it slipped straight out, was fully healed a week later... as someone said above, I wouldn't force it, but it may just work it's way out like mine did?

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Mrsmorton · 15/12/2017 22:43

I think it’s bizarre that no one at your surgery knew the suturing technique (and didn’t just google it while you were there).

Great scar, common procedure for minimising skin trauma. Hope it’s not too annoying.

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teenybean · 15/12/2017 22:55

I had sticky outy bits from my stitches after my emergency cs, I went to the nurse, who snipped them, but she still left the ends quite long & they still didn't heal, & kept getting infected, so after about 5 or 6 weeks, I gave them a little tug & they came straight out, the ends then healed over within a few days! If they are sticking out, they have nothing to disolve into, so just stay there until they work their way out.

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ShowOfHands · 16/12/2017 08:42

Oh Kate. What an ordeal. I'm sorry you weren't helped more and that bus driver will have to explain his behaviour. You must have been so upset. People do freeze when faced with the unexpected but I wish one person at least had helped. Fingers crossed (pardon the pun) for a good recovery and a happy Christmas. SIL has a slight bend to her finger and some numbness in the tip but function wise, it's 95%. You must do your physio though. SIL said it made all the difference.

My surgery is quite progressive and switched on but were genuinely surprised by trimming the sutures. I think maybe as with my cs, they just remove them usually.

I'm just looking forward to her healing completely and closing this chapter. She's coped admirably with all the invasions and indignities, sedatives and anaesthetics. The funny lump is gone!

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FruitCider · 16/12/2017 14:26

Ooh! I suture and only use simple interrupted and vertical and horizontal mattress. I’ve heard about this type but never seen it! The suturing is very precise - was it done by plastics by any chance?

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