I need the professional opinion of people in the medical profession about what will happen if I choose not to treat a soft tissue infection in my wound, just leave the wound open (with packing) and keep daily dressing changes and wait for the infection to clear.
DD will be 6 weeks on Friday, she was born by emergency C-Section and straight after birth I developed a soft tissue wound infection... that just has not gone away. It is now considered a chronic infection.
I spent 5 days re-admitted onto post-natal ward with IV antibiotics. Discharged with oral antibiotics which I took for 14 days. 1 week break and infection not cleared so another 10 day oral antibiotic.
Daily dressing changes at doctors. Wound still smelly, lots of discharge, one open hole and the rest of the wound keeps re-opening in small sections(sorry TMI). They think my body is rejecting dissolvable stitches and is pushing the stitches to the surface of my skin (also issues with ingrown hairs), causing skin to break and infection.
So the dilemma. I have been asked to attend a review on Monday with the doctor. The antibiotic I am taking is not working (penicillin). But I am breastfeeding. The antibiotic I need cannot be used when breastfeeding. But breastfeeding is going so well and I don't want to give up! [cry]
My options are
- to be readmitted for IV. No guarantees this will work since it didn't last time. Also makes family life difficult since I am SAHM to three older children. If it's unlikely to work then is it worth the hassle?
- To take the antibiotic I need and stop breastfeeding for the duration of the course. I can express and dump to keep up supply. But my supply will no doubt be affected. I also don't have enough stored milk for any length of time and I am quite evangelical about DD not having formula milk.
- to refuse further treatment (since I and DD are both well in ourselves) and continue with dressing changes, keep wound open, hope it clears up on its own in time.
I am stuck between a rock and a hard place and I don't know what to do
I am most inclined to go with the last option. What will happen if we don't treat the infection?