AIBU to go A and E ? Photo warning

[Brighton5555]

Hi I had surgery on my stomach 3 weeks ago tomorrow all was going well until about 5 days ago when I had a red rash go across my stomach quickly following my yellow/orange/pink sometimes with red leaking

took hours to even speak to a gp and then they gave me two different types of antibiotics which I started on Monday .

i don’t know if it’s infection only or a infected pool of fluid under the skin. The leaking has increased.

no fever, some deep stomach pain on and off , no smell, Shouldn’t it stop leaking now the antibiotics are in my system ?

Not that I know personally, just “know of”.

I’m having some work done by Stephen McCulley in Jan 2023, but have also consulted with Anna Raurell and Ciaran O’Boyle. These are all Nottingham based ones though.

If you’re not aware of Mrs C Kat then you need to look at her “Lock & Glue” TT’s. Some incredible work. If the patient is suitable she also does it under Twilight anaesthesia and you’re home the same day, avoiding General Anaesthesia.

Also Dan Marsh and Mo Akhavani.

I hope you've been seen and sorted now. It definitely looks like it needs a good clean and possibly packing. Also a different type of dressing.

Thanks everyone . After seven hours the surgical team reviewed me and while not nice they said it was a infected Seroma.

They stuck a needle and drained it , made a small hole to allow more to leave and told me to stick with the antibiotics I am on, discharging me back to my GP.

I won’t know the swab results for about 5 days . I will continue to dress it and hope this is the worst of it.

Thanks to all the responses and the encouragement to go, I obviously needed too as they drained it within seconds of looking at me .

much love ❤️

I'll grant the moral support argument...but anonymous MN posters being a better source of medical knowledge and expertise than 111? Naw.

@Brighton5555 Glad you are hopefully on the upward tick now :)

Agree @ZealAndArdour I had a TT last year and when I got an infection the aftercare was INCREDIBLE. I was seen 2-3 times a week, the nurse would call just to see how I was feeling, they have seen me regularly for a year now, with no extra cost.

I'd imagine the aftercare actually cost when I paid for the operation itself.

Glad you are being looked after now OP. Take care of yourself, stomach surgery is tough going.

So very glad you've been seen, I hope your pain is reduced now. Fingers crossed the anti biotics kick in soon.

I'm glad you've been treated and hope the antibiotics work soon and yo feel better

I am glad you have had your wound drained and dressed. As someone, who has a similar incision, I strongly recommend you getting the nurses at the GP to dress the wound so they can keep an eye on it. I saw the nurses every other day for a while.

Glad you got the help you needed.

That’s interesting. I am thinking about this, and would be tempted if I could have twilight anaesthesia. I’ve just had a quick look at Mrs Kat’s website. I’m a bit further up North.

My colleague is having a tummy tuck in Turkey, and they are doing it with epidural. Not for me though, if I do get it done it will be in UK

Honestly I'd be wary of the twilight thing - it won't be possible for everyone. My surgery was four hours long and quite extensive, involving stitches in every single layer of stomach muscle. You don't want to be awake for that!

I also couldn't have contemplated going home that same day. I couldn't move until about 10 hours after coming out of theatre and then needed two nurses to help me stand to get to the loo three steps away.

It's very very major surgery - don't get sold to by a surgeon who will make it sound like it isn't.

I actually have to agree.

I work in Endocrine with people with quite rare hormonal disorders. One of them being Addison’s disease. Addison’s disease can cause something called an addisonian crisis which is life threatening and you’ll die if you don’t get appropriate time constraint medication by way of injections.

We spent 4 years getting 111 to flag crisis up. Nowadays they have a questionnaire. ‘Do you have Addisons disease?’ Before that they frequently got it wrong when it came to people telling them.

I got into the job because I myself suffer with Addison’s disease. I myself have called 111 many times and you can guarantee every single 111 caller when I answer yes to that question they say ‘oh wow. You’re the first person. I’ve never had someone ANSWR yes. Errrr wait there…..wait I’ll have to get help……hang in’

and so on and so forth

so yes. It happens for people like me all the time

my friend has Marfans and that’s just after the do you have Addisons question and she says they react the exact same way

hehehe

OP, can you get the community nursing team to come out? They will not only be able to clean it daily etc, but they will keep an eye on the infection. Maybe worth thinking about?

You might have what is known as a sinus, a tract that reaches deep into a wound even though it may look small, this would cause a leaking non- healing wound. Go to A&E as you may need intravenous antibiotics and surgical.opinion.

I always ask... is it an accident or an emergency? If yes then go :)

She's been to A&E and been treated.

Deeeeep

HOSPITAL ASAP HOSPITAL ASAP. GO NOW if you haven't already been.

Or you could read the thread, for example 🤷🏻‍♀️

Can't believe A&E didn't issue a different antibiotic. The ones she's using clearly weren't working!

She’s probably been swabbed at A&E and the lab will do C&S on the exudate to see what antibiotic she actually needs. Antibiotic choices aren’t just pulled out of thin air or based on whims.

OP possibly has a penicillin allergy hence the Doxycycline (second line for wound infections, first line being Flucloxacillin) for broad spectrum cover and Metrondiazole is the right antibiotic for suspected deep tissue infection or anaerobic pathogens. It’s probably the best combo she can have orally until the culture results are returned.

Thanks for update. Hope it's soon a distant weird memory. x

@MacKenzieMcHale
Yes, thank you. I usually read the OP's replies first but on this occasion I (and many others 😉😁) didn't. I'm glad she got seen without too long a wait and all is well.