advice needed...wound care

[griffalo2]

Ds (5.9) had an operation on Monday(hydrocele/hernia). He has a cut in groin area about inch long with disovable stitches and steri strips and dressing on top,the consultant said to leave the dressing till it gets really tatty on corners and falls off itself, around 4 to five days.but its still very stuck on and looking yucky underneath,the skin looks quite red on one side and tonight he cried its hurting.ive given him some nurofen.
Should I take the dressing off myself?let it get some air?
I want to take him to nurse tomorrow but he in hysterics when I spoke to him about it and im not sure I will be able to get an appointment so soon.
Please any advice welcome
Wwyd?

I would put antiseptic around the edges tonite (or is he asleep already?) & take him along to somewhere like a minor injuries clinic or GP tomorrow, just to get their opinion. They need to see it, really, to assess.

fwiw, DS had a deep cut on his knee, stitched up but it festered a bit when it was supposed to be getting better. We didn't see a health care prof about it but I think perhaps should have.

I bet you can get an urgent appointment tomorrow, they are pretty good about seeing children quickly, as a rule.

Have you not been given a contact phone number? After DS had an operation a few weeks back we were given a phone number for the department to use 24/7 if we needed any sort of guidance.

Otherwise I would be chasing an urgent appointment in the morning with the nurse/gp

You could phone the ward he was on in the morning for advice - they are always happy to help, or try the practice nurse at your gp.

Hes asleep now,do u mean take dressing off and put antiseptic cream on?
Something like germeline? Sorry not sure how to spell it.
The clear sticky part of dressing is stuck over steri strips so im worried if I pull dressing off the strips will come with it.but prob wont need them now after a week?definitely phone docs tomorrow

You could put him in the bath in the morning and soak off the dressing. It will come off more easily with warm (not hot) water to soften the adhesive.

It's hard to know if it's hurting because the adhesive is sticking to his skin or because it's infected. The dressing could look mucky because it has absorbed the blood post-op, or mucky because it's now oozing. Does he have a temperature?

I would get the dressing off, give him regular paracetamol/ibuprofen, and make a same day appointment with the practice nurse tomorrow morning - if they can't see him tomorrow phone the ward where he had his op and tell them he needs to be seen. They may let him be reviewed on the ward, especially if you are concerned he might have an infection.

Cross-posted.

Don't put antiseptic on it, and don't worry if the steristrips come off along with the dressing. They're only good for about 5 days anyway.

Hold on.
This may need to be reviewed tonight.
If the wound is red and sore enough to make him cry nearly 7 days after the op it is possible he could have a skin infection.
Remove the dressing, give a gentle clean and please phone nhs 24 so they can talk though if you need to be seen.
Please don't wait

The ward he was on is only open Mon-Fri till 5pm.i think if I phone them theres not much they could do without looking at it and hospital is hour and half drive away.

I think PIMS is right. Redness could mean infection. Take the dressing off and call NHS24 if it looks nasty.

How does the wound smell? If there is any odd fragrance then defiantly get it checked tonight

He had a bath tonight and Friday night and still not showing any signs of coming off,
Off to check temp..

Soak it off. You can buy Chloramphenicol eye OINTMENT to put along the wound. If the wound is smelly or oozing then get it checked out.

Did they get a course of antibiotics?

Griffalo, NHS can ask the right questions to decide if their are convincing signs of infection.
Trust me, they won't send you to hosp unless you need it. There may be a GP out of hours closer to you who they can book an appointment with for antibiotics

He should not be crying in pain with this at a week down the line. Please give them a phone

Ednurse, you can only buy chloramphenicol 0.5% drops OTC in the uk, it's quite annoying

No temp or smell.they didnt give antibiotics I did wonder why.
I will phone nhs direct but they always put me off with their life threatening questions.i know its just precaution but makes me think I shouldnt be phoning for a mild condition or just advice

Hope it all works out ok xx

PIMS really?? I didn't know that...

It's very good for wound care.

Oh I thought he was crying saying it hurt because you'd been trying to take the dressing off.

If he's asleep and comfortable and not feverish it could probably wait until morning, but if he wakes and is in pain and the wound is red and mucky then you may want to call OOH.

Thank you all for advice.nurse has said to give him good soak in bath tomorrow and take off dressing and steri strips,have a look and if any part looks infected to take him to practice nurse.
Can I just ask what the chloramphemical does?

It's a topical antibiotic cream or drop normally used to treat bacterial conjunctivitis. It can be useful in keeping wounds clean and treating superficial skin infections. It's great for gravel rash
Glad all is ok. Totally better to be in the safe side