Not sure who to contact (photo attached)

[Oceansinourway]

I had a caesarean section on Tuesday, there was some sort of electrical box attached to a wire that was attached to me (photo attached.) I don’t really know what it is for or what it’s meant to be doing.

At any rate, my toddler has managed to unattach it from me and I am not sure if this means I should contact my GP or someone else. I don’t know how to explain over the phone either. Can anyone help identify what it is and who I contact?

It’s part of the dressing that is covering your wound. Called a Pico dressing. It creates negative pressure over your scar to reduce infection. Usually removed on day 5.
call your midwife team and ask for a check.

and I’m staggered that you can be discharged after surgery without any knowledge of what is attached to you and what to do if it comes off.

That’s a pico dressing from a company called smith and nephew used to reduce
wound breakdown rates in higher risk cases.

If the tube has just been pulled off its connector you should be able to get it back on. If the box is happy once you do so and press the orange button on the front the ok light will occasionally flash green.

In theory the first six weeks of postnatal care are funded to be provided by
the midwives so your GP may not help.

Looks like a PICO box to manage the pressure of the wound dressing? Do you have any risk factors like high bmi or diabetes? Think you can take off to shower?

Call the hospital unless they told you to call your GP for wound care.

It’s a pump that help healing because it produces negative pressure. It’s not an emergency but it’s best to get it reattached asap.

Just as a side note OP you really should know as much as possible about treatments and your care. Did you not ask what it was/for when you were being discharged?

Ah better explanation from pp

Also sorry. My reply sounds like the onus is on you to know but that’s not what I meant. You don’t know what you don’t know until you need to know it. My staggered ness is that the service can send you on your merry way without giving you the information you need.

I really do appreciate the answers - will hopefully be able to get it sorted soon.

Please bear in mind that since Tuesday a lot has happened. Me not knowing something doesn’t mean I haven’t been told, it’s more likely someone explained and in a blur of no sleep and a new baby and a toddler I have completely forgotten there is absolutely no criticism implied or otherwise of any of the midwives or nurses or surgeons. I just didn’t want to be ringing up with an explanation like my OP and getting nowhere because no one would know what I was talking about - I thought it I posted a picture here someone would know!