Infected Stitches
What To Do About Infected Stitches
To avoid suffering with infected stitches, you should always listen to the instructions that the doctor gives you for after surgery care. This is not only a good way to stop bacteria from entering the area but it can also help to reduce the scar from the incision. But even if you do follow the instructions to the letter, you can still suffer with infected stitches. There are a few symptoms to look for to know if your stitches are infected.
There should be a certain amount of redness that occurs after getting stitches. The area may also be swollen for at least 24 hours after the stitches are put in. These things are not considered signs of an infection. In most cases, when a doctor uses stitches on a patient he will fully clean the wound, stitch the area and suggest that you keep the area clean and bandaged for 24 hours. During this time is it imperative to keep the area clean and dry. Even though an infection can appear at any time in the healing process, it is more likely to happen in the first few days. So it is important to keep an eye on the area until the stitches are removed.
The symptoms of infected stitches can be a number of things. A fever and fatigue are clear symptoms of an infection but the area may begin to swell again and it can turn colors. The skin can be yellow, green, black or it can have a crusting on the surface. Cellulitis can develop and small painful blisters can also be seen area the incision area. There can be pus or a cloudy fluid draining from the wound and a rash can develop. Usually the wound will become very painful and there may be a red streak that leads to the heart, coming from the wound. There can also be a bad smell coming from around the wound site.
Usually, a doctor can prescribe antibiotics and a pain reliever for a mild infection. But if the infection begins to enter the blood stream, the problem becomes much more serious. This is why it is recommended that anyone that has symptoms of infected stitches much be seen by a doctor immediately. Severe infected stitches can produce extreme scarring and pitting of the skin as well as discomfort and even a long hospital stay. There are a few things that a person can do to keep the stitched area healthy and clean until it fully heals.
Keep the area bandaged for the first 24 hours after the stitches were put in and keep the area dry. You can begin to clean it the following day with a peroxide solution. Never use anything else on the wound. Things like alcohol or even a strong type of soap can slow down the healing process and may even damage the skin around the area. You can add an antibiotic ointment to the wound and this will protect it from bacteria and germs. It will also keep the bandage from sticking to the wound. If you have to take a shower keep the wound dry. You can place a plastic bag over the bandage and make sure that no water can get through. It is usually suggested that a person clean the wound and put a new clean bandage on it twice a day.
It can take anywhere from 5 days to a 2 weeks to heal from a wound that requires stitches. During this time pain can occur, so you may want to take an over the counter pain medication to relieve the discomfort.