Wound not healing

[Greedyfly]

Hi guys,

Following on from from my last question about trying to keep the wound dressed. I did find some Softpore dressings but they are having a hard time staying out as my surgical wound keeps weeping clear fluid. Whilst I am aware that this clear fluid should be the beginning of scabbing it just never scabs over. The nurse told me to just leave the wound alone and I have tried but the weeping is so bad that I having to change the dressings twice daily because they get soaked through and eventually start to fall off. The weeping has been going on as far as I know since last Tuesday when I had my bandages removed. The wound looks like it has joined up fine and isn't red or swollen or smelly. So it isn't infected. What can I do to stop this continual weeping? What might be causing the non scabbing? It's is like it is at stage one and can't get to stage two.

Thanks guys...

[boxtops]

Who's coming out to see you, is it the District/Community nurse? Give her a ring - she might need to contact the Tissue Viability nurse just for advice as your wound is still weeping.

[Greedyfly]

No one is seeing me boxtops. The wound is a tiny incision from keyhole surgery. I was told to go to my hospital last Tuesday for dressing clinic which I did. They removed the bandages put on some MEPORE dressings and told me to keep it covered and dry until they healed. That's it. I had to go see the nurse at my docs the next day as I had used all the dressings supplied by the hospital due to the continual weeping. She put some inadine on it and some cotton like substance that turns to a gel and dressed it again and told me to see the doc if it became red or sore just in case I develop an infection and told me to leave it alone as best as I could. I haven't been able to leave it alone due to the weeping through and becoming so wet that the dressings fall off. =(

[bednobs]

what you need is the dressing, then a dressing pad (or 2) to soak up the fluid, then a bandage round your ankle to keep the dressing pad in place - then at least the wound will have a chance to start healing
you can buy them int he chemost

[Sqad]

If the wound has healed properly......from where is the fluid coming?

It is either, infected OR it is draining directly from the joint space.

Neither acceptable..........ask to see the Dr as it MAY need draining.

boxy......Tissue Viability Nurse?....what or who is the hell is that?....I do give up.

[Greedyfly]

Hello Sqad

The wound is closed from what I can see but yet the fluid still keeps on coming. When I dab it with cotton wool to dry the area it looks like the wound has sealed shut - but no scabbing. Then within a second or two the wound site is covered in the fluid again, it is relentless. We have tried packing the wound with dressing pads etc... but it just soaks through. Its very frustrating - I fear this may have been draining the entire three weeks since surgery. When the hospital first removed my bandages they were soaked through but at the time I just assumed that maybe when removing the dressings she had pulled the scab off also but surely if that was the case then it should have started scabbing again by now?

[Sqad]

Greedy....whilst it is leaking.....it will not heal. if there is a swelling around the ankle, there may well be a seroma (a bag of fluid) but my bet that it is coming from the the joint cavity.....ask to see the Dr.

[Greedyfly]

Will try to make an appointment tomorrow Sqad. Just changed dressings again and it was soaked. The fluid is just bubbling out. My ankle is fine, no swelling. Im unsure if its sore as I have losr all feeling from the surgery - nerve damage. Will try again with the docs. Thanks.