Posted 10/20/2011 8:57 PM (GMT 0)
Today I saw a nurse practitioner -- good news is that it was much less painful than last week when I saw the surgeon. More good news is that she says the wound is clean, looks healthy, and like it's healing.
But I need to keep staying off of it..... sigh, she says they do 4-6 weeks total for a butt wound like this, and I'm on 3 weeks now.... it will be at least a few more weeks before it's healed.
I was concerned because last week the surgeon opened up a part of the wound so that it was 2 cm deep (which it still is), which is almost as deep as the wound I just had surgery for (in a different place). She said that old wound was debrided, the tissue is healthier now, and it's different..... I looked at her skeptically, and she said she could understand, since I've had an open wound here since February..... but she said it really is different.
Hope she's right.
She wants us to pack the wound some with gauze to hold in the silvadene; she thinks my changing the gauze a lot is taking away too much silvadene (but really, who wants drainage soaked gauze on their skin?), so at least I can change the outer layers.
I also have had this rash for a few weeks -- it's ugly, but it doesn't hurt much. I forgot to ask the surgeon last week, but she looked at it, and says it's probably from sweat and that a lot of people on bed rest get it (it's on my thighs especially, and also on my torso), probably got it when the weather was warmer.
So, it's still a bit tedious here. I have been enjoying showers and walks when the weather is nice; those improve quality of life. I did the dishes for the first time.... I started moving from crocheted stuffed animals to tapestry crochet, which is where you work in two colors and stitch in a design -- I did the name of a kid in my family on a little ball, and I just made a little basket with a triangle pattern.