Wound Care Question - Stitches - aftercare. (poss trig)

caz23 · 09-04-2008, 02:28 PM

On monday night (or early tuesday morning really!) I accidentaly cut deeper than I usually do which resulted in a trip to a+e for some stitches. I haven't had to have stitches since I was a little kid, and it's the first time I have had to be stitched because of SI. So I was basically just wondering about general aftercare, any bad signs to look out for, do's & don'ts etc.

I work with horses which involves a lot of manual work so I'm a little concerned incase they somehow get pulled out or something?! Or incase it gets dirty and infected.

I had an appointment with my GP yesterday anyway so she's had a look at it, but I didn't really ask her a great deal about it because I felt awful and just wanted to leave! She just said to keep it dressed until tonight and then leave it open. I'm having the stitches out a week tomorrow. I did get a leaflet from the hospital but I was in a bit of a mood so I kinda chucked it away! Well done me!

Any advice at all would be great! Thank you!

Animad · 09-04-2008, 05:58 PM

1st thing is, especially as you are working with horses, you've got to make sure it is kept clean. Keep a dressing over it or at least make sure your clothes cover it (sorry, I don't know where it is so that might seem a stupid thing to say). Waterproof dressings may be a good idea to prevent any water soaking through to the wound as you're not supposed to get a stitched wound wet. Just try to make sure any movement you do isn't pulling on the stitches whilst you are working but I know this can be impossible and unexpected things ALWAYS happen around a yard at the worst possible time! Are you covered against tentanus? You should be anyway if you're working with horses but this should be something you look at now just incase you do end up getting dirt in the wound.

You should try and keep the stitches as dry as possible.

Things to look out for are really signs of infection. These are swelling, heat, increased pain to what you'd expect/ the pain rather than getting better, a pussy discharge (though this will not be seen once the surface heals over but it may collect under the surfact causing a lump (abscess) under the wound), and redness. Other more urgent signs of infection are you feeling ill such as dizzy/headache/fever, and/or red lines going from the wound towards your heart. These need to be seen straight away by a doctor

Pomegranate · 09-04-2008, 06:18 PM

Sorry for going off topic but why aren't you supposed to get stitches wet?

Bitter_Angel · 09-04-2008, 09:27 PM

If stitches get wet, the skin underneath them becomes softer. This can allow the skin where the thread is to stretch. It can basically slow down healing and stop the skin from knitting properly.

Pomegranate · 09-04-2008, 09:46 PM

Ah ok, thanks :) Good to know

caz23 · 13-04-2008, 04:19 PM

Hey, thanks for helping me out!

It's looking quite good on the whole thankfully, but I have noticed a tiny bit of yellowish stuff coming out of it since yesterday. It's quite clear & runny so I'm not overly concerned at the moment. There's only a very small amount coming out and from a small section of the wound, i.e a section of around half a cm on a 3.5cm long wound. It's not hot, swollen, or particularly sore.

I could just do with some advice on how to deal with it and if possible, how to help prevent it from getting any worse? I'm seeing my GP on thursday to have the stitches removed so I don't really want to have to get in touch with her before then if I can avoid it. Obviously if it gets worse I'll contact her, but at the moment I think I can manage it myself.

Thank you!

Cx

Animad · 13-04-2008, 05:53 PM

Clear, watery discharge is pretty normal in wound healing when new cells are being produced. As this is what it sounds like and it isn't hot/swollen/sore, I'm not concerned that it is infected at this stage. Keeping the area around the wound clean by using damp cotton wool to dab area any of the fluid may help but make sure you keep the actual wound and sutures as dry as possible and be very careful not to aggravate either the healing wound or the sutures. You could also keep it covered in a dressing as this will absorb any fluid that comes out