ITCHY!!!!!

I had an extended tummy tuck last Thursday. Even though the healing process has been slow...it has been steady until today! I am so damn itchy!! I noticed a small red bumpy rash on my upper thigh. I thought maybe the tube from my drain, (yes, I still have my drains in 8 days post op) was irritating my skin however as the day progressed the rash has continued to spread all over my belly and back! I called my PS and they asked me to take pictures and email them to the office. After reviewing the photos, and my description of what happened my PS thinks that I am having a delayed allergic reaction to the oral antibiotics that I have been taking since last Wednesday. He told me to discontinue Cephalexin ( I only had 1 more day to finish) I also was directed to take a shower (rejoice! 1st shower post op!) wash with Hibacleanse then pat dry, use a hairdryer on a low cool setting to dry my incisions. I then was told to Apply topical Hydrocortisone to affected area, put on a clean 100% cotton t-shirt, tightly secure foam and abdominal binder over t-shirt, take Benadryl, and they also prescribed Methyiprednisolone, which is an oral steroid for 6 days. I am scheduled for a post op visit first thing Monday morning. Of course if the rash continues to get worse they told me to call asap!

Have any of you had this type of reaction? My question to my PS was, why is the rash only where my abdominal binder is? If I was having an allergic reaction to the antibiotics wouldn't I have the rash everywhere? Could I be allergic to the foam and binder? He doesn't think it's the binder, and he also said that an allergic reaction sometimes only presents itself on the trunk. I guess I have to wait and see. Until then, I am willing myself not to scratch....but damn is it hard!!!

I would love to hear your feedback!

Lesley

Ug - that does NOT sound fun!  Sorry to hear about it.

 

I had some serious serious itching after my arm lift.  I also got hives from my pain killer.  For the hives, my surgeon recommended that I take Benadryl with the pain meds.  Fortunately, I was only on the pain meds for a few days, but I did take some claritin which helped.   As for my insanely itchy arms that kept me up at night.... well, turns out I had a YEAST INFECTION!!!  Ack!  Ewww!!  That was never on my radar as something that could happen...  but I guess the antibiotics make you susceptible and my pits tend sweat, and my compression garments didn't breath much,  which made a nice damp environment for yeast.  So my surgeon had my use some OTC fugal cream to the red itchy skin and it cleared up in just a couple of days, much to my relief.

Now, that was my healing experience with itching and rashes.  You asked some really good questions, and rashes can be tough to pin down.  My allergic reaction to hydrocodone (which I have experienced several times now)  presents as hives, and those hives are only on my face... so it is true that you won't necessarily get a full body rash as a reaction to a drug.    The fact that the rash is right under the binder does make me wonder if maybe your rash could be yeasty too - it's nice and hot in there, right?  And being on antibiotics makes it more possible, as the bacteria that usually keep yeast at bay are wiped out and give the yeast a chance to overpopulate.

Or, like you said, maybe you are sensitive to something in the foam or binder.  I have sensitive skin so I know how that goes - I can only use free and clear detergent and I can never use any kind of fabric softener.  I always have to bring my own pillow cases to hotel rooms - yeah, such a delicate flower, I know! Haha!  The rashes I get from this can be bumpy or sometimes more patchy, almost looking like hives.  Look up "contact dermatitis"  if you want to see some pictures to compare.  But, like I said, rashes can be really hard to pinpoint sometimes.   But if it looks like contact dermatitis, that could be what you are dealing with - especially if the measures recommended by your surgeon don't help.

From my perspective as a rashy patient, it sounds like your PS gave you very good, reasonable advice.  I hope that area heals up quickly for you.  There is nothing more maddening that itching like crazy, especially when you are exhausted and want to sleep.  But itching will only make you itch more - so trust me, it won't help.  It will feel good for one second, and then make things itch even more ...  or worse, you could do some serious damage to your tender, healing skin.  So fight it with all your might!!  If you are afraid of reaching your fingers under the binder and itching while you sleep, wear gloves so at least your can minimize the damage by your fingernails. 

It will get better... just hang in there...  and for the love of healing, don't itch!  ;)

Take care!!

Hey there Ready For Plastics,

Thanks so much for your reply! You may be on to something with the yeast thing! Even though I haven't been sweating under my binder, it is dark, moist, and warm under there! GROSS! I will look online to see if my rash looks like a yeast reaction.

Last night I couldn't take the itchiness, so I slept with my binder off and that provided some relief. I totally agree with you about if you scratch the itching only becomes worse! As I am typing this post I am trying so hard to distract myself from scratching!!

I will continue with my PS protocol, however if I don't see much of a change I will give him a call later today. Thanks for your feedback and well wishes! I will keep you posted!

Lesley

Don't you hate the itch that is below the numb area that no matter how much you itch you can get to the spot!  anyway hope you heal well.

Hey Joe,

Man! does it feel strange trying to itch the numb part of your stomach!! Do you know how long that numb feeling lasts?

Lesley

I had 1st round of plastics last July and the 2nd last December.  I think I got back the feeling that I am going to end up with.  About an inch around the belly button and a thin vertical line around there is numb but it doesn't really bother me much now.  The weirdest is the belly button I guess because it is a larger numb spot.  Good luck on healing.

Lesley, have you tried liquid Benadryl 25 mg? It helped with my itching. I was going bonkers last night and it helped within an hour.

Hi melizabeth,

Yes, today I used Benadryl liquid gel, and it really worked! I actually slept for more than an hour which I so needed!

Yeah, I've been itchy since surgery 6 weeks ago, but not to the point of rash.  I think it's a combo of healing and maybe a reaction to the dissolvable sutures underneath the skin.  It hits in a particular area, then goes away.  

Numbness gradually goes away.  I still have spots, mostly around the incision, that are numb.  But they're coming back every day!