after surgery care....stinks!

The care to take care of surgical excision has not been easy regardless of what some may think! Not at all for me anyhow. My excision site could be in possible one of the worst spots! Hate to complain but it really has been awful. There is one person who really knows, that's helped me change bandages, and that's my loving husband.

I was feeling guilty for the two weeks off from work to make sure this heals properly...possibly could have worked out some type of light duty (up to 8 pounds) but it's just too much between walking up or down any stairs, standing on feet long periods, sitting long periods and using the bathroom when needed.... I would regret going to work without a doubt.

 If I have to go to bathroom and the bandage gets wet or something, then I am going to try and change my bandage in a dirty bathroom stall, uh, no, I don't think so! Got to wash area well, then apply the special antibiotic prescription cream, cut gauze strip, cut tape and tape it in place all around. With my bladder issues, that could be at least a few times at work.

 I just don't feel guilty tonight, yesterday, yes I felt guilt, but if others were going through the same, they would choose home instead of work, too. It's not really healed well yet, which is kinda a worry. It goes from looking good to awful again. :(

The care is as follows in general for mole excision surgery:


Home care 

After the procedure, you need to keep a layer of antibiotic salve and a bandage on the wound. Use an antibiotic ointment that does not include neomycin. Many people are allergic to neomycin and may develop a rash at the site. Polysporin is a brand that does not contain neomycin. (Yes, I have developed sensitive red skin in the whole area...soreness)

Clean the wound once or twice daily with either water or diluted hydrogen peroxide.

After cleaning the wound, apply the antibiotic salve and bandage. (Not easy, bending to reach the area to apply all this)
This is repeated (2 weeks+) the wound is healed.

Misconceptions about healing

Some people think that wounds need to be open to the air and that this helps healing. Several studies have disproved this and found significantly quicker healing with bandages and antibiotic salve.

Similarly, vitamin E has been found to slow healing rather than accelerate it, and scars were shown to be worse with vitamin E placed directly on wounds than without it.

Next Steps

Simple mole removals are frequently not followed up, but this may vary depending on the type of mole.
(especially if it turns out to be cancer...ugh)

For lab results: You may receive a phone call from the doctor if there is any indication of unusual features once the tissue is analyzed. Then you would see the doctor for a follow-up recheck of the area and full examination of the rest of your body. (and for some chemo type of topical cream that burns off layers of your surrounding skin, once it's healed of course, approx within 2 months, can start the cream that makes everything sore and bloody all over again)

For stitches removal: Follow-up depends on the area that received stitches and the type of suture. Facial sutures are typically removed within 4-7 days. Stitches elsewhere (that's me) are usually removed from 8-21 days, depending on the type of suture and the surgeon’s preference.

To prevent infection: During the time of the recovery, you need to be careful not to get the area dirty. Also, trauma needs to be avoided to the area, including avoidance of unnecessary stress and strain to the area. (hence, what I do at my job)