Snag A Suture

It's now been three weeks since I had a hernia repaired.  The recovery process has been slow but steady.  Fourteen days after the surgery I went back to the surgeon's office so he could look at the healing process.  He declared it was good and sent me on my way, telling me not to lift heavy things for several more weeks.  However, several days later a red spot that looked like a zit appeared at one end of the 2-inch long incision.  It grew larger and more painful, and I felt like my healing was taking a giant step backward.  I called the surgeon's office and they were able to fit me in that day.

When I was settled in the examining room the nurse practitioner took a look at the area. My incision had been closed with glue and sutures that were to dissolve on their own.  One of the sutures hadn't broken down properly, and was stuck underneath the red area.  She took a pair of forceps and removed the top layer of skin, then dug around until she found the tiny piece of filament that was causing the problem and pulled it out.  As she was cleaning up her supplies she told me that if another filament started causing a problem I could just get a tweezers and pull it out myself.

Yeah, right. The process was really painful.  I'm not into inflicting self-pain.

However, after dinner I felt something prickly right below the original spot.  When I looked at the area in bright light I could see a piece of a suture sticking up about an eighth of an inch above my skin.  I got a pair of tweezers, affixed them to the filament, said a prayer, and pulled.  I was thrilled when the small piece came out without too much effort or pain.

It's been more than 24 hours without any issues, so I hope the problem is solved.  I guess if it isn't I'll know what to do.

Five years ago today: Autumn