omg omg omg omg omg omg omg
September 8, 2010 8:17 PM Subscribe
My permanent suture is palpable. I am freaking out.
I had surgery to correct a congenial deformity, and had permanent sutures placed around my areolas. The surgeon told me that the sutures would not be palpable. I was so worried about the suture being palpable that I would have taken on more scars avoid the suture, but he assured me that I wouldn't be able to feel it. Okay, skip forward to 8 days post-op. I get my steri-strips off, receive a bottle of scar massage oil, and go home. I start to massage my healed incisions and realize that I can feel the suture. I call the doctor and am assured that I will feel it less over time.
My question: is this true? Will it really go away? If not, can I get it removed? I haven't been able to stop crying since I first realized that I could feel something underneath my skin. I can't find very much information on this online (perhaps because I did not get implants and many women chose to with this procedure; maybe it's harder to tell when there are multiple foreign bodies in your system). Nobody told me that this would happen, and if they had, I would not have had this surgery.
I had surgery to correct a congenial deformity, and had permanent sutures placed around my areolas. The surgeon told me that the sutures would not be palpable. I was so worried about the suture being palpable that I would have taken on more scars avoid the suture, but he assured me that I wouldn't be able to feel it. Okay, skip forward to 8 days post-op. I get my steri-strips off, receive a bottle of scar massage oil, and go home. I start to massage my healed incisions and realize that I can feel the suture. I call the doctor and am assured that I will feel it less over time.
My question: is this true? Will it really go away? If not, can I get it removed? I haven't been able to stop crying since I first realized that I could feel something underneath my skin. I can't find very much information on this online (perhaps because I did not get implants and many women chose to with this procedure; maybe it's harder to tell when there are multiple foreign bodies in your system). Nobody told me that this would happen, and if they had, I would not have had this surgery.
First things first, you're only a week along in healing and your doctor is right. So take a deep breath and relax! :)
What do you mean by permanent suture? Is it the kind that dissolves over time and is therefore not removed type of permanent? Or is it a non-dissolving suture material type of permanent? If it's the former, it needs time to be absorbed. In either case, there is certainly still a great deal of swelling, which will amplify the size and palpability of everything in the region.
Worst case scenario, you can still feel the suture in a few months. There are plastic and reconstructive surgeons who specialize in scar revision who (I don't know the details of your situation so obviously can't say with 100% certainty) will in all likelihood be able to remove it.
Give it some time. Do you have someone in your life you are comfortable having touch your breasts? If so, getting a second, less emotionally-charged opinion on the changing state of the suture might be helpful.
posted by phunniemee at 8:32 PM on September 8, 2010 [3 favorites]
What do you mean by permanent suture? Is it the kind that dissolves over time and is therefore not removed type of permanent? Or is it a non-dissolving suture material type of permanent? If it's the former, it needs time to be absorbed. In either case, there is certainly still a great deal of swelling, which will amplify the size and palpability of everything in the region.
Worst case scenario, you can still feel the suture in a few months. There are plastic and reconstructive surgeons who specialize in scar revision who (I don't know the details of your situation so obviously can't say with 100% certainty) will in all likelihood be able to remove it.
Give it some time. Do you have someone in your life you are comfortable having touch your breasts? If so, getting a second, less emotionally-charged opinion on the changing state of the suture might be helpful.
posted by phunniemee at 8:32 PM on September 8, 2010 [3 favorites]
I recently had three permanant sutures put in my lip. While I could still feel it after 8 days, it did melt away in just under three weeks.
The 28 stitches in my arm took much longer than a week (closer to about 2 months, but that was a really bad injury).
You still need time to heal. Try to be patient.
posted by His thoughts were red thoughts at 9:12 PM on September 8, 2010
The 28 stitches in my arm took much longer than a week (closer to about 2 months, but that was a really bad injury).
You still need time to heal. Try to be patient.
posted by His thoughts were red thoughts at 9:12 PM on September 8, 2010
8 days post-op is not yet the time to freak out. Give yourself more healing time. Follow the doctor's orders.
And remember: the more you stress about this, the more you put stress on your body. This will impact healing.
posted by itsacover at 9:13 PM on September 8, 2010
And remember: the more you stress about this, the more you put stress on your body. This will impact healing.
posted by itsacover at 9:13 PM on September 8, 2010
Response by poster: Note: there are dissolvable stitches, but this is a permanent one. It does not get removed or melt away. Thanks for the advice--I'm trying to calm down about it...
posted by 200burritos at 10:12 PM on September 8, 2010
posted by 200burritos at 10:12 PM on September 8, 2010
I went from "OMG" about a permanent suture in my eye to "meh, it's there, whatever" in about two weeks. Not the same thing-- no one's going to fondle my eye lovingly any time soon-- but it is a psychological thing as much as a physical one.
posted by fairytale of los angeles at 10:14 PM on September 8, 2010
posted by fairytale of los angeles at 10:14 PM on September 8, 2010
200burritos, if you want to email privately about this - I am willing to do so. But what I am willing to state publicly is that those damn stitches came out, no matter what anyone said. Please don't freak. Please email me.
posted by msali at 10:17 PM on September 8, 2010
posted by msali at 10:17 PM on September 8, 2010
There is a good bit of variation in how people heal, but wounds continue to remodel for weeks or even months after the skin has closed over them. What you feel after a few days will probably not be what you feel after a couple of weeks or months. So patience is a virtue in this case. That said, I see surgeons go back to remove sutures or other things that are bothering patients all the time; usually at least a couple of months after the surgery to ensure the wound is fully healed and strong enough to not need whatever is coming out. Whether or not this is an option for you depends on the details of your surgery and why the suture was put their in the first place. I would suggest waiting 6-8 weeks or so and if it is still a problem at that time, get an appointment with your surgeon and let him look at it.
posted by TedW at 6:02 AM on September 9, 2010
posted by TedW at 6:02 AM on September 9, 2010
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by chihiro at 8:22 PM on September 8, 2010 [1 favorite]