Stitches causing trouble

[jimmyshaw1986]

Hi everyone, iv been a member of this site for a while now but havnt felt the need to add anything as most of my questions have been answered by u lot!

I had surgery with Levick on december 16th 2005 and so far im very happy with the results. The only real worry i have now is that the cut under my left arm seems to be healing but with what i presume is a stitch still coming out. A can see both ends of the stitch and iv tried pulling at it but it doesnt want to budge!    

I have no problem with a bit of pain and i will get it out if thats wot i have 2 do, i jus dont want to hinder the results if this is not the right thing to do! Any help would be much appreciated! I tried ringing Levick yesterday but hes in portugal, lol. Although if u ask me the guy deserves all the holidays he wants, hes a genius!

thanks in advance,
                                  Jimmy

[phantom]

Hello jimmyshaw

Firstly I am pleased to hear you are happy with your result so far - gives me a bit more confidence for when it's my turn with Mr Levick on Jan 20th!

It was my understanding that any stitches used were the dissolving type that are harmlessly absorbed into the body.  However, I cannot be sure of this.

I would not attempt to pull it out without any medical advice via The Priory.  Even thought Mr Levick is on his jollies, The Priory still have a duty of care with you as an outpatient and are still responsible for any medical concerns you have that are connected to your recent surgery.

Give them a call and say you need advice regarding this situation.  There will be a duty doctor or nurse available to advise you.

Please let us know how you get on with this.

Best wishes.

[orrible]

Happned to me as well, Dr Levick found it at my one month post op, nothin to worry about. If your planning on seeing Dr Levick soon then get him to do it otherwise book an appointment with your doctor or nurse. Chestrockwell discovered the same thing and took his out himself with no damage.

Have you got any before or afters of your progress this far?

[jimmyshaw1986]

Thankyou for your replies. Personally I had presumed the same as you phantom before the surgery. Then after the surgery the cuts looked so small that they didn't look to have any stiches, so that was what I believed until this one popped out!

So stonecold, with your stitch, could you see both ends popping out? I want to just pull it out but its difficult to just get hold off one end and also, it really doesnt want to shift! Prob best for me just to go to a local doctor, as i live in yorkshire and go to uni in manchester and Birmingham seems like a long way to go for a minor query! Unfortunately i dont have any pictures as yet because I dont have a camera but i will try and get some after pics sorted. My condition was very similar to yours stonecold and i'm similar build to you. My left side is slightly flatter but I must say that I'm happy with the results so far.

I think you are doing the right thing phantom, surgery is painless really and recovery time is very short + results are great!  

[orrible]

Jimmy i didnt even notice them until i saw Dr levick. He spotted it and used tweasers and scissors to get it out. It bled though so dont do it with your best suit on  , just go to your docs mate, and it will be problem solved.

I went to my docs 8 days post op as i had really bad torn skin from the bandages and wanted to get some treatment. The nurse couldnt believe id had surgery as the wounds were so tiny. Mr Levicks scarring is totally brillant in my case.

[irish_dude]

The nurse couldnt believe id had surgery as the wounds were so tiny. Mr Levicks scarring is totally brillant in my case.

As far as I know, Mr.Levick doesn't use sticthes of any kind, even disolvable ones.

When I had the drains taken out, the nurse just put two plasters over the incisions.

However! On my LHS, there was, what I could only describe as a 'fleck of fat' protruding from the incision point. I noticed this when I took the plasters off about a week later. It came out with a tweezer, but there still is a tiny piece of it there.

This shouldn't be a concern if it happens to you as your body is constantly shedding skin cells and it will eventually come out. However, I think the nurse should have checked the incisions for any obstructions after removing the drain tubes and applying the plasters.

I also had the same 'lacerations' after taking the bandages off. One of the nurses mentioned a product you can buy in your local chemist that you apply prior to removing to disolve them.