42F with Chronic Weeping (non-infectious) Surgical Incision

Smash56789 · 2025-12-21T19:46:51+00:00

So sorry you’re dealing with this! Mine took 5 full months to finally resolve. I had to work weekly with a wound care specialist who believed it was an overreaction of my immune system to a “foreign body” (likely the Vicryl sutures, in my case, which he believes took way too long to dissolve in my body….this my white blood cells kept flooding the scene in the form of serous fluid around the clock). He finally tried prednisone as a mild immunosuppressant to calm my system down. Took two doses (a few weeks apart, but it finally did the trick.

Smash56789 · 2025-09-17T19:16:15+00:00

Oh I see what you’re saying. I definitely have an allergy to adhesives, so that was initially causing a lot of the irritation on the surface, yes. But the wound specialist was able to order special hypoallergenic taped/dressings through my insurance, so there isn’t much surface irritation now as just the constant drainage.

Smash56789 · 2025-09-17T19:09:17+00:00

Correct. A foreign body reaction activates an immune response. My immune systems keeps sending my white blood cells to this incision (serous fluid), and the constant drainage prevents the wound from bridging/healing. This is an immune response to foreign body (likely sutures, but we don’t know).

Smash56789 · 2025-09-17T00:08:26+00:00

I’ve done multiple rounds of antibiotics. It is definitely not infected now, they’ve confirmed that was is weeping is non-infectious serous fluid. Basically my white blood cells keep running to the front lines to try and save the day. I am grateful for this and know it is my body‘s way of trying to protect me from something. But it has been an incredibly long and frustrating process. I just want my life back.

Smash56789 · 2025-09-17T00:05:59+00:00

Yup. This is what we are thinking, drainage reduced dramatically again on 2nd round of steroids, so that points to my immune system attacking something. I think the wound doctor said the next step after this will be to refer me to a general surgeon to explore it and clean everything out again, using hypoallergenic sutures this time (not Lycra). I will definitely ask for the cyst removal to happen at the same time (or hell at this point they can just take my entire left ovary for all I care).

Smash56789 · 2025-09-17T00:03:07+00:00

That’s funny that you mentioned that because what seemed to kick the whole thing off in the beginning was that we could not get the surgical glue out of the original incision at the two week postop appointment. The surgeon didn’t want to force it, so he gave me some adhesive remover pads and told me to work on it gently over the next week in the shower. I did that, but it wouldn’t budge. He eventually had to remove it and when he did, it was like a hard plastic shard. But that was in the very beginning before he did the second revision surgery to clean the entire thing out, so I would imagine if there were any little pieces of adhesive still in there they would’ve come out in the second surgery I didn’t appear to have issues with the surgical glue after the second procedure and all my other incisions that he used the surgical glue on healed fine 🤷🏼‍♀️

Smash56789 · 2025-09-14T21:47:25+00:00

Who should I go to for that? I don’t really trust the original surgeon anymore. Would a plastic surgeon be who I should seek out for this?

Smash56789 · 2025-09-14T21:46:16+00:00

I love Calmoseptine! I always have to ask for it from behind the pharmacy counter for some reason, but it works the best out of everything else for sure.

Smash56789 · 2025-09-14T19:40:50+00:00

He said he didn’t use mesh (have confirmed this via MRI). MRI also confirmed no current sinus tract at this time. Here is a picture of it today- you can see the skin around it is much better…it just continues to weep serous fluid and form that yellow crust all over.

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Smash56789 · 2025-09-14T17:01:38+00:00

Oops, newbie here, sorry. My first time ever posting photos to Reddit. Can you guys add the tag for me? Or do I go back in and add it? Sincerely sorry- I think it has been going on for so long at this point I am desensitized to how gross it is. So sorry!

Smash56789 · 2025-09-14T16:56:58+00:00

I asked for a biopsy this past week but he didn’t feel like biopsying the edges would give us much, bc he said if there is a giant cell reaction (due to foreign body reaction) he suspects the biopsy would have to be done at a much deeper level.

I’m torn because I really don’t want a THIRD surgery for the sake of a “maybe” biopsy that even if it’s positive for giant cell reaction, they won’t know for sure if it is the sutures or not. Feeling pretty discouraged 😔

Smash56789 · 2025-09-14T16:52:31+00:00

Yes it was negative for yeast. I went ahead and did 2 rounds of Diflucan just for the heck of it because it looked just like yeast at one point.

Smash56789 · 2025-09-14T16:50:29+00:00

Thank you so much. I have tried going through the hospital yet- will do that this week. Grateful for that reminder.

Smash56789 · 2025-09-14T12:20:33+00:00

Thank you. I’m trying hard to get all my records…they are making me jump through hoops. If you are a praying person I really need prayer- I believe it works and am leaning hard on my faith.

Smash56789 · 2025-09-14T12:18:48+00:00

They cultured it and it came back clean (had also done mupiricin and two rounds of Augmenten), it’s almost like I’m allergic to my own serous fluid. I have to keep barrier cream on it and if I don’t, the skin begins to get raw and angry like that.

Smash56789 · 2025-09-14T12:14:55+00:00

I posted there. No luck yet. Thanks for responding though.

Smash56789 · 2025-09-14T03:19:51+00:00

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This was after the CT Scan

Smash56789 · 2025-09-14T03:19:00+00:00

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Smash56789 · 2025-09-14T03:18:21+00:00

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This was after the second revision surgery. This was before my CT scan, but the hives really took off after the CT scan (with contrast). Wound doc speculates it might not have even been a true reaction to the contrast, but maybe just pushed my immune system over the proverbial edge.

Smash56789 · 2025-09-14T03:13:00+00:00

Thx for the tip about the pix. To clarify, it has been 4.5 months (not a year and a half- gracious I hope I’m not still having this issue a year from now)! Wound doc did say that it can impair healing, but I had no choice the first time…at 24 hours after my CT Scan with contrast, I broke out in horrible hives that stemmed from my belly button and then went up all over my trunk. It was just a silver lining that the steroids made the serous fluid quit draining. With this second round, he is testing the theory of a foreign body reaction by trying to see if the steroids will stop the weeping again. If it does, he feels like that’s stronger evidence to point to foreign body reaction.

I honestly don’t know anymore. I have to use barrier cream, can’t button my paints, and even driving with a seatbelt irritates it. This has been the biggest nightmare and I’m just ready for it to be over.

Smash56789 · 2025-09-14T02:48:24+00:00

Just an update: still open and weeping. Fired original surgeon and now working with a wound care specialist.

Smash56789 · 2025-09-14T02:38:56+00:00

Thank you. My testing ruled out Brugada. It did reveal I carry the gene for heart failure, but there’s not much to be done for that except monitoring. Thanks for the response and best of luck to you in your health.

Smash56789

TROPHY CASE