Re: post-op pain

In Reply to: post-op pain posted by bloomer on March 07, 2004 at 04:47:27:

: 2weeks after left hand CTS surgery,my hand hurts worse than it ever did before the surgery. I can't even make a fist, when I try the pain in the wrist is unbearable,Also have stiches out but it is pussing non stop.The hand is swollen and hot to the touch, he did a culture test of the pus, get results back Mon.(3-8-04).He want's do do surgery on right hand this friday...I'm going to tell him to wait till my left hand heals, Any body experience this??

I agree. It appears that both bloomer and walraven's mom have an infection that needs to be addressed. If there is fever along with the pus from the wound, and you notice other symptoms like fatigue, erratic heartbeat, chills, etc, seek medical care! An infection can get into the synovial linings of the tendons, and make things even more miserable. If you have a fever, there's a possibility of the infection going systemic, which is bad if it's a staph bug.
Don't let it go, keep after it! Keep the wounds clean and use an absorptive dressing to absorb the pus, and change the bandages frequently. Washing hands before and after bandage changes are a must to prevent the spread of the infection. Someone else can get staph from you if you've got it and they have a cut on them and you're not keeping very hygenic when handling bandages etc.