Infection Update (by sarah)
Last Monday the Dr came out to see me as I mentioned and prescribed antibiotics (two different lots) for my wound which was smelling and seeping and it turned out infected in the skin around the wound. Wednesday saw Alaric calling in the emergancy Dr per instructions on Wednesday as the redness had spread. The Dr (a guy this time) told me that it was just the upper levels of skin infected and so it was a type of dermetitis or nappy rash type thing caused by the fluid seeping from the wound. The fluid itself was cuasing or was caused by (not sure) the wound showing superficial breakdown of the skin around it.
By this point it stunk even more 🙁
He was worried that there was no dressing on it - I had been using sanitary pads at the hospital as other mothers had recommended but they told me not too and to get frumpy knickers so that nothing was touching the wound - I'd asked about my stomach flap (my stomach is very floppy now the babies out and so the bottom of the stomach sits on the wound - I thought this might make it go feisty) and they told me to wash the wound three times a day and dry it. So this is what I had been doing. The Dr said he'd talk to the Midwife or District Nurse about maybe putting dressings on it.
The Midwife came on Thursday and discharged the baby as her umbilical stump had finially come off - she looked at the wound and was concerned - saying that I would probably need more antibiotics. She advised me to put one of my maternity pads over the top of my knickers so that it sits on the wound and between it and my stomach :/
So I have been doing this and within a like an hour of doing this the burning, stinging pain of the wound deminished to a dull thud and I felt ok enough to venture out of the house for the first time.
I went on the school run but did not get out of the car and Alaric drove to a coffee place and got me a take away decaf latte to have in the car as he knows I've been missing them!
Initially the pads were coming away covered in wound seepage which included the stinky liquid and blood 🙁 This was actually more than I am loosing as having had baby discharge/giant after birth period but fortunatly the two have swapped places now!
The Dr has also upped the number of pain killers I am taking and said that I could increase my Fe tablets too if I wanted. I am rattling with pills at the moment but they do seem to be doing the trick - it is as the Dr had warned giving the baby the runs which is a pain 🙁 but barable.
I also managed to go out for a meal with my brother and his fiance this weekend though it was a struggle towards the end. The wound is now barable for using the crutches properlly but the breathlessness and dizzyness from the anemia is still there meaning that I almost fell over getting to the car 🙁
But things are definatly on the mend and I am now 12 and a half stone as apposed to the 13 stone when I came home!
Sun 20th Feb 2011 10:38 pm 
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