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Hi, had my gallbladder removed laparoscopically on Fri, and I've got a couple of questions:
My tummy is still really distended - how long does it take for the gas to go away properly? I feel like a hot air balloon in full flight!
Also, I have this weird rash all over my torso, like heat rash but also slightly itchy - is this likely to be an allergic reaction to something they put on me during surgery, or pain relief, or just some sort of post-morphine histamine reaction?
Thanks
MD, it can take a little while for the gas to evacuate. Pass it freely and it will go away. I would anticipate it should be gone by 5-7 days post procedure.
As for the rash, it depends what it looks like. But if you have a rash on your torso after the particular surgery you have had, I'd probably get it checked out JIC. How do the incision sites look? In particular the one at your belly button?
MG
MD - my gas was gone completely about 5 days after my lap.
I got a small rash around my incision sites which I'm guessing was just from the iodine used during the procedure.
I hope you aren't in too much pain hun and that you have a smooth and quick recovery.
Amy xx
So, MG, it vents through the normal gas-venting hole then? (LOL)
The rash is more generalised, I actually wondered if it might be more of a heat-rash since it's more in the creases and less around the actual wound-sites. Am watching the wound sites very carefully (had a wound infection after my C/S so know what to look for) but they all seem ok. They are covered with hypafix AND tegaderm, but there's no oozing underneath, and they're not hot to touch or discoloured or swollen or anything.
Don't really want to go to the dr, they are often very non-specific when it comes to rashes and I suspect it could be a waste of a trip, kwim? Will see how it looks in the morning, though, and reconsider then.
ETA - just wanted to add I would normally ask these q's at discharge but I was transferred to a non-surgical ward before I was discharged and they didn't seem to have a clue about anything including my meds which got LOST somewhere in transit (!) Would it be worth ringing the nurses on the surgical ward for a chat - they were very helpful and kind while I was there, kwim.
You could try talking to them... but it would be best if they could see it. And yes, the wind usually escapes the normal way ;) I wouldn't anticipate that the rash would be from drugs this far past the surgery unless you've had a dose within the last 24hrs. Are you taking any new medications? Is it possible it is a reaction to the dressings? Mind you, if it was a reaction to medications, it would look more like welts than heat rash. Rash's are difficult to diagnose because they are so generic and there are so many causes. Do you have any other symptoms?
MG
MG I don't think it's a reaction to the dressings, because I'm allergic to sticking plasters and it usually welts up right underneath/next to the particular bandaid/plaster and not elsewhere, kwim?
Amy, I'm guessing they would swab down a larger area - I think they use chlorhexidine rather than iodine-based thingies in surgery - but it's possible there's something iodiney underneath the steristrips as they are all brown. But I'd expect that would result in a rash nearer the wound like yours was.
I'm only taking codeine, paracetamol and a tiny bit of voltaren, highly unlikely to be one of them...have noticed it's started itching on my back again, so I'm thinking I'll have to take myself to the Drs tomorrow, just for advice on best anti-histamine or what to use with the other stuff I'm taking. Getting nervous now, I'll want to take more codeine for a comfy night (still can't lie down with any great ease) and I'd hate to think it's just going to make me itchier! It's a comfort that it would probably welt up if it was an allergic thing. No other symptoms, but I had horribly itchy/weepy eyes for the first couple of day which I put down to a morphine-histamine reaction. Thanks for taking the time to reply. :)
What they use as a prep in theatre depends on the surgeon more than anything. The most common is still the brown wash. A lot are using a big sheet like a sheet of contact.
MD - you don't by any chance get hayfever do you?
Not usually. But my eyes were a shocker in hospy. What's the hayfever connection with surgery?
I'm actually wondering if it might be something latex-related now, isn't there a bit of latex dust floating around in surgery...?
Hey MD, it was probably a full 2wks before I stopped looking bloated - the gas was gone within the first week, but I was still quite bloated. drinking lots of water helped with that. As for the rash hun, I can't help you with that, but I hope it's just a completely innocent rash.
hayfever because of your eyes - you're in Vic and with all the smoke and other crap hanging around at the moment... hope the doc has an answer today for you.
There is a lot of latex in hospitals. Almost everything has latex. But if it were a latex allergy, I would anticipate it would have been instantaneous and not a heat rash type rash. Usually allergy reactions look really nasty and aggressive.
Thanks MG for your reassurance. Not in Vic, in SA. :)
Have you seen the Dr? What did they say? I wonder why I thought you were in Vic?! LOL.
Didn't see the dr today because the rash has mostly subsided, I expect it was heat rash from all the extra blankets and hot towels etc, not to mention the plastic-topped mattress in hospy. Well actually the main reason I didn't see the dr was because DH let me have a reeeeeeeeally big sleep in, by the time I was showered it was too late to get in to see my dr today! LOL
Maybe you thought i was in Vic because I was asking after bushfire info on Sat when we were having smoke early in the day...?