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The response to the question below was authored by Marc Mitnick DPM

mortons neuroma surgery

by dot
(bishop auckland co durham uk)

I had my stitches out on the 31st dec 2014 my wound site has not healed and its a bit swollen and red its also weeping at the moment I am on antibiotics but they finish tomorrow the 29th jan been on them 7 days do I leave the dressing on or off or do you think there is something else going on with the wound thank you x


RESPONSE

Hi Dot,

Since your surgeon has you on antibiotics he or she suspects that you have an infection. I do not know what the surgeon's thought process is but we generally put people on antibiotics for ten days rather then seven. Having said that there are times when only seven days will be prescribed.

If the antibiotics were working you probably would not have written this post, so that raises two possibilities.

One is that you are on the wrong antibiotics and therefore they are not working and so your symptoms are not improving.

The other possibility and the one I am leaning towards even though I do not have the luxury of actually examining you is a deep suture reaction.

More than likely not only do you have sutures that you can see but you probably also have deep sutures which are not visible. They will eventually dissolve. But until they do, it is possible to have a reaction to them.

This reaction will look very much similar to a low grade infection and there may be localized swelling, redness and some drainage, similar to the complaints that you mention.

The only and best advice I can give you is to contact your surgeon and let he or she look at your foot and decide what is going on.

There are two potential complications here. If there is actually an infection, it could in theory worsen and then you would bigger issues.

The other potential problem whether it is an infection or a deep suture abscess is the possibility that there will be a delay in the closing of your incision.

A delay in closing could leave you with an unsightly scar, what we commonly call a hypertrophic scar. So as I said let your surgeon take a look at your incision and decide the best course.

Lastly, in all fairness, foot incisions can be difficult to close sometimes simply because they are under a lot of tension which works against the healing process. I mention this just to put things in perspective for you.

Marc Mitnick DPM
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Penn State Medical Center

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Columbia University Department of Rehabilitation

ScienceDirect

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Illinois Bone and Joint Institute

Mount Sinai Hospital

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University of Florida Health

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If you happen to live in the New York - New Jersey area and would like to visit our office

Dr. Marc Mitnick

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908-522-0761


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DISCLAIMER: The purpose of this site is purely informational in nature. It is not intended to diagnose, treat or cure any medical condition. This information is not a substitute for advice from a medical professional. Please consult your healthcare provider for accurate diagnosis and treatment. The information presented here may be subject to errors and omissions.


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Wonderful advice

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location unknown
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North Carolina
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