OT - Stitches and Steri strips

[Ginger]

I have come to the font of all knowledge and wisdom to ask a curiosity question.

My knee scope on Thursday went well. The doc cleaned out some junk in my knee and pulled some stitches from the ACL replacement that were bothering my muscle on my shin and ground down a dissolvable screw that was backing itself out of the bone of my shin....feels better already!

While I was recovering from the anesthetic the nurse releasing me mentioned leaving the steristrips over the stitches on when I took the dressings off. This wasn't big news, every surgery I've had (5) has steristrips over the stitches. They turn into little dirty flags as they work their escape before the doc rips them off at the first appointment after surgery.

So, I take the dressings off this morning as prescribed. I've got bruising, some swelling but no steristrips...just big ugly stitches on the slits in my skin. Which brings me to my question:

Other than throwing bandaids over them, what do I do with those? Any suggestions? Should I be putting antibiotic ointment on them or anything? (That would seem to make sense to me...but then I've been wrong before)

[mwos]

Ginger,

Sorry you've had so much trouble with your knee. I had steri strips and after I removed them I just used steri strips ( got them at a drugstore) then I used bandaids mainly because I had to wear my brace when I went out and it rubbed on the incisions. I didn't have much bleeding and had disolvable stitches.

I've heard that some doctors don't want anything oily, like neosporin, on an open incision.

When I had rotator cuff surgery my ortho said that keeping steri strips on the incision helped to keep the scaring down.

Kathi

[mwos]

Ginger,

I found my written directions from the surgery center. It says "remove all dressings in 3 days. Cover portals with band-aids". No mention of neosporin or creams, etc.

Kathi

[gasman]

Hi Ginger-
There are lots of opinions, here's mine.
Just cover them with bandaids and a v small amount of antibiotic ointment. Use the ointment for 3 days then just use bandaids to help keep the stitches clean.
Glad to hear the surgery went well. Heal well and soon.

[GregL]

I had my knee scoped 12 days ago (bucket handle tear of right lateral meniscus). When the steri-strips came off, I used a very small amount of antibiotic ointment on the incisions and covered them with Tegaderm waterproof bandaids. The incisions are healing so well that I won't even have any scars as conversation pieces...

Best wishes for a speedy recovery!

Regards,
Greg

[vaxn8r]

Hi Ginger-
There are lots of opinions, here's mine.
Just cover them with bandaids and a v small amount of antibiotic ointment. Use the ointment for 3 days then just use bandaids to help keep the stitches clean.
Glad to hear the surgery went well. Heal well and soon.
Ditto

[Ginger]

Thanks for the tips!

Mary Ann