Barbie butt not healing after surgery! Worried about reopening.

Hi there, has anyone had long-term issues with their surgery not healing? I had mine 14 months ago! It was healed up to one very tiny spot. Dr. applying that silver sulfadiazine in the office once a month. It almost healed. Then that spot opens. Then two. He prescribed a compounded antibiotic ointment about a month ago that apparently has helped many of his patients heal fast.

Been on that for a month. Now all of a sudden it's really draining worse. I will call Mon am (it's Sat now.) Btw I have a lot of confidence in my surgeon. He's awesome. I absolutely do not believe this is on him. Likely more about how my body heals. (Breast cancer survivor, autoimmune, etc. etc.)

I was just wondering--has anyone here had it just completely keep reopening? I wonder if there's a chance I'd have to go in for another surgery. ‍ Oh man, I'm the surgery queen in the past 4 years. Of all the surgeries I don't want again, it's THAT one!

Thanks y'all in advance. --K

Did you do radiation? I just got through everything you described.

Sorry, going to grandkids' games today so my first response was kinda short. Anyway, what got mine to heal was Hyperbaric Oxygen Treatments and then a thing called GraphX (I think is how it's spelled). My wound was about the size of a quarter and about 2 inches deep. The Hyperbaric treatments got it almost completely healed. I had 1 tiny spot left and they applied the GraphX 3 times and I've been leak-free for about 3 months now. The GraphX is a tiny piece of placenta that they place on your wound and it acts like scaffolding that your skin cells grab onto and build on. It was very simple, they put a piece on and taped over it to hold in place for as long as possible, mine would last about 4 days before the tape would come off. They did that 3 times and no more leaks. If you have any more questions, just ask. Good luck.

Hi Alex, never heard of the Placents use before, makes perfect sense!!! Happy to hear it worked for you Alex.

Magoo

Hi, I have a friend, a former member of this site, who had what sounds like the same situation as you. It took her something like two years to heal, and finally, she too tried the hyperbaric oxygen therapy, which was what worked for her. Good luck,

Terry

Stories of Living Life to the Fullest from Ostomy Advocates I Hollister

I had my emergency colonoscopy surgery after a failed laparoscopic resection.

The wound took three months to close, but near the end of it, it kept reopening near my belly button. Then it got infected with impetigo. My primary care doctor prescribed topical mupirocin, and I used (my own idea) kinesiology sports tape to hold my belly together while it closed up for good.

It was not easy to place the tape because of fresh healing, but I found a way to make two small bridges pulled tight enough to give it a chance to not allow my wound to split apart.

For it to pull apart previously, all I had to do was get up. The tape gave me some stability.

May we all get well!

I have a split open scar now since last August from my years ago ileostomy and complete removal of all structures below it. Seeing the Wound Clinic since with biweekly treatment. Various medications including some with silver compounds. Close to healing closed but very slow.

I had the silver compounds too, didn't do much for me.

My wound clinic doctor quit silver nitrate content dressing.

Will post new dressing soon as I can get its name.

Remembered it, Collagen or whatever the name is. Healing of split in old scar tissue is progressing, if slowly, since last August 2021.

I have a split open old scar, since last August, from my ileostomy some 40 years ago.

Wound Clinic at the local hospital is using Coligen dressing. Making progress.

Did use silver sulfate but it didn't do much.

Yes, I too have problems with the Barbie butt. My surgery was in 2008 and I have periodically reopening in areas that never really closed. Hyperbaric oxygen has been suggested but I can't commit to the time or cost of that. I've used silver dressings and various creams and antibiotics.

That is really scary that it would reopen after so long.

Hi Ileosto Kate....and " allosto friends..." I'm Marsha, and I had my ileostomy done more than 55 years ago....and then a few years later had the rectal stump removed.... It was back in the dark ages, and it seems that there are many more options and procedures available to heal the rectal/wound.. I remember mine taking more than a year to heal completely, and the base of the incision, where a drain had been, took even longer.. After the first surgery, I had a hernia there, and then that didn't heal well after the second.... By the third surgery, the skin had to be pulled so tight and wide.....that my lower ab/below the stoma, looks like a "smile"... So much for wearing a bikini.... But then, I didn't have the shape for it anyway... No big loss.. I will share with you that about 20 years ago, I had a "blister" under my stoma, but it didn't bother me, so I thought nothing of it... And then one day, when changing, it "broke" and spread red blood all over the bathroom... I was rushed to the hospital, and after seeing a surgeon, was told the "lesion" had been/was Pyoderma gangrenosum......actually ulcerative colitis on the skin.. In the years since.....I've had about 3 more bouts. One was an irritation on the old belly scar... (it went very deep) and another was from an irritation on my waist.. UC is an autoimmune disease, so "inflammation" is still in the body, and can inhibit healing.. I know that radiation can also inhibit healing. Stick with the doctor, and be patient... It will heal eventually..... Best of luck, Marsha.

The Barbie Butt wound is really hard to get anything to stay on long enough because of where it is. I suppose a person could do as you described, but then that person would have to just lay around with their butt basically taped shut. I had them do that a few times and if you're a guy with a nice, cute butt with hair on it (like mine), it hurts when the tape must come off. Anyway, the wound is in about the worst place you can have a wound because it almost requires one to not move.

My belly button incision, I'm told, is healed after 6 months, but it still hurts like crazy and has discharge. Sucks because exercise really aggravates it, so long walk one day, chair next two.