search: “hypertrophic scar”

Posted on by Julie Stiles Mills

Back in June, in a 7 Quick Takes post, I mentioned (in take #6) that I was developing keloid scarring after my surgery. In my case (thankfully), I should use the term “hypertrophic” scarring. I get a lot of hits on that post and I see the search string nearly EVERY day in my stats, so I thought I’d follow up for those who hit my blog looking for info on hypertrophic scarring and possible treatments. First, let’s clarify the difference between keloid and hypertrophic scars:

“Hypertrophic scars are typically raised, erythematous (red, pink, or purple) and stiffer than the surrounding skin. Over time most hypertrophic scars mature resulting in a scar remnant that appears like that of a normal scar except it is typically wider than if the scar had not become hypertrophic. Note that when an incisional wound heals normally, the resulting scar remnant may be as fine as a simple pencil line across the skin, while the matured hypertrophic scar may appear wider, like that left by a pencil eraser. Hypertrophic scars often are associated with hypersensitivity to touch (like clothing sliding across the skin), and they may itch or be generally painful.

Keloids have been described as hypertrophic scars on steroids! By definition, a hypertrophic scar remains within the boundaries of the original injury while a keloid may grow beyond those boundaries. Also, while hypertrophic scars typically regress over time, keloids generally do not.

Because the distinction between hypertrophic scars and keloids is often unclear, the medical literature and medical professionals often use the terms interchangeably.” (For more info and treatment alternatives, visit the source of this quote.)

The hypertrophic scarring was not a surprise for me. I had the same problem after my two previous abdominal surgeries. My mom has a few hypertrophic scars. Maybe it’s hereditary.

Back in June, my doctor treated the scar by injecting steroids directly into them. There was still swelling and numbness, so I didn’t feel a thing. Then in August, he injected steroids into them again and still numb, I didn’t feel a thing. He also suggested I tape the scar – just apply medical/paper tape directly over the scar, providing slight pressure and support 24/7. There are indications that the application of paper tape reduces the scarring. The paper tape stays on for days, even after showering.

So on Friday, I was back for my six month follow-up and while the scar isn’t worse, it’s still hypertrophic. I admitted to my doctor that I was good about taping it for about three weeks. Then . . . not so much. More steroid injections into the scar. And I’m not so numb anymore. ouch. and again. OUCH. But seriously, that pain? Compared to what I’ve already experienced? nuthin.

I am going to be more consistent about the taping.

sunburn? vinegar.

Posted on by Julie Stiles Mills

My biggest use of vinegar is when I dye Easter eggs and make Good Season’s Italian dressing. But I almost always seem to have it in my pantry.

A few summers ago, a friend of mine called me while on vacation at the beach. Her young son had a painful sunburn on his back and shoulders. Solarcaine was not working. And it was nearing bedtime.

I don’t remember where I got this (ya know I probably read it somewhere), but I immediately remembered:

vinegar.

Best on clean dry skin (NO RUBBING – just pat or air dry). If you have a spray bottle, pour vinegar into it and lightly spray on sunburned skin. Let it evaporate. The sting (and the smell of vinegar) should be GONE. Reapply about 3 or 4 hours later, if needed.

She didn’t have a spray bottle, so I suggested a paper towel, saturated in vinegar, laid gently on his shoulders to apply the vinegar. It worked. He was able to get to sleep – and anyone who’s tried to get a sunburned kid to sleep, knows – that is a huge feat! (The paper towel application is better for faces too – it just stinks a little during application.)

NOTE: If there are ANY open wounds on the skin (bug bites, scratches, etc.) the vinegar will sting and burn in that spot, so DON’T do it!

For a more complete description of the process, check out this epinions.com entry.

Find great recipes and helpful kitchen tips at Kitchen Tip Tuesdays hosted by Tammy’s Recipes! Check out MY past Kitchen Tip Tuesday posts HERE.

Find more ideas over at Works for Me Wednesday, hosted by Kristen at We Are THAT Family. MY previous Works for Me Wednesday posts are HERE.

Works for Me Wednesday posts prior to February 2009 are archived at Rocks In My Dryer.

bah-donk-a-donk butt.

Posted on by Julie Stiles Mills

note to self: choose on purpose.

Summer can be a little busy. We can find ourselves out and about. And hungry.

Yesterday, I had a Quarter Pounder with Cheese for lunch. No fries, and with a Diet Coke, but still. Today, I had my FAVORITE salad, a Grilled Southwest WITH the southwest dressing even. So yesterday? 510 calories and 26 grams of fat. Today? 420 calories and 15 grams of fat. Still not great. But better. Not better than eating at home. But better than the day before. And really, that’s all I’m going for.   Better than the day before.   Baby steps. Baby steps. (and I’m filling out the exercise log again)

At McDonalds . . .
A Quarter Pounder with Cheese from McDonalds has 510 calories and 26 grams of fat.  (bah-donk-a-donk)
A Grilled Chicken Southwest Salad has 320 calories and 9 grams of fat.

The Southwest Dressing has 100 calories and 6 grams of fat.  (bah-donk-a-donk)
The Low Fat Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing 40 calories and 3 grams of fat.

At Pollo Tropical . . .
The Caribbean Chicken Fajita Platter has 690 calories and 26 grams of fat.  (bah-donk-a-donk)
The Chicken Regular TropiChop® w/Yellow Rice & Vegetables has 330 calories and 5 grams of fat.

At Del Taco . . .
The Chicken Cheddar Quesadilla has 570 calories and 29 grams of fat.  (bah-donk-a-donk)
The plain ol’ Nachos have 370 calories and 21 grams of fat.  (bah-donk-a-donk)
A Taco has 130 calories and 7 grams of fat.
The Grilled Chicken Taco Del Carbon has 150 calories and 5 grams of fat.
(and this one’s for the rest of the family)
The Crispy Fish Taco has 300 calories and 17 grams of fat.  (bah-donk-a-donk)
(and this is for FirstHusband)
The Deluxe Taco Salad has 850 calories and . . . wait for it . . . 46 grams of fat.  (bah-donk-a-donk)

At Subway . . .
A Six Inch Turkey Breast Sandwich has 290 calories and 4 grams of fat.

YO! Julie! Go to Subway! Eat Fresh.

And avoid bah-donk-a-donk butt. (I love this commercial!)

7 Quick Takes: 06.01.09

Posted on by Julie Stiles Mills

Kristen emailed me to make sure I was okay and I realized I hadn’t blogged in over a week!

Over a week! What have I been doing?

I missed 7 Quick Takes Friday last week, but it just seems like a good way to catch up on a few things . . .

1. Still healing. Feeling pretty good. Still slow, but getting faster. FirstHusband and I went to Sam’s Club and Walmart together on Saturday and he said I wasn’t annoyingly slow, just a little slow. I leaned on pushed the basket a lot. I get really tired by the end of the day if I’m too active during the day. So. I’m still a bit of a wimp. Thankfully, I’m allowed in my dry sauna now, so that is a WONDERFUL THING. I LOVE my dry sauna.

I wish I could stretch. I mean REEAALLY stretch. Like a cat. When our cats stretch I want to throw things at them to make them stop. It’s not nice that they do that in front of me.

I wish I could sleep comfortably. I mean like I did before the surgery. Hunker down and sleep HARD comfortable, you know?

I wish could get a massage, but I’m still too afraid to lay on my stomach or let anyone even come close to touching my new scar. My back hurts all the time from wearing the compression binder all day. Four weeks down, two more weeks to go.

2. I’ve been reading C.S. Lewis. Really for the first time. I’ve read The Screwtape Letters, but that was over a decade ago and that was fiction. I’ve read excerpts and quotes, but this is the first time I’ve read an entire book by C.S. Lewis. My first pick? “The Problem of Pain.” I’m still working out my thoughts on the paradox of evil and suffering vs. a loving, all-powerful God. Learning a LOT. Making many handwritten notes. And a list of words I need to look up in the dictionary. Like “filial.”

3. Spending a lot of time writing in my prayer journal. About everything. Reading my Bible. Spending time sitting still and shutting up after writing/praying. Listening. Learning. Thinking.

4. Still praying and struggling with what to do about the praise team at my church. Thursday night at 7pm, I went to my first rehearsal since my surgery. The interim leader/director who originally asked me to sing with the group was out of town.

The sound was . . . significantly less than optimal. In the end, I said I wasn’t ready to sing with the group on Sunday. Everyone assumed that I wasn’t feeling up to singing quite yet. True. In a way. I attended the traditional service on Sunday morning instead of the contemporary service, so people wouldn’t wonder why I was sitting out.

I’ll admit, I’m discouraged and confused about the direction of this service and what role, if any God wants me to take. Everything is still in transition. I’m taking it a week at a time. Today, I prayed that God would make it VERY CLEAR whether I should sing with the group this week.

5. Summer has begun and we are actually on track for the daily summer plan. The kids are reading a minimum of 30 minutes every day and they are both physically active every day (they are in the pool right now). FavoriteSon has been practicing the guitar nearly every day and PinkGirl had her most productive piano practice today. (I can’t play, but I do remember my scales, so that’s what I’m teaching her.) She hasn’t been consistent with her daily math, but I’m working on it. We’ve been pretty consistent with a 20 minute rotation of playing/working during the day. My oven timer is getting a serious work out.

6. The kids and I have all gone to the dentist for cleanings in the last week and (unfortunately) PinkGirl had her first filling today. She did GREAT. We go to a pediatric dentist and LOVE him.

7. We got a Wii! FavoriteSon, the family money hoarder has been saving his money for months and decided that he wanted to have a boy/girl birthday party in a few weeks and he wanted Wii to be one of the main activities. So he bought himself an early birthday present. Our family was ready for a Wii. My dad came over on Sunday afternoon after church and he even played. Just one more way to get the kids to be active during the day.

7_quick_takes_sm
Join in with your own 7 Quick Take Friday post at Conversion Diary hosted by Jennifer!

ibuprofen, eye contact & a retarded cat.

Posted on by Julie Stiles Mills

1. I’ve learned that 400 mg of ibuprofen pales in comparison to ANY mg of Percoset. Baby aspirin might be more effective at getting rid of pain. Or a chanting witch doctor.

2. I’ve learned that, with water, I can EASILY take four ibuprofen tablets at the same time. (A BIG thanks to the table-full of women at the 8th grade banquet last night who all informed me that 800 mg of ibuprofen is what I need!) And yes, you BET I’m taking them with food! Chocolate counts, right?

3. I’ve learned that I need to restock my personal mini-van pharmacy.

4. I’ve learned that I need to carry a bottle of ibuprofen and a bottle of water with me everywhere I go for the next few weeks.

5. I’ve learned that I miss my Percoset. I gaze affectionately at the half-full bottle. Then I pop my ibuprofen instead, get in my van and drive to where ever I have to go with no narcotic impairment. 🙁

6. I’ve learned that when doctors say that recovery from an abdominal hysterectomy is 6 weeks, they aren’t just saying that in an effort to protect themselves from a malpractice suit.

7. I’ve learned that when I tell people I had a hysterectomy and a tummy tuck, they only hear “tummy tuck.”

8. I’ve learned that when I tell women I’ve had a tummy tuck, most of them verbally express their jealously of me while abandoning eye contact in favor of staring at my abdomen – while they blatantly rub their own tummy and fantasize about the results of their own tummy tuck. (If I were to ever get the “girls” lifted, I wouldn’t tell. THAT lack of eye contact – and “gesturing” would creep me out.)

9. I’ve learned that the pain (mostly crampy) I’m feeling is INSIDE my abdomen, seemingly from the hysterectomy and not the tummy tuck. I’m thinking that all the organs which previously surrounded my giant uterus are now dukin it out for the newly available real estate. There’s very little incision pain from the tummy tuck. Still too much swelling and numbness. Even the tightened abdominal muscles aren’t really painful. It just feels like I did 2000 crunches. Yesterday.

10. I’ve learned that I really don’t like sleeping on my back.

11. I’ve learned one of my stupid cats believes I’m his personal jumping stepping stone.

12. I’ve learned that my cat can fly. And land on all four feet. Three times in a row.

13. I’ve learned that my cat has a steep learning curve. Or that he suffers from short term memory loss.

14. I’ve learned that this was the PERFECT year and time of year to have these surgeries! It has worked out really, really well.

15. I’ve learned that am incredibly blessed to have such a wonderful, selfless husband who tolerates loves me, even when I’m dishing the cranky because I can’t do anything I’m used to doing.

16. I’ve learned that my kids can be selfless and sweet. Sometimes. When I really NEED them to be.

17. I’ve learned that I need a nap. And a temporary cleaning service. And a rented dumpster for the driveway.

To find out what others learned this week, check out What I Learned this Week hosted by Musings of a Housewife.

the fine line between rest and lazy.

Posted on by Julie Stiles Mills

On Tuesday, I wrote this in my prayer journal:

“Lord, please help me to find the line between rest and lazy.”

The next day, I received a card from one of the ladies in my circle. In it she wrote:

“I pray you continue to feel stronger and better every day! Be extra gentle with yourself . . . and don’t push too hard. It seems a lot of surgeries are more involved than imagined. Give yourself permission to rest without guilt. Soon you’ll be ready for the beach!

Yesterday, I went for my second plastic surgery post-op, put away a few things on the back porch (while FirstHusband filled two garbage bags from even more stuff on the back porch) and went to PinkGirl’s 1/2 hour Cheer Camp performance.

Then? I laid down for a few minutes and woke up 3 hours later. When I woke up, FirstHusband told me that FavoriteSon’s Middle School State Track Meet would be webcast this morning. We decided that I should stay home and watch it on the internet instead of spend the day at a track meet, over an hour from home.

I was disappointed and told him so. I said,

“I just thought I’d be a little more active by now. It’s been two weeks. I spend a few hours out of the house and need a three hour nap? What’s that about?”

FirstHusband picked up my friend’s card and read,

“Be extra gentle with yourself . . . and don’t push too hard. It seems a lot of surgeries are more involved than imagined.”

sigh.

So, I’m home this morning, watching a webcast of FavoriteSon’s track meet. Isn’t the internet cool?

In other news:

My GYN post-op was Wednesday. Turns out my uterus was 138 grams and filled with polyps and fibroid tumors. A normal uterus weighs 70 grams. My friend wins, though, her uterus was FOUR times as large as normal. She had her hysterectomy the month before I did and I saw her yesterday. She looks and feels GREAT. I’ll catch up.

But the BIG news for me?

I got the second drain out yesterday!!!!! YEAAHHHHHHH!

I am SOOOOO happy about this. REALLY happy! REALLY, REALLY HAPPY!!!!

and

I can now take a shower using TWO hands instead of one! (no more holding the drain)
I get to drive my van for the first time this Monday!
I can’t do ANY strength training for another month.
I CAN walk – no restrictions on that, so I’ll soon be updating my exercise log again.
I still have to wear a compression binder for another month.
My stitches look really good. I’m starting Mederma and Vitamin E moisturizer.
I’ve lost at least 10 pounds since the day before my surgery and I still have a lot of swelling.

Baby steps, baby steps.

Dude, where’s my car?

Posted on by Julie Stiles Mills

FirstHusband took my car. Because he knows I can’t physically climb into his truck, a Ford F250. Or drive it in my condition. Not that I was going anywhere. But, without a car, I CAN’T go anywhere.

He’s so bossy.

I’m trapped.

I’m bored. I did work yesterday for a couple of hours. Client training on the internet.

But, now I’m bored again.

I am reading a lot. I’m presenting the program to my ladies circle on Thursday morning. (Yes. Someone is giving me a ride.) I’m still reading and learning about suffering vs. a loving God, so I’m organizing what I’m learning and presenting some of it. Looking forward to the discussion and feedback. Always lots of food for thought from these ladies.

I’m reading the chapters on suffering in:

Lee Strobel’s The Case for Faith: A Journalist Investigates the Toughest Objections to Christianity,
Bringing Your Faith to Work: Answers for Break-Room Skeptics by Geisler and Douglass

and the books

Dark Threads the Weaver Needs – The Problem of Human Suffering by Herbert Lockyer and
Where Is God When It Hurts? by Philip Yancy.

I’m also going to be looking at Spectacular Sins: And Their Global Purpose in the Glory of Christ by John Piper and The Problem of Pain by C.S. Lewis. Any more recommendations on the paradox of pain and suffering vs. a loving God?

So I’m reading and learning a lot.

But when I’m not doing that, I’m still bored.

And slow. I’m walking w a y too slow. I’m so slow, I irritate myself.

Can you tell I’m bored?

Watchin a LOT of Niecy Nash on Clean House. What kind of bra does she wear? Seriously. I need the make and model of that bra. My “girls” don’t compare to Niecy’s, but that bra is FABULOUS, as Niecy would say.

I told you I was bored.

I feel like I’ve been to a theme park.

Posted on by Julie Stiles Mills

But no, just a little field trip. My first post-op appointment with the plastic surgeon was today. Percoset aside, I am going to sleep GREAT tonight. My post-op with the GYN doc is supposed to be next week. Hopefully, a field trip won’t take so much out of me by then. After hearing the news that the cysts were all benign, the GYN appointment will be very anti-climactic.

Here’s the latest:

One drain removed!!!! THANK YOU GOD! I HATE the drains. My doctor placed one running from the upper left side of my incision to the upper right side and a second drain running from the lower right side of my incision to the lower left side. The upper drain (the one exiting on my right side) had stopped producing any fluid so it was removed today! And again – THANK YOU GOD! I HATE the drains. The (lower) left drain is still going strong, so I have an appointment a week from today to remove it – UNLESS. Unless it slows to less than 30ml per day for two days in a row. If that happens, I can call the doctor’s office and come in earlier to remove the left drain. Oh, please, oh, please, oh, please!!!!

The steri-strips removed. Owwwww. Pulling tape or adhesive bandages off of skin is one thing. Pulling tape off of stitches is quite another. Owwwww. Especially since the doc and the nurse were double teaming me, each on one side. AND they didn’t tell me what they were going to do! One second they were “looking” and the next . . . DANG! Give a girl a head’s up will ya?

Stitches removed. The stitches around the right drain – gone. The stitches around my belly button – gone. The stitches around the lipo points – gone. All knots on the main incision – gone. Felt like tweezing. Not painful, just not my favorite Friday afternoon pastime.

Percoset prescription refilled. Have I mentioned I love my Percoset? It keeps me walking. Doc still prefers no ibruprophen or naproxin due to blood thinning and healing, so still no driving while on the Percoset. That’s okay, getting into the van today wasn’t all that smooth anyway.

In other news, FavoriteSon twisted his ankle at spring football practice yesterday. We did the ice/heat/ibuprofen thing last night and FirstHusband took him to the doctor this afternoon to check it out while following up on his allergy stuff. Doc sent them to get x-rays and the radiologist said there’s no break. Doc says no activity, so he won’t be playing at his basketball game tomorrow. He needs to heal before Saturday May 16th because he’s running in the middle school STATE track meet! He placed 2nd and 3rd in his races at district – the only middle school student from his school to go to district (and now to state). He runs the 100m, the 200m and the 400m. That’s what a lifetime of idiopathic toe walking will get you – a very FAST kid. As his football coach said, “You can’t teach fast.” (Can you tell I’m slightly proud?)

My ladies circle brought dinner tonight and FirstHusband and I had salad before FavoriteSon called for his ride home from basketball practice (he just watched). Then PinkGirl needs picked up from a birthday party at 7:30 p.m. FirstHusband made four round trips to school yesterday. I think he’s empathizing with me this week. He said he has a new understanding of this “mom chauffeur thing.” It’s always good when your man finds your work schedule annoying when he has to assume it. Mmm hmm. Yes it is.

The best news today? Instead of flowers (which would be eaten and then soon vomited by our cats), my in-laws asked FirstHusband to come up with something else. He picked a chair massage. Isn’t he the BEST? Aren’t my in-laws the BEST? When you read all read this – Thank you SO much!

at FirstHusband’s request.

Posted on by Julie Stiles Mills

It has been suggested to me (more than 50 a few times) that I should confess the “real” reason I was not discharged from the hospital until late Sunday afternoon.

I, of course, choose to believe that had I NOT spiked a fever on Friday night, all would have gone much more . . . smoothly.

(FirstHusband. Are you happy now?)

In all fairness, here’s what a great guy I have:

1. He has been THERE for me, really THERE for me, through everything. A CONSTANT support. EVERYTHING I need. Random doctors and nurses said things like “He’s a keeper.” and “You’ve got a great guy.” to which I replied, “oh, I KNOW I do.”

2. He and I have developed an excellent system to get me out of a hospital bed when my gut is full of stitches. Easy and relatively no pain. This system is borne from experience. He’s been there for me before, more than a few times.

3. He ordered all my “food” in the hospital and turned my cream of wheat into choco-wheat every time. Brought me good coffee from home every day and successfully doctored the one cup of Starbucks I had to drink with a packet of hot chocolate mix.

4. Made sure my water bottle always had room temperature water in it and kept my ice chip cup refilled, AND got me to the bathroom on time, every time. Painlessly.

5. He read aloud to me for days.

6. He walked and walked and walked with me as I pushed my IV stand around the hospital floor.

7. Made me the homemade coughing splint Linda told us about.

8. He helped me take a shower, helps me empty my drains, and rubs my back in just the right spot.

9. Is tracking every single medication I’m taking on a computer spreadsheet because there’s just too much of it and some of it makes me forget things – like what I took and when.

10. Called me last night to ask what color nightgown I wanted when he was out at Target, picking up a few things.

11. Selflessly and immediately released any claim to his bonus this year to finance my tummy tuck add-on surgery.

12. Keeps telling me how good I’m going to look and how happy I’m going to be the the results – and how happy HE’S going to be with the results – when I’m healed, stitches-free and walking upright.

I’m HOME!

Posted on by Julie Stiles Mills

Surgery was Thursday at 9am. I was in recovery from about 3pm to 9pm because there weren’t any beds available, but I think it was the best thing. My recovery nurse, Kay was SO wonderful. I got so much of her time and attention because I was the last one to leave recovery that day.

I was supposed to go home Friday, but my doctor postponed that till Saturday, giving no specific reason. Then Friday night, I developed a fever. It came on fast – I felt fine at 6:45pm but by 8:15pm I was at 102 point something. They took lots and lots of blood, loaded me up on IV antibiotics and by midnight I was feeling much better. My sister and her husband had arrived around 8:30pm and stayed with me for all the blood draws while FirstHusband made a quick trip home to pick up stuff so he could stay the night with me. I’m very aware of the fact that I was originally supposed to be HOME by Friday night. God is good.

After all that, the doctor was not letting me leave on Saturday, which was calm and restful.

The kids both stayed with friends and we are SO grateful. PinkGirl’s friends are twins and their parents are LIFE SAVERS. The original plan was for PinkGirl to stay the night Friday and go to softball with them Saturday morning and get picked up by FirstHusband. After all that happened, PinkGirl ended up with them till Sunday afternoon, swimming in their pool, going to a neighborhood barbecue, borrowing a dress and going to church with them, swimming in their pool . . . she was wiped OUT when she got home Sunday evening. We plan on buying them a restaurant gift certificate and taking their girls for a night or two sometime over the summer. Their kindness can’t be repaid with dinner and babysitting. The gift they gave me was the comfort and peace of knowing that PinkGirl was cared for in such a way that she felt wanted, accepted, comfortable and safe. It was such a huge load off my mind and heart.

FavoriteSon stayed with what we call “the parents he never had.” The mom had a hysterectomy last month and their sons stayed with us. I pray that we were for them that weekend, what Pinkgirl’s friends were to us this weekend. FavoriteSon stayed with them this weekend, but he actually wanted to see me on Saturday (how sweet is that?) so FirstHusband picked him up and we spent some time together Saturday night. He slept in on Sunday while FirstHusband came back to the hospital around 8am Sunday morning.

We got home on Sunday after 6pm and all four of us were just wiped out. Today (Monday), I helped PinkGirl get ready for school from my reclining position in the bed (thank goodness she didn’t want braids today), FirstHusband drove the kids to school and when he came back, we turned off all the phones and slept for 3 hours. My new praise team family brought me dinner tonight and it was a true gift! We are all so tired.

Thanks for all the great comments!

Linda – that homemade splint pillow has been SO GREAT! They had given me a regular old pillow and it didn’t do much good. Coughing was so much more than painful! FirstHusband made me a splint from your directions and I haven’t let it go yet.

JanMary – “don’t make me laugh” is right. I’m not ready for it. Laughing leads to coughing. Coughing still hurts.

Heidi – I accidentally read your joke. Thankfully, It didn’t hurt.

Kristin, Tina, Lisa, Elle and everyone! – thanks for the prayers. They are working! I feel better than I expected to at this point. I hope to go outside for a walk tomorrow. Big talk, I know.

More later. I wrote this in spurts, but I just took a Percocet, so I’m winding down. I love Percocet