Halifax Tummy Tuck

Words can’t even describe the devastation I experienced when I realized my incision was infected a few days shy of my Six Week date. After a month and a half of diligently following all of my aftercare instructions and obsessively doubling up on wound care, it happened: I was feeling a lot of pain in my incision, particularly on the right side, and realized that it was inflamed, red, and definitely infected.

Fortuitously, I was starting antibiotics the same day for a throat infection and after checking in with several HCPs, I learned it would likely be the same antibiotics I’d be prescribed for the incision infection! Within 72 hours of starting my antibiotics, my incision was looking much better. I also returned to my thrice daily cleaning routine, which I had cut back on to once daily at Week Four.

Because it was G R O S S, I kept photos very minimal. You can see them at the bottom of this post.

Day One saw a lot of redness at the centre of my incision, where the vertical incision meets the horizontal; this has by far been the slowest part to heal anyway, and I think the silicon strips had created such a barrier that bacteria was able to thrive. I’m not using the strips again until everything is fully healed. This was CONVENIENTLY the day I started taking azithromycin for a throat infection that had been raging for about a week.

What I did:

On Day One, I immediately removed the silicon strips and gave the incision a really good wash. After it was dry, I applied Polysporin and then gently covered the incision with gauze. I took my first azithromycin dose, and used ibuprofen/tylenol for the inflammation. I washed the incision two more times and reapplied ointment each time.

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Day Two was definitely the worst day, both in terms of how my incision felt and how it looked. We were driving to my family’s home in Cape Breton, so I had to dress in very comfortable clothes to ensure nothing rubbed the incision. Upon arrival, I changed into my gigantic Free People jumpsuit for comfort!

What I did:

Prioritized loose clothing! I applied a generous amount of Polysporin after doing the full wound care protocol (antimicrobial wash, saline rinse) and then stuck a panty liner inside the front of my underwear to protect the incision from rubbing and also protect my clothing from the ointment (it stains!)

I drank a LOT of water and took my antibiotics as prescribed. Upside: my sore throat was much better!

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Day Three was a sign of good things to come! The incision generally looked worse than it had since early days but the redness around the incision had lessened a lot.

What I did:

At this point, it was really all about keeping up with my antibiotics and wound care. I went through almost an entire tube of Polysporin within one week of the infection!

It’s been just over a week since my incision became infected and I’m thrilled to say that it has completely cleared up and the healing process has resumed — and maybe even sped up? I’m still using Polysporin twice daily and I’ve also added Bio Oil in to help keep my scar well hydrated. Because I still have scabbing in one part of my incision (where the horizontal and vertical scars meet), I’m not using silicon strips again until it’s totally healed and the scabbing has resolved. I think this is what caused the trouble in the first place!

Stay tuned for a seven week update, or head over to my Instagram to see the six-week video saved to my Highlights.

PHOTOS: