Managing Open Wound Care Post-Barbie Butt Surgery

Hi all!
I'm 12 weeks post-op from Barbie butt surgery and still have an open wound the size of my hand. I had a wound vac for four weeks, which helped a bit but was more painful than I could endure. I also brewed up three different types of infections with it, so I had it removed.
My next attempt was getting hyperbaric oxygen treatments, but my insurance denied it. So, I'm currently not receiving any treatments, besides my home care, which consists of me changing my dressings once a day - wet to dry (I also use my handheld shower nozzle to wash the wound and blow-dryer to dry it).
Because my wound is so significant in size, my surgeon wants me to get a skin graft; removing a muscle from my inner thigh to do so. I'm not thrilled about the idea of creating another wound to fix the first one. It took 10 weeks just for my itty-bitty JP drain incision to heal, so I really fear I will have a lot of trouble healing from a skin graft or the possibility of it just failing entirely.

Has anyone had success with non-skin grafts (such as Grafix) or any other forms of treatment? Any tips or suggestions to add to my daily wound care routine?
Any suggestions are greatly appreciated :)

Hi, sorry you're going through this. I had the experience years ago. If you have care such as a visiting nurse, which I did, mine was the same as yours. They used an old-school remedy called Dakin's solution, which is Clorox mixed with a gallon of water. First, boil the water, let it cool, then add the Clorox and mix it. She would pack the wound with gauze and return the next day to do it all again. Have a lot of patience; mine took a very long time to heal. Maybe you could ask a doctor if they have ever heard of this, or maybe look it up. Speedy recovery—don't give up! It will be okay.

Hi, they wanted me to have the surgery on my leg also, but one doctor said that would be another problem, so I didn't have that surgery. He said you will wind up with a limp. I am very thankful I didn't do it. I hope this message helps! Good luck.

Well, that sucks. Who tried to get the HBO treatments approved? I'd try for approval again. Have you tried all the silver-infused things that can be applied? You could always buy your own chamber. 🤷‍♂️

The hospital tried to get it approved, but apparently my insurance only allows that treatment for specific reasons like diabetic wounds or bone diseases. My husband wants to call and dispute, so we'll see how that goes. I don't know what the silver-infused things are, but I'll definitely ask my surgeon about them!

How to Manage Emotions with LeeAnne Hayden | Hollister

I found one on sale for the low, low price of $5,000! Hmm 🤔 😂

This is all very helpful! I had no idea the graft could cause a limp! It blows my mind how much my surgeon makes light of things and leaves out the possible complications - "It'll just leave a scar but it can pretty much instantly heal you" is all he said.
& I'll definitely ask about Dakin's solution. Thank you for the info!

I'm just a simple guy, but I referred to the silver stuff, which I tried in a few different forms, as window screening or weatherstripping because of how they looked and were made. You just placed a small piece in your wound and left a tail hanging out so your hubby could help you change it, as it's nearly impossible to be flexible enough to do it yourself.

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Right, they are packing mine with the silver algaite rope. I think that's how it is spelled for mine, but it's a little hole, and it's 11 1/2 cm deep now.

I was only 8 cm after colorectal surgery, literally removing the anus and getting a colostomy bag. It took forever to heal by following the doctors' orders. My home care nurse, after nearly a year of just using iodine-treated packing rope, finally told the doctor that I needed to go to a healing center for measurable progress. He agreed, and within a few weeks, I was released with a closed-up "hole" in my whatever you choose to call it today. LOL. A PA at the healing center put some of the stuff they use for stopping bleeding and other uses (silver something) in there along with a wound vac, and the process proceeded in record time. I'm pretty sure it is the same chemical you mentioned in rope type. Mine was a paste, and it worked wonders.

Would it be silver alginate?

I used that to close a large hole at the bottom of my surgical wound. It was amazing how quickly it worked.

Yes, that's what it is called; it's what they started using on me.

Just to come out of left field, how are your blood sugars and how much protein are you consuming? I know it's odd, but lowering my sugars and increasing my protein a lot helped greatly for healing even larger wounds. Also, I had thigh surgery where they moved large thigh tissue from the top of my thigh to my abdomen. In my case, it didn't work well. On another note, my thigh incision split open and they did a skin graft; all said and done, it wasn't worth the headache. #justmyexperience

I will be praying for you.

Chris

It's amazing how much I can count on you all in this forum and how disappointing healthcare can be.
Silver Alginate is now on my list! Thank you!
Alex, thanks for the laughs! 😂

Hi Cplumper! I've been drinking "Ensure Extra Protein" shakes, which have 30g of protein each. I'm not sure how much protein is needed, though. How much should I be consuming a day?

As much as you can. One gram per one pound of body weight is often the general rule.

Dang, that would be 5 bottles a day for me and probably 2 days of diarrhea afterwards, lol.

LOL. Doesn't have to be in a drink.

Get a second opinion. Dakins wet to dry is normally good but will take months. Silver Alginate is great for deep tunneling wounds. Ask a wound care nurse if it is okay to use on superficial wounds.
Depending on weight, the amount of protein varies but is recommended for wound healing at 100 grams per day. Recommend different forms, not just relying on protein shakes. Eat protein throughout the day. Include high-calorie foods and multivitamins. Take vitamin D, E, and fish oil if your stomach can handle it. Don't be afraid to ask for help around the house too! Good luck.

Don't do it. I had an anus removed like you; the vac didn't work. You're a trooper. I told them to shove it and healed on my own like you. I call myself rat butt. It looks like a rat clawed my ass, but just continue to do as you are. Good luck.

Right, I was just adding up my weight by bottles...lol. When I was going through chemo, sometimes I couldn't eat for days and was drinking too much Ensure. FYI, avoid the coffee ones. My dad brought me some by mistake, and I was bouncing off the walls for two days before I read the bottle and saw how much caffeine was in it.

The coffee ones are my favorite, and I could use the energy! Lol. I try my best to avoid taking pain meds, but I do take one 5mg of oxy in the morning to help me get through changing my wound dressing. The downside is it makes me sleepy, so I go straight for that 100mg of caffeine to pick me back up. 😆

Do you remember how long it took for you to heal on your own? I couldn’t care less how it looks between my butt cheeks as long as it can heal on its own. Bring on the rat butt! Lol 

Well, if I had known that each bottle was the same as a cup of coffee, it wouldn't have been as bad, but I had drunk 4 bottles before I realized it. SMH. And I understand not liking pain meds. I think between both surgeries, they gave me 10 days' worth of painkillers, but Tennessee is a very weird state, LOL.

Depending on your situation, it may not heal on its own. Mine was like that; it wasn't going to heal without the things I've already posted about. If I were you, I'd continue to pressure your insurance using your doctor's recommendations to have the other treatments to expedite your healing.

That's a real bummer to hear, but it's probably the reality for my wound too. I for sure plan on fighting it with my insurance. A friend of mine used to work in insurance denials and suggested I speak with an intestinal rehab physician. Apparently, they can advocate for me to help get approval from my insurance. So, wish me luck, pray for me, send positive vibes, light a candle, or turn around 3 times and spit on the ground. I'll take whatever I can get!

I'd have every doctor calling them. Tell them it's prone to infection, which they'll have to pay for since they're denying the care you need to heal, stuff like that. 👀 No spinning around for me, I get really dizzy doing that nowadays, but I'll definitely spit for you. 😁

Hate to hear that. Mine healed on its own, outside of popping a stitch I didn't have too much trouble. It did bleed for quite a while, but I was back at work in about 6 weeks. Getting comfortable took a long time, a couple of months before I wasn't thinking twice before sitting.

That's about as good as it could get! I'm glad it worked out well for you. 🙌

Hi there, I just read your post and am so sorry you are dealing with all of this. You sound like such a brave soul, and I have much respect for you. I hope your wound heals up soon! I was just wondering, is that skin graft suggested to you by chance using the gracilis muscle?