Since I was about 14 or 15 I have had multiple surgeries to remove my keloids. They have not been easy surgeries and the recovery has been just as painful. In my recent post, I shared that I had to have a local anesthetic which was administered around each scar and when it wore off, the doctor had to stop the surgery just to administer more anesthesia.
After the surgery, my chest was open and looked like a bowl of mashed potatoes is what was said. The aftercare was to keep the open wound clean with hydrogen peroxide. I did not manage very well and in my first after surgery appointment, the doc sat me in the chair, put gauze on my chest and just started pouring the hydrogen peroxide to clean the wound. Still to this day, I am unable to handle the sound and smell of peroxide.
My next surgery was on my face and a scar on my right shoulder. It was on the bra line and the health insurance company approved that part of the surgery but the doctor covered any related costs to remove the one on my face. The interesting part is that the one on the bra line on my right shoulder has remained flat. Immediately after my surgery I was sent to the hospital for radiation therapy which made me sick. Thankfully, my parents were with me and took care of me until the sickness wore off. As with keloid scars and surgery the risk of recurrence was high and it grew back again.
The next surgery was when my youngest daughter was an infant/toddler. I cannot seem to recall the year. This surgery was a bit easier and the surgeon even used dissolvable stitches. The recurrence took a little longer this time and I actually felt normal for a change. I know, that sounds strange to say but when you deal with the rude stares on a daily basis, it is nice to feel like you do not have everyone staring at you.
My next surgery was in 2010 and done by an ENT doctor in Orlando, Florida. I told him that he had hands of gold. By this time, my scar was 11 inches from my ear to under my chin and 7 inches across the largest part of the scar that was partially covering my ear. As a result, I do have a hearing loss in that ear but I have managed. My cousin Kimberly was with me for the surgery and Sonja was there part of the time. The surgery went well and included my right ear being reconstructed and a face lift. Thanks Doc! The scary part is that when I woke up in recovery, I realized that he used real stitches... I did not have a clue what was ahead of me when the stitches were removed. I will say this much, if you ever consider surgery on your keloid scars and stitches are required, please request dissolvable ones. The pain of removing the stitches was worse than the surgery. Once the stitches were out, I had monthly appointments for injections which were working. Due to some personal changes, I had to stop my appointments and even relocated from Orlando to Fort Worth.
Nine years post surgery and again as expected my scar has returned. There are parts of the area that was removed that has remained flat thanks to those injections, but my ear is not covered. I have not thought about the surgery again because my focus has changed to other areas that required my attention. It has become a bit difficult to manage my Type 2 Diabetes along with the back pain and knee issues I am experiencing but that is a post for another day.
Thank you for reading and more posts to come.
After the surgery, my chest was open and looked like a bowl of mashed potatoes is what was said. The aftercare was to keep the open wound clean with hydrogen peroxide. I did not manage very well and in my first after surgery appointment, the doc sat me in the chair, put gauze on my chest and just started pouring the hydrogen peroxide to clean the wound. Still to this day, I am unable to handle the sound and smell of peroxide.
My next surgery was on my face and a scar on my right shoulder. It was on the bra line and the health insurance company approved that part of the surgery but the doctor covered any related costs to remove the one on my face. The interesting part is that the one on the bra line on my right shoulder has remained flat. Immediately after my surgery I was sent to the hospital for radiation therapy which made me sick. Thankfully, my parents were with me and took care of me until the sickness wore off. As with keloid scars and surgery the risk of recurrence was high and it grew back again.
The next surgery was when my youngest daughter was an infant/toddler. I cannot seem to recall the year. This surgery was a bit easier and the surgeon even used dissolvable stitches. The recurrence took a little longer this time and I actually felt normal for a change. I know, that sounds strange to say but when you deal with the rude stares on a daily basis, it is nice to feel like you do not have everyone staring at you.
My next surgery was in 2010 and done by an ENT doctor in Orlando, Florida. I told him that he had hands of gold. By this time, my scar was 11 inches from my ear to under my chin and 7 inches across the largest part of the scar that was partially covering my ear. As a result, I do have a hearing loss in that ear but I have managed. My cousin Kimberly was with me for the surgery and Sonja was there part of the time. The surgery went well and included my right ear being reconstructed and a face lift. Thanks Doc! The scary part is that when I woke up in recovery, I realized that he used real stitches... I did not have a clue what was ahead of me when the stitches were removed. I will say this much, if you ever consider surgery on your keloid scars and stitches are required, please request dissolvable ones. The pain of removing the stitches was worse than the surgery. Once the stitches were out, I had monthly appointments for injections which were working. Due to some personal changes, I had to stop my appointments and even relocated from Orlando to Fort Worth.
Nine years post surgery and again as expected my scar has returned. There are parts of the area that was removed that has remained flat thanks to those injections, but my ear is not covered. I have not thought about the surgery again because my focus has changed to other areas that required my attention. It has become a bit difficult to manage my Type 2 Diabetes along with the back pain and knee issues I am experiencing but that is a post for another day.
Thank you for reading and more posts to come.
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