Photos

Here is what my knee looked like as it healed. In the pictures, it looks like my leg is very crooked, but that is an illusion created by the angle as I took the photos with my iPad. The knee is still bent some,but the doctor straightened it as much as he could. I'm happy with it. 

Day 2

There are steri-strips across the incision, and also "glue" which gives it a shiny appearance. All the stitches in the incision are dissolvable. The 2 stitches above and the 2 below will be removed in 3 weeks. They have to be cleaned and re-bandaged daily.






Day 14 

Some of the steri-strips have come off. The incision can have water wash over it, but the stitches have to be kept dry in the shower..a bit of a challenge! (See "Things I wish I had known ahead of time" for more info on keeping them dry!) 








Day 21

The stitches are finally out! They got very itchy and uncomfortable. Also, my skin began to react to the glue on the bandaids, which is what caused the red marks on the sides of the stitches. At the doctor's office, he removed some of the scabs from the top, and told me I could pull the others off as they loosen. Vitamin E oil helps a lot!



Day 23 

Daily progress, now! Only one scab left at the bottom. I think the incision is quite pretty and will heal up and not be an ugly scar down my knee. Nice.

Day 26
It is looking better and better. All of the scab has come off, and the stitches are removed.

Day 27
Infection has set in....As I look at this photo I realize that there was an indication of possible trouble in this spot when I took the picture yesterday. We are hopeful that it is just a stitch that didn't dissolve completely. This spot does not have a good natural blood supply.

Week 4. The infection spot is drier, but still red around it. The area above the incision in this photo (the lateral side of my knee) is quite hot when you lay your hand on it. The doctor says not to worry about this.

Week 6. Doesn't look a whole lot better. The redness has diffused out into a larger area. The skin on in the center which looks bubbled in the photo is actually dry. It flaked off a couple days after I took this photo.

Week 7. Finally it is looking better! Since week 3 I have been at the doctor's every week so he can check on it. Last week he said I could skip a week if I want to..I wasn't sure I would, but I did because it doesn't feel painful when I press on the spot. 

Week 8. It looks pretty good. The doctor is pleased and feels that it is safe to say the infection has healed. He said the incision will be red for quite a while. It is all new skin and tender. I have used coconut oil to soften it (Works wonders!). I always apply sunscreen when the leg is going to be exposed to the sun, because I can have even a little scratch get very dark in color as it heals. I am quite proud of my knee and show it off every chance I get!