3. Wounds that are left open
In some cases, wounds must remain open. Examples of this are the opening of an abscess, or when you have had surgery in the region of the anus.
If the wound is anywhere on your body apart from the anus, Dr. Tariq will usually have arranged for dressing (daily, or every other day, or a different frequency) with the nurse. These are separate from the clinic appointments, and you do not need to register at the reception for these. You just have to notify the nurse that you have arrived, and the nurse will be able to see the instructions in the system.
Depending on the size of the wound, and other factors, it will usually take one or more weeks for the wound to heal from the inside. The purpose of wound care is to assist the body in the healing.
The nurse knows Dr. Tariq’s instructions. Some people worry about packing (a gauze that is left in the open wound and needs to be removed every time), a technique used by some surgeons. Dr. Tariq practically never applies this technique, so you don’t need to worry about it. The dressing should therefore not be painful.
Open wound in the region of the anus or buttocks
If you have undergone anal surgery or somewhere nearby it, and have an open wound in the vicinity of the anus or buttocks, you usually will not have to come for dressing. You will be given the instruction to do so-called “sitz baths” three times a day, until your follow up visit.
This is how you perform a sitz bath:
- get a shallow tub, that you can sit in comfortably;
- fill the tub with warm water (37 – 38 degrees is preferable);
- add some disinfectant soap and dissolve it in the water until you have a nice foam;
- sit in the water until you feel that it has gone cold, which usually takes about 7 – 8 minutes
- while you are sitting in the tub, move the water around the wound gently, do not rub the wound
That’s it, it is indeed that easy!