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The Battle Scar Thread

MINI Cooper

MINI Cooper

Ok, I couldn't find it. No thread where we show off our battle scars???

I started listing these in my own thread, but was reccommended I start an entirely different thread for everyone to share!

Here is my ongoing list:

2007 Exploratory surgery where they ended up removing my appendix and some other 'junk'
Lucky for me they used dissolving stitches so it has healed well.


Here is a photo of recent encounters with the IV nurses:


My TPN scar is barely visible, and wouldn't really come out on camera.

This is my latest 'freakiest' one. It's shaped like an 'S'!


Feel free to share yours! We can't all be squeamish with what we've all been through!
:)
 
My Butt Hurts

My Butt Hurts

Squeals-a-lot!
Haha.. I WISH I had a picture that I could put up!!
I had an episiotomy with each child, but I don't think anyone wants to see THAT! Well, a few people might, but...
And the only surgery that I've had for my Crohn's was a perianal fistual, I probably shouldn't go taking a picture of THAT!
I had TMJ surgery, but the scar is in my hairline. I had a mole removed - anyone want to see that picture??
Oh... I just want to belong....

edit - OMG! I KNOW that this is tmi, but I took a pic of my surgery scar just out of curiosity.
Here is the conversation throught the locked bathroom door.
4 year old daughter - Mooooom? What are you doing?
(I don't lie - so I said) Me - What are YOOOOU doing??
Daughter - Are you takin a picture?? (accusingly)
Me - Are YOOOOU takin a picture??
That frustrated her enough that she wasn't interested anymore thankfully.
OMG I am STILL laughing about it!
But - I am NOT putting that pic up here!!!
 
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MINI Cooper

MINI Cooper

yay!!!! :)

I must say, if any of you get staples, TAKE A PICTURE!
Why? Because the doctors DO NOT keep count of how many they put in you-
it is up to YOU to count so that they remove ALL OF THEM!

Jesse had a bad leg injury a few months ago and they would have left 2
staples in his leg if he didn't tell them there were two more to take out
somewhere. CRAZY!
 
RHOV

RHOV

the staples are cool, but that last picture is just gross!

i don't have any battle scars. i do have a nice scar on my ankle from accidentally shaving of a huge patch of skin with a razor 2 years ago, but nothing impressive like the rest of you!
 
Colt

Colt

Mini, I wish I could bring a camera to work and show you what those nurses do to some of the patients I have to draw from (silly privacy laws). It's horrific sometimes. Every day I come across numerous patients that just shock me.

For example one where I look at one arm and there's an IV in it, I look at the other arm and it's just a huge black circle covering the entire inner fold of the elbow, I look at one hand and it's completely black, I look at the other hand and and there's only 1 vein that's extremely loose and it's got frickin track marks that would make a junkie blush from the dozens of times that someone has tried to catch it. You tell me, where am I supposed to stick this patient?

Oh, and then there's the always fun 3 IVs in 1 patient that leave me with nothing but a hand to draw from and they don't have any usable veins in that hand which is why there's not an IV in it. 'Why are there 3 IVs in 1 patient?', you might ask. Because the nurse is too damn lazy to take out the 2 that don't work.

More fun.. this morning I finished my morning run and was back for my first normal run of the day. A nurse comes scrambling up to me with 2 blood labels in her hand.
"Can you draw these?"
"Let me have a look. Hrm.. well, these are both for the same test. It's also 8:30AM and these are for 1AM and 3AM. It looks like they're from yesterday too. Oh, and they're stat which means the nurse should have drawn them immediately when they were ordered. So, no. I can't. I also wouldn't want to because I drew that test on that patient 2 hours ago when there was a 3rd label for that same test in my stack of labels that was also stat and should have been drawn by his nurse instead of being sent to me. In fact, I had to stop in the middle of my morning run to take that blood down to the lab which set everyone else's tests back 15 minutes. What I would like to do, though, is find out why that lab wasn't drawn yesterday at 1AM."

Just because I'm already into the swing of things here I'll chime in with a gripe against nurses (and some phlebotomists) putting the same damn type of tape on patients who clearly are having reactions to it until that patient develops a rash so bad it hardens the skin to the point that I can't even feel a vein.

Oh, and one poor guy that gets stuck every single morning was bleeding because of the tape last time. I was pissed. I put a roll of coban (hypoallergenic tape with no adhesive that is just as available as the other tapes) on his table, told him to throw it at the next person who tries to put that damn paper tape on him, tracked down his nurse, and chewed her out. Grrrrr...

Maybe I need to start myself a phlebotomist's rant post...

Sincerely,
Mr. Thread Hijacker
 
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MINI Cooper

MINI Cooper

Colt, I'm sorry you have to go through all that and see all that yuckiness!
You work right in the trenches and must see a lot of that everyday!
Sucks to be on the receiving end as well as the one who has to do this to people!
 
Colt

Colt

I don't really feel bad for me, I just feel bad for the patient and especially so when I'm the one inflicting pain. Most of my patients tell me that they don't even feel it and I feel like the greatest, nicest person in the world. But when it's someone in agony because I can only get the blood out of a single horribly battered vein I feel like the biggest asshole in the world.

I do know what it's like though. I've been stuck a few times recently too. I've even let a newbie practice on my hand. The IV I had for my colonoscopy was agonizing too. For some reason it just burned like hell. The only thing that saved me from the pain was the anesthesia and then having it taken out.

BTW, if you weren't on prednisone you wouldn't have had such big bruises. A lot of people don't know it but people on prednisone usually bruise when they get stuck. Of course the bruise and the track marks take a long time to heal because of the prednisone too.
 
soupdragon69

soupdragon69

ele mental leprechaun
Well I havent had any major GI surgery thankfully...

Have plenty of scars though lol

Have one under my right armpit where I had a really bad abcess drained under anaesthetic a few years back.

Have another one under my left boob from a cyst being removed last year.

Have a couple on my face from facial surgery 10yrs ago too.

Numerous pock marks and small scars from other abcessess and boils down my thighs and hip area.

Oh yeah and have a scar on my bottom lip where I decided to trip over my own two feet as a kid and go face first into a concrete step - does that count?? LOL

Colt I couldnt agree more with your comments being on both sides of the fence as I am! Have some nice bruises at the mo having just been in. Thankfully the phlebot who came yesterday morn used a butterfly on me and I was really grateful.

My cannula actually literally fell out of my arm saturday morn when I straightened my arm out ;-) And yeah my big bug bear is the tape because I blister with most of them and despite telling and having it on my allergy band I still end up with the wrong one so I just sort it myself in the end now!
 
GoJohnnyGo

GoJohnnyGo

One Badass Dude
I have one on my scrotum from when I had an undescended testicle when I was nine.

Plus the one on my belly from my gastro surgery.

They are covered by manly hair now.
 
J

Jax

Top thread! Mini I have a matching scar! As well as two more u further on either side. It kinda looks like a suprised smiley face :eek:

I haven't had a bowel resection yet just had a bit of a look see and took the appendix. My GI thinks I will need a stricture chopped out in the next year. Do you think I will get staples like Jed? They are pretty impressive Jed. Kinda looks painful though....

Johnny covering the scars with manly hair isn't really an option for me but hey I guess anything is possible if i am fed enough pred! This disease does wonders for ones feminine appeal...:)
 
Wiles

Wiles

I thought my staples were pretty awesome, but I didn't end up taking a picture of them. Here is a pic after the staples were removed. The scar is raised now, but it's hard to see under all the hair after it grew back.

 
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Agent X20

Agent X20

Location
West Yorkshire, UK
Sharon... I'm not an expert on this... and I thought there were computer-geeks a-plenty on this forum! Anyway... whenever I've done stuff like like that, I've gone through a website called photobucket (just google photobucket) It's free! You put your pics onto the website, then when you want to download them into a thread you copy the "address" and paste it in. Can't use all the proper terminology... but that's it... even I managed it (eventually)
Some forums have a facility where you can transfer pics straight in... I don't know if this does it!
 
My Butt Hurts

My Butt Hurts

Squeals-a-lot!
MerryW-
I posted the following on the photography thread when I finally figured out how to get pics up here -
"I just signed up for a Flickr account on Saturday. It's free and easy.
It's SO easy to get your photos uploaded there if they are already on your computer. Once they are on Flickr you have to click on the picture, then click 'all sizes', choose your size (I changed it medium for 2 of mine and was able to keep it on large for another one.) right click on the SECOND link to copy it, (it should have jpg or something similar at the end) and then when you go to write your post on the forum you click on the mountain thingy (insert image) and paste the URL into the box when it asks you for it."
Hope that helps.
 
kello82

kello82

merrywidow said:
oh someone help me *sobs quietly*
Click to expand...
:ylol2: lol i was wondering the same thing! i was trying to put up a pic in another thread and could not figure it out for my life.

hmm ok scars!
no pics for me either as my butt=one giant scar. from many years of fistulas, setons, drains and stitches. no abdominal surgeries though.

ew but here we go, how about stretch marks? shins, thighs, lower back, and back of arms (like come on, stretch marks on an elbow??). from the dumb prednisone, grr.

two dots to show for some picc lines and thats about all for me!
 
merrywidow

merrywidow

mum with a dogdy tum
i haveh photobuckeet, but it dont say the http of the picture, which is what this site needs. damn technology
sharon xx
 
Agent X20

Agent X20

Location
West Yorkshire, UK
You should have a little box that says "image link code"... then you can choose which to copy... there's a bit of a guide attached.
I'm still not photographing me bum, which is where all my scars are!
 
D

DustinK

Guest
lol I wish I had a digital camera so I could post a picture of mine. I've got a wicked battle scar. 26 staples
 
Wiles

Wiles

merrywidow said:
i haveh photobuckeet, but it dont say the http of the picture, which is what this site needs. damn technology
sharon xx
Click to expand...
After you've uploaded your photo on photobucket you can click on it and it will bring you to a page with that photo and the info you need will be right in the bottom right corner

 
D

DustinK

Guest
Crappy quality cause I took them with my phone:



And some of my scars from the pyoderma gangrenosum:

 
Colt

Colt

Mini, if your bruise is getting worse a day or more after the IV's out you need to talk to your doctor. You could still be bleeding some. I'd have a PT/PTT drawn to make sure you're clotting okay if it wasn't already done before they discharged you. Remember prednisone is a blood thinner and can cause you to bleed out just like the specially designed blood thinners. Not that you're likely to bleed to death from that IV bruise but you need to take precautions if your platelet count is low.
 
MINI Cooper

MINI Cooper

AAHHHHH!!!!!!:eek: :eek2:

Thanks for the info! I emailed my doctor two seconds ago about it attached
with the photos. Now that I think of it, the first hospital stay this month they
gave me a blood clot shot every day I was there, but this last time they DIDN't!

ARG!:(
 
soupdragon69

soupdragon69

ele mental leprechaun
Steve great pics on stage!

Cassie, hope that bruise improves in the coming days for you. Mine is starting to clear now after 2wks...

Dustin, you definately belong to this club you critter. Lets hope there are no more!

Sharon, hope you get your pics sorted soon too.

My worst scar is under my right arm post abcess drainage as the condition I have means I scar badly after surgical procedures so hope I never have abdo surgery to be honest...
 
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merrywidow

merrywidow

mum with a dogdy tum
thank you guys for helping me. that picture is of my tummy , my late mother said it look like a bottom but at the front. my tummy was lovely and flat until i had the operation, the hospital gave me MRSA and the wound never closed up and distorted the skin. i wont win any bikini competions but hey who cares i am alive!!!! sharon xx
 
MINI Cooper

MINI Cooper

My new battle scars: HANGNAILS! On every friggen finger!
They're ugly, they're painful, and I can't help but bite them off!
Which, of course, makes them worse and more infected and disgusting! :ymad:

 
danman

danman

I'm like a lot of you, most of my scars are on my arse!! your not getting to see them.

I have a scar for undescended Teste as well Steve, again no amount of money would get me to post that.

During my 4 weeks in hospital recently I got a paltry 8 staples in 4 areas so there not even worth the effort of downloading.
But I had a jab everyday for the bloodclots and a bloodtest everyday so between my belly and arms, I'm a nice shade of black and blue. I can still count every jab a week and a half after getting home.
 
num1habsfan

num1habsfan

Ok, I'll put a copy of the pic on the 'hate' thread into here as well since it sure is a battle, ugh (thanks for pointing it out ;))

 
kromom1

kromom1



I finally got around to posting my battle scars - these are the incisions for my pericardial window and chest tube procedures done for pericarditis and pleural effusions from a lupus-reaction to my Remicade infusions. Hopefully no one finds this offensive because because of their location.
 
kromom1

kromom1

Well, darn, the picture isn't showing up, at least not on my end. Does anyone else see it? I copied the URL from photobucket, but it doesn't appear to have worked.
 
kello82

kello82

nope all that shows up is an x in the box!

sorry i cant be of much help though, i am totally clueless about how to get photos into a post. hopefully someone whoe knows what theyre doing will pop in here lol
 
My Butt Hurts

My Butt Hurts

Squeals-a-lot!
kromom, did you just paste the url here, or did you insert the image?
You have to click on the little mountain icon and then paste the url there.
Then the pic shoud show up right in the text.
 
danman

danman

kromom1 said:


I finally got around to posting my battle scars - these are the incisions for my pericardial window and chest tube procedures done for pericarditis and pleural effusions from a lupus-reaction to my Remicade infusions. Hopefully no one finds this offensive because because of their location.
Click to expand...



ouch... that looks painfull.
 
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kromom1

kromom1

Thanks guys, for getting my picture to show up! I'm pretty much a computer idiot even though my job involves working on a computer 8 hours a day (medical transcription)!!
 
J

JillianB82

Guest


So this is when I 1st became sick back in Aug.......I was in the hosp on an IV drip to get fluid back into my body.......too bad she blew the vain & my hand & all the way up my arm was black



She finally got it to stick!!!
 
My Butt Hurts

My Butt Hurts

Squeals-a-lot!
merrywidow said:
sorry dan, but which part of your body is that? or is the pic upside down?
sharon xx
Click to expand...
That was a picture from Kromom. Here is the caption for it-
"I finally got around to posting my battle scars - these are the incisions for my pericardial window and chest tube procedures done for pericarditis and pleural effusions from a lupus-reaction to my Remicade infusions. Hopefully no one finds this offensive because because of their location."
She couldn't get it to show up so Dan fixed it for her. It's not Dan's chest, haha.
 
farm

farm

Captain Insaneo
Well I'll put mine on here. The one above the belly button was from the scope, the lucky 13 staples was from the hemi-colectomy and open appendectomy back in December. The other 2 scars are not pictured.

 
danman

danman

Woah, Farm.
That's a nice neat bit of stapeling.

The scar should heal nicely.

I was just thinking this morning, how well scars heal with staples (Kello aside ;) )rather than the old stiches (sutures). I have a scar from an operation I had as a child that's still visable, yet I can barely see the scars from my op before Christmas
 
M

misscris

Woo. I have a pic of my newest acquisition. My IV bruise is quite impressive. It is a week old now and still very dark. In fact it got bigger and darker within the first couple of days afterward. Now it's starting to finally fade a little bit ... but it looks pretty good. About 2 inches long and 1 inch wide.

I also tried to get a pic of one of my incisions the other day, and I will try and post it too. Not as impressive looking without the staples. I wish I'd been thinking clearly and taken pics when they were still stapled. :) The other incision is a little hard to get a pic of .... but I will try.

I can't post pics at work, but I will try and post some later when I'm home.
 
farm

farm

Captain Insaneo
danman said:
Woah, Farm.
That's a nice neat bit of stapeling.

The scar should heal nicely.

I was just thinking this morning, how well scars heal with staples (Kello aside ;) )rather than the old stiches (sutures). I have a scar from an operation I had as a child that's still visable, yet I can barely see the scars from my op before Christmas
Click to expand...
Thanks dan! I did them myself with a Stanley standard stapler, glue gun, and bite stick! 13 has always been lucky for me so I spaced them out accordingly!:lol: :ycool:
 
kello82

kello82

danman said:
I was just thinking this morning, how well scars heal with staples (Kello aside ;) )rather than the old stiches (sutures).
Click to expand...
HAH lol, why am i ALWAYS the one "aside"?? in every aspect of my life, i am the one who does not follow the general pattern! WHY danman why?!?! my scar was like only 1/4 length of farm's yet it has to be a nasty sob???
hahahaha *sigh* gotta love being special.....

i cant even POST any photos in here yet cause its 13 frickin weeks post op and i STILL dont have any SCARS!!!! the term scar indicates something that was once a wound which has now healed or is in the healing process. i dont have any of those dammit!

and yet...... im laughing as i type this :D
 
M

misscris

I tried to get both incisions but couldn't get one of them. This is a very crappy pic, but it was the best I could get for some reason.

Here's one of my incision scars (and I'm sure you can tell where it's located hehehe). *sigh* Poor belly button :( it used to be so cute.



And .. the new bruise from the IV at the colonoscopy. It got quiet impressive. It actually got darker and uglier then this picture, but close enough. :) It's finally starting to fade ... almost 2 weeks later. eek! I actually had male customers at work asking me if I needed them to beat some men up for me. hehe Should I give them the GI's address?

 
kello82

kello82

lol daisy!! mines gonna be ugly. but i sure as hell am gonna love that sucker to pieces instead of this stupid second bellybutton.
but....
i ALMOST have a SCAR!!!! YES!!!!
god i cant wait to post it.
19 weeks post op. and its still open.
*#@$&@$*!*$!*$
just a little though. like, size of my pinky finger nail. Teeny tiny!!
*dances*
 
Lisa5326

Lisa5326

kello82 said:
lol daisy!! mines gonna be ugly. but i sure as hell am gonna love that sucker to pieces instead of this stupid second bellybutton.
but....
i ALMOST have a SCAR!!!! YES!!!!
god i cant wait to post it.
19 weeks post op. and its still open.
*#@$&@$*!*$!*$
just a little though. like, size of my pinky finger nail. Teeny tiny!!
*dances*
Click to expand...
Yay Kello! Can't wait :}
 
imisspopcorn

imisspopcorn

Punctuation Impaired
Man, I never took a pic of my wound!!!! See if I can get a modest scar pic. Wanna see my stab wounds? I was in a knife fight with a surgeon.
 
M

misscris

I just noticed that my scare is gone. I forgot about that. haha I deleted it from photobucket one day and didn't even think about it being in here. Oh well.
 
S

Sue-2009

No way am I showing mine...After having twin babies in me...7.9 & 7.6 each --I'm only 5.2....then the scar from ostomy and long scar from taking my guts out...No way...no how :) Sue
 
P

Peaches

You people are chickens!!! I just tried to take several pictures of mine -but because of the dermatographia - all you'd see are all the wrinkles on my skin from my jeans. I was walking around for 15 minutes trying to get the wrinkles to go away and of course the stupid UPS guy rings the doorbell as I'm walking around with my zipper undone! OK - retrying now.....
 
P

Peaches

Oh really? Well..he dropped the box and took off - like he always does. Actually - I had the front door open (glass door closed) and I was in the kitchen - but I freaked! Zipped back up and then forgot to unzip again LOL!! He never saw me....
 
Nyx

Nyx

Moderator
Peaches said:
You people are chickens!!! I just tried to take several pictures of mine -but because of the dermatographia - all you'd see are all the wrinkles on my skin from my jeans. I was walking around for 15 minutes trying to get the wrinkles to go away and of course the stupid UPS guy rings the doorbell as I'm walking around with my zipper undone! OK - retrying now.....
Click to expand...
This just because I'm not a chicken....you even get to see Oscar in his tent....lol It's a two-fer!
 

Attachments

Nyx

Nyx

Moderator
btw, how do I get it to post the pic in the actual reply? Not just a link to the attachment?
 
P

Peaches

Aww...it is still red and angry looking Cindy - you had your surgery not super long ago right?

When you post - choose the yellow box ^^ and paste the link in there. Are you using photobucket?

I knew you wouldn't be a chicken ;o)
 
P

Peaches

aww - it's just a baby scar ;) It'll soften up and blend in in no time!

Ok - here is my sorry excuse of a scar! After 13 years, it doesn't look so bad. I was really lucky in that I whined and asked my surgeon before they wheeled me back if I'd be able to wear a bikini ever again. He said no - stem to stern - but he had mercy on me!! The scar goes a little bit into the nether regions, but not by much - so pretty small. And I have that lapi mark to the right (if you can even SEE it!!). Ohhhh, and the deal with the cat eye for a belly button is that we have a person on the forum who has a "thing" about belly buttons - and I'm showing mercy on them by covering mine up ;O) You know who you are......

 
imisspopcorn

imisspopcorn

Punctuation Impaired
Nyx said:
Thanks Peaches! I'll do that next time...

My scar will be 2 months old on Friday :)
Click to expand...
Now I am feeling all kinds of peer pressure......But, you ladies look great! I'm with Sue, I had three kids all over 8lbs. I am only 5'1", my belly is a sad, saggy mess...:(
 
Nyx

Nyx

Moderator
imisspopcorn said:
Now I am feeling all kinds of peer pressure......But, you ladies look great! I'm with Sue, I had three kids all over 8lbs. I am only 5'1", my belly is a sad, saggy mess...:(
Click to expand...
Don't post if you don't want to post...I'm a kid in that if I get called a chicken I have to do whatever they think I'm a chicken for! I'm immature that way :)
 
P

Peaches

Hence why I called Chicken!! But.. Carrie is stronger than you and I - she won't succumb!!! Carrie - I could doctor it up for you ;)
 
imisspopcorn

imisspopcorn

Punctuation Impaired
I took picture a while back...my husband saw them and even said yikes...Of course it was with the "good" camera so every stretch mark and dimple is visible...I need the point and shoot so I can do it lying down....Standing up is way too ugly....I need some Spanx!...The boobs look good...can't post those!
 
P

Peaches

OMG - You are KILLING me Carrie!! You just said everything I did to take mine!!! I took a few with the DSLR and said "Hell no!" so I took it with the point and shoot stretched back in a chair (actually - Ash took the pic!) cuz I knew standing up wasn't going to look good!!

RIS....POST IT!! This is the battle scar thread - not the Crohn's surgery only battle scar thread!!! Do it chica!! Maybe then Carrie will get enough nerve ;O)
 
imisspopcorn

imisspopcorn

Punctuation Impaired
I sent Ris my gallbladder scar pic...That's under the ribs, sorta??? Kinda boring, but it does look like I was in a knife fight!....How about a c-section scar pic?.....Just kidding;)
 
pewpewlasers

pewpewlasers

Don't get me started on c-section scars. :p Mine was particularly bad. The worst part was when the incision opened and stitching material and puss was oozing out. Looks better now but it's a lot worse than it should look.
 
imisspopcorn

imisspopcorn

Punctuation Impaired
^ That happened with my first one too Pewpew.....They fixed it with the 2nd one but it is still lopsided with a dun-lop flap thing???
 
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