in the best interests of vanity

[drunkensailor]

Had my hip core decompression surgery a couple of weeks ago and am healing nicely, getting along mostly by wheelchair, sometimes on crutches. In short, it's been less painful and just generally less of an ordeal than I thought it'd be, so all in all, I'm pretty happy. The living arrangement for the duration of my recovery (~four more weeks) is a

Comments

[birdsmile]

It's so nice to hear you're doing okay. I have a bad scar on my stomach and I used vitamin E gel caps, you break them open and rub it on the area and it works well, they also say honey works, there is some kind of medicinal honey but I wasnt able to find it, I think you can use regular honey but Ive never tried it or found it. good luck, you're always in my thoughts. xo-cheryl formerly skyparts

[drunkensailor]

I must have totally missed your journal change, I had no idea this was you. I'm a lot less connected to LJ than I used to be. Promptly added you.

I'm actually doing exactly what you suggested with the vitamin E gel caps, it's what the surgeon recommended as well. Seems sort of weird that I have to buy and break open gel caps, that they don't just sell this stuff in dispensable liquid form for this very purpose. The stuff inside those caps is about as thick as syrup, too. And I don't know why I think that's weird or even noteworthy.

Anyhow, it's not like I doubt their effectiveness or anything, I'm just hoping to hear about some other treatments as well, since I'm willing to try more than one in alternation, you know?

I've never heard about medicinal honey, but I'll do some checking around. Sounds tasty if nothing else.

So glad to hear from you. Even more glad to be in your thoughts. :)

[anonymous]

I think the biggest trick is sticking with it. I tried vitamin E and stuff from Walgreens, but I got tired of the hassle and worrying I'd stain my clothes and gave up after a week or two. Needless to say, I have that scar.

[drunkensailor]

Sorry that didn't work out for you; for what it's worth, I never noticed any sort of scar. I can see where it'd be hard to stick with. I built it into my routine by setting up my vitamin E in the bathroom, on the counter by the toilet, so that I can easily do a quick application to my otherwise clothed upper leg before I get down to business.

I see what you mean about the staining; I'm fortunate, I think, in that my scar is high up and vertical on the outside of my thigh, a spot where at worst it will stain the side of my boxers, and most people will never see them anyhow. But the vitamin E, at least, is clear (but thick, ew), so I'm not even sure if it leaves stains. I guess maybe I should spot-test it or something.

[drunkensailor]

Good stuff. I like a man who takes the time to document his injuries. A namesake after my own heart.

I don't know about keeping my incision moist, the doctors had me expressly avoid getting it wet for a while, and it's in my pants, which makes that sort of difficult, but at least it's easy to keep out of the sun. I clean my incision a few times a day with an antibiotic wipe right before I apply vitamin E or Mederma, so I'm probably good on Neosporin.

It's always good to hear from you. Matt and I were talking about how we both miss you just recently, but neither of us really knows what you're up to anymore or any way to contact you. Will you be up around T-town anytime soon?

[crawdaddio]

I suppose this isn't terribly helpful, all things considered, but I remember seeing an occasional commercial about scar reducing creams and whatnot, so although I can't remember the name of the product, at least there's some testimony to the fact that it's out there. Also, I thought I remembered seeing some scar-reduction-related products in the pharmacy section at Safeway, so if ever you feel like browsing, that may be a good place to start.

[drunkensailor]

Yeah, I believe that things are out there, it's just impossible to tell what actually works. But I asked around and think I've narrowed it down.

[anonymous]

JASON, the organic brand, sells 45,000 iu vitamin e oil for a decent price. A massage/natural herbs friend remarked it was the most concentrated she's seen. Most supermarkets or stores with an organic or natural body section will carry it.

Mederma was recommended as a namebrand product by a cheerleader i knew. She swore her scars left no mark if she used it consistently for 2-3 mos, but it's expensive. She said the main active ingredient is also in raw potatoes, so that works too. Hope this helps, but sounds like you've already found something that works, which is great.

[drunkensailor]

The vitamin e oil sounds promising, I'll look around for it.

I've heard to try Mederma from a few different places now, and picked some up. You're right, it is expensive, but it has great backing by several people I've talked to. I really have no way to tell what's helping or not, but I've decided to use Mederma and Vitamin E, so thanks for the advice, Mysterious Stranger.