Ugh! My surgical incision is so itchy!!

My surgical incision is so darn itchy!!! I'm almost 4 weeks post op and the incision has healed completely on the outside and looks very healthy. But OMG! The itch! I scratch the area all around it avoiding the incision itself, and even Benadryl isn't helping! I think the itch is worse than the post-op pain experience!!!

Oh no! I hate the itchy phase of healing!! I've never had an incision or anything, but I know it from even as a kid and falling and gashing my knee or arm or something, or these days it's usually cuts on my fingers from being overzealous while cooking . When the cut starts to heal, my gosh does it itch. I'm sure yours is much worse because it's probably bigger than what I'd do with a kitchen knife. I feel for you. Itching sucks and makes you crazy.

Now, I never tried this with a healing itch for some reason now that I think of it, but when I get a bug (mosquito) bite, I have very bad reactions and it swells up and oozes and is just generally gross, and of course mega itchy. When that happens, I put ice on it. It helps a lot. So... try ice?

Hope you feel better soon!

Oh boy do I remember that. Awful, just awful.

In fact, I've been cut down there so many times, I still get that itch on occasion, underneath the scarring, where you just cannot get at it.

Ah, that sucks! I remember a few years back when I had something done to my lip they had to take something from my side-the site they had cut itched like crazy! But a trick that I learned last year is to rub some lotion with aloe on it. The aloe will help sooth the itch, if at least for a couple minutes! So you could always try that and see if it works for you.

I have some Bio-Oil. I'll put just a small amount on the very itchy area and see how it goes. I've been trying cold cloths, warm showers, abdominal pads for protection but nothing helped very much.

OMG! I can't stand it!!!

The Bio-Oil helped for an hour or two. The directions say to only apply it twice a day. Before I went to bed I put some more on. Just a little on the area that I had put some on earlier, and some on the rest of the incision. I slept for maybe 2 hours and I woke up itching again like mad!

I just took some Tylenol #3. Maybe that will help. I have some hydrocortisone cream (over the counter stuff) that I'm tempted to put on, but am hesitating because that stuff isn't good for the skin. So before I put that on I'm going to check with my doctor. He's in clinic today.

I'm afraid to go out! It's not like the incision is in an area where I can discretely scratch it in public. If I attempt to scratch it I'd probably be arrested for lewd behaviour!!!