Chloraprep skin rash after surgery

jetian
jetian Member Posts: 4
edited March 2014 in Breast Cancer #1
I'm experiencing SEVERE skin rash and hives forming in areas where I was swapped with Chloraprep - something used before surgery to clean the surrounding areas. It's been day 9 post-op and this stubborn red rash is not going away. I've tried hydrocortisone 1% cream but it's not helping much. Others on http://patientsville.com/medication/chloraprep3_side_effects.htm have tried benadryl and Prednisone but there seems to be quite a number of side effects. Has anyone else experienced this? What are the regimen to treat this and how long does it take for the rash to go away? Ug, I'm feeling horrible right now and can't sleep because my entire chest is itchy because of the rash. Although the surgery went well, it's unfortunate that I have to experience this nasty rash as a side effect. Please write your recommendations!

Comments

  • survives
    survives Member Posts: 254 Member
    #2
    Yep!!
    And my recommendation is to contact either your surgeon, or your pcp. I had one, and in the middle of summer when I had my surgery. With the heat, bandages, tape, etc., I was miserable. Before you treat this yourself, let them know that what you have is NOT working. Since you're so early into this game, I had a home remedy that I used, but hesitate to tell you at this point what it was. With your skin so sensitive, it may make it worse before better.

    Please call your doctor today. No sense being this miserable.

    Jennifer
  • missrenee
    missrenee Member Posts: 2,136 Member
    #3
    survives said:

    Yep!!
    And my recommendation is to contact either your surgeon, or your pcp. I had one, and in the middle of summer when I had my surgery. With the heat, bandages, tape, etc., I was miserable. Before you treat this yourself, let them know that what you have is NOT working. Since you're so early into this game, I had a home remedy that I used, but hesitate to tell you at this point what it was. With your skin so sensitive, it may make it worse before better.

    Please call your doctor today. No sense being this miserable.

    Jennifer

    I agree with Jennifer
    Call your doc, tell them what you've tried and perhaps they'll have something better to give you. I had a blistering rash from the steri-strips (which I had never had before). I developed a red rash with oozing blisters that were itchy and sore at the same time. It was nasty. I removed the strips and used a hydrocortisone cream--but they took weeks to resolve.

    Good luck with yours.

    Hugs, Renee
  • jetian
    jetian Member Posts: 4
    #4
    missrenee said:

    I agree with Jennifer
    Call your doc, tell them what you've tried and perhaps they'll have something better to give you. I had a blistering rash from the steri-strips (which I had never had before). I developed a red rash with oozing blisters that were itchy and sore at the same time. It was nasty. I removed the strips and used a hydrocortisone cream--but they took weeks to resolve.

    Good luck with yours.

    Hugs, Renee

    Thanks Renee and Jennifer -
    Thanks Renee and Jennifer - I did tell my doc during the post-op follow-up a couple of days again but she brushed it off like it happens to everyone. After applying the hydrocortisone cream and washing with soap like she recommended, my skin responded worse and now the rash is totally expanding! Yikes. I'll contact her again as an urgent development.

    Thanks,

    Jennifer
  • cahjah75
    cahjah75 Member Posts: 2,631
    #5
    jetian said:

    Thanks Renee and Jennifer -
    Thanks Renee and Jennifer - I did tell my doc during the post-op follow-up a couple of days again but she brushed it off like it happens to everyone. After applying the hydrocortisone cream and washing with soap like she recommended, my skin responded worse and now the rash is totally expanding! Yikes. I'll contact her again as an urgent development.

    Thanks,

    Jennifer

    Jennifer
    I had a severe reaction to the antiseptic skin cleanser used on my knee before meniscus repair. The scar is worse from the infection than the original incision. Please call your dr instead of trying to treat it on your own. {{hugs}} Char
  • jetian
    jetian Member Posts: 4
    #6
    cahjah75 said:

    Jennifer
    I had a severe reaction to the antiseptic skin cleanser used on my knee before meniscus repair. The scar is worse from the infection than the original incision. Please call your dr instead of trying to treat it on your own. {{hugs}} Char

    Thanks Char. I did call my
    Thanks Char. I did call my doc and all she would recommend was hydrocortisone cream and Benadryl. I have done both and both seem to have minimal effect. I'm going to see a dermatologist next week and hopefully can get rid of this stubborn rash. This is by far the toughest part to my surgery recovery.

    Thanks all,

    jennifer
  • jnl
    jnl Member Posts: 3,869 Member
    #7
    jetian said:

    Thanks Char. I did call my
    Thanks Char. I did call my doc and all she would recommend was hydrocortisone cream and Benadryl. I have done both and both seem to have minimal effect. I'm going to see a dermatologist next week and hopefully can get rid of this stubborn rash. This is by far the toughest part to my surgery recovery.

    Thanks all,

    jennifer

    You probably need a
    You probably need a prescription of hydro cortisone. It is stronger than the over the counter stuff. Ask your oncologist for it. Good luck!


    Hugs, Leeza
  • jetian
    jetian Member Posts: 4
    #8
    jnl said:

    You probably need a
    You probably need a prescription of hydro cortisone. It is stronger than the over the counter stuff. Ask your oncologist for it. Good luck!


    Hugs, Leeza

    Thank You
    Thanks all for the tips. My rash has gotten a lot better after 3.5 weeks!!! Here are some helpful tips after visiting the dermatologist:

    - Apply locoid lipocream (prescription) twice a day. If the rash is really bad, use Clobix (steroid cream - prescription) once a day.
    - Claritin or Zyrtec will help a lot. Zyrtec makes you sleepy.
    - Compress with cold water (take luke warm showers). Hot water is not good for any allergic reaction
    - Use cetaphil soap or no soap when showering on reactive area.

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