Appendix out by keyhole three weeks ago. Surgeon was fine with us going ahead with a week away, short flight, and the first four days were lovely.
Yesterday the wound by my belly button started to feel sore again, which it had stopped doing. This morning it is red round the edge, about the size of a two pound coin, warm to touch, and there is a yellowish stain on the dressing. The other two little wounds look normal. I feel fine otherwise, maybe a bit tired.
We fly home in four days. My instinct is to keep it covered and see my GP when I get back, because I do not speak the language and I am nervous about doctors abroad. My husband thinks I should go to a clinic today. Which of us is being sensible?
#2October 25, 2026, 10:35 am Your husband is, Ali, and I would not wait four days.
What you describe, a wound that had settled and is now becoming more painful, red, warm and discharging, is the pattern that needs a clinician to look at it promptly, wherever you are. I cannot tell you from here what it is, and neither can anyone on a forum. Wound infections caught early are usually straightforward to deal with. Left for four days in heat, and then a flight, they are not.
The practical order, today: ring your insurer's emergency assistance number first, tell them what is happening, and let them point you to a suitable clinic. That call matters for the claim as well as for finding someone good. Take your discharge summary so the doctor can see what was done and when. Language is rarely the barrier people fear; assistance lines often help with that too.
Then, separately, the signs that make this an emergency rather than a clinic visit: very fast breathing, confusion or slurred speech, blue, pale or blotchy skin, a rash that does not fade when you press it, or a very high or very low temperature with shivering. Any of those means the local emergency number straight away.
Tom has written up the before, during and after of this in wound care while travelling after surgery, including what to tell your own surgical team. Whether you are fit to fly on your booked date is a question for the doctor who sees you and, if anything changes, the airline.
Had something similar with one of my gallbladder wounds, at home thankfully. Antibiotics and it settled in a few days. Please go. The tired feeling is worth mentioning to them too.
Went. The insurer's line was brilliant, found us an English speaking clinic twenty minutes away and emailed them before we arrived. Doctor said it is a superficial infection in that one port wound, cleaned it, new dressing, a course of antibiotics, and to come back in two days. Insurer has opened a claim and wants the receipts and the doctor's note.
Back for the check. Much less red, nothing on the dressing today. The doctor wrote a short note saying I am fit to fly on Thursday, which I asked for after reading the bit in Tom's article about telling the airline if anything changes. Rang the airline anyway and they were happy with the note.
Good result. Keep every bit of paper from that clinic for your own surgeon, they will want to know which antibiotic.
Home. Flight was fine. Practice nurse looked at it this morning and is happy, and I have sent the clinic notes to the surgical team. Lesson learned: I packed four dressings and used all of them, so pack more than you think.
