episiotomy scar: part 2, seeing the specialist - help please!

[MrsTittleMouse]

Following on from my episitomy scar problems, my new GP is arranging for me to see a specialist. Hurray, something is being done! Does anyone know what I should expect? Is there anything else that can be done other than surgery? (DH is keen to try other things, I just want the surgery to get things over with and back to normal).
Anyone have any experience?
(I've also posted on "Health", but no replies there.

[MrsCurly]

I don't but I thought I would bump this for you. Hopefull someone will come along soon with some advice.

[mamatres]

i had surgery when ds1 was 6 months old, following on from having him, the scar tissue felt 'tight' and hurt in the cold and when i walked and stuff. not sure if they actually cut anything again. they di it under general anaesthetic. think they may have forcibly stretched it??? why dont i know what they did?!!!!! anyway, 8 yrs on and 2 kids later and its still fine.
good luck with specialist.

[yomellamoHelly]

Got referred for dodgy stitching following 6 tears with ds1. Was told they'd cut out the scar tissue (was alot apparently) and restitch them all (21 first time!) under local. Local hadn't worked when the stitches were done first time and the pain gave me nightmares for 5.5 months afterwards. I crawled under a rock and didn't show my face again, took painkillers and clenched my teeth ifyswim (and did what I could in a hot bath to break up all the scar tissue - sorry if tmi). Took about 18 months to sort itself out. Fine now. No probs with nr 2.

[Washersaurus]

I had problems with my episiotomy as it didn't heal properly and I had red raw skin tissue (is this granulations?) weeks after the birth - I was referred to a physio at the hospital where I had several sessions of laser treatment over a few months that helped it to heal properly. The treatment didn't hurt but I still get the odd twinge from my scar sometimes.

I am due again in August, and despite my doctors reassurances that it is not necessarily going to tear again, I am quite nervous!

[MrsTittleMouse]

Thank you for all the replies. It sounds as though I have the same thing as all of you, it must be quite common. The trouble is that I'm too chicken to bring the subject up in real life in case everyone else is at it like rabbits and I feel worse becauase I'm so ! The skin has healed really well, but the muscle feels really stiff and tight and when I touch it I can feel a "welt" of tissue that shouldn't be there. The scar hurts if I stand too long or if I twist to reach something and stretch the tissue a little and sex is impossible.
So it looks as though there are a couple of options; surgery, or laser treatment to break it down, and stretching. Funnily enough DH had already thought about stretching and had offered to buy my a couple of "toys" in different sizes to try it out at home!
I was worried that the specialist would think that it was all in my mind. Although after a couple of very painful attempts, I am really nervous about trying sex again... Before we had DD this was my worst nightmare. In fact, it's the reason that we didn't have her for so long.