2nd degree tear, advise needed please!

[knackered76]

My tear seems to have healed okay, gave birth 3 weeks ago, well judging by the look in the mirror I had! The problem is it's still uncomfortable and on the odd occasion still stings when I wee. I had a proper look the other night to try and work out why this would be and I noticed that in one part the tissue which granulated and joined the wound together is now poking out of the join (hoping this makes sense!). It's a tiny piece but it is sooooo painful when I gently touched it so think this must be the cause of the pain I have.

Does anyone have any ideas what I can have done about it? I want to go to the doctors with some information incase they have no idea as I had a previous problem after my episiotomy and it was only when a friend mentioned something I avoided being cut up again!

Thank you for any help you can offer :)

[BeeBread]

Hi knackered.

I had a build up of granulation tissue after my second degree tear too, and actually it grew for a while after childbirth.

My GP referred me to the consultant's team at the hospital for an assessment and basically they said that because there was quite a bit of extra tissue which extended into the vagina, I'd need to have it removed surgically and that that would be a day case.

The lady I saw asked me whether I was intending to have more children - to which the answer was yes - and she said I should consider whether I wanted to delay the operation until after I had finished having children, as it was likely that the area would undergo further tearing on subsequent labours and the problem may reoccur.

That sounded sensible to me and so she recommended in the meantime that I try to stretch the area, make it more flexible - through (essentially) perineal massage and sex. And, actually, that worked. Probably TMI but somewhere in the course of this I think the tissue eroded and the area is less sensitive than it used to be - although I have to be fairly careful during sex to make sure that I'm sufficiently lubricated.

I think that if there had been less tissue there would have been a third option - which is to have the tissue frozen off (like a wart, I think). I don't know an awful lot about this I'm afraid.

Hope that helps, and congratulations on your baby.

[PrincessScrumpy]

I can't offer lots of advice but would check it out with GP. My tear (2nd degree but internal tear up the sides so more than 30 stitches). tbh it took the best part of 10months for me to feel normal and for the tenderness to go completely.

I would get it check but 3 weeks is nothing so be patient too. I let it really get me down as I thought it would last forever - with I'd known it wouldn't.

Take care and congratulations on the birth of your baby x

[Metalhead]

I also had what looked like a big flap of skin sticking out of the perineal suture - it looked like it was supposed to have been tucked in when they stitched the two sides of the cut back together, but they forgot. It was really raw and quite sore for a good few months, but eventually it healed and got smaller and now it's only a tiny skin tag.

Get your GP to take a look, but don't panic - 3 weeks is still so early, a lot can change in the next weeks and months.

[ninipops]

I had something similar to metalhead. At five weeks post birth one GP told me it was a small surface infection that had burst and it would heal by itself, however at my six week check a different GP referred me to gynaecology and I had to have a fentons procedure - basically cut and restitched - that happened at 12 weeks and by 18 weeks all was well. In fact I think the surgery might have tightened things up a bit as DH said he cant tell the difference from before having DD.

I'd wait til your six week check and have your GP have a look but don't let them fob you off if you feel its not right.