C sections - when does it get easier?

[LadyHalesBroach]

I am 10 days PP and desperate to see the wood for the trees.

I had an ELCS due to long term injury sustained during a car crash of a vaginal delivery five years ago. But it feels like by taking back control through an cesarean this time round, I have lost control in the rehabilitation.

The haemorrhoids, the milk blisters, the swollen ankles (no I wasn’t given thinners despite family history of dvt), the sleep deprivation, the hours of cluster feeding - I can take all of that, it’s not my first picnic. But the excruciating pain on my right side, quite deep inside, is other level. I so much as cough, or move my right leg to far, I am in eye watering pain. I’m using compression aids, hot water bottles, paracetamol and ibuprofen.

I am desperate to feel normal again. To be able to get off the sofa without having to be lifted off.

I love my new baby to death, but oh my god I want to get off this ride now.

@LadyHalesBroach they sometimes need to take swabs to see if there’s an infection. I think it would probably be unusual for you to have no raised temperature, but I’m not a doctor. You need to be seen and I would say by a doctor not a midwife as they need to properly check out you whereas midwife is more concerned with the baby. Good luck. As others have said, kick up a stink.

I’m not in the U.K. (I’m in India) but it was minimum 2 nights in hospital after c section here. They wouldn’t let you leave before.

Sorry but it's such an individual thing. I had two, and while the first couple days I was a bit unsteady and with the second one had an existing back issue and needed a drain from the bleeding, I was absolutely fine within four days and even though I kept to the no driving rule I went out to lunch and walked around first day back home with my son, and went for long walks pretty much every day. Harder with toddler and newborn, but my husband did take his two weeks paternity leave so that was a help initially.

They couldn’t come out today as staff numbers too low but said if it was ‘that bad’ to call 999 🤦🏻‍♀️ So I’ve mustered through today and will see them tomorrow as planned. I’ve been very proactive in taking the painkillers on the hour.

Baby feeding really well, the blisters are easing. I’m not worried about the feeding, he’s definitely piling on the weight and his nappies are bountiful!

Echoing lots of pp and saying please do get checked out - I’ve had 2 sections and an infection that would not clear up after the 2nd. It does sound like an infection with that much pain.

Hope you're ok, I had an emcs and was very lucky with a fast recovery, but I have friends who couldn't get upstairs for more than a week afterwards. However, it's definitely worth getting checked out. I was discharged with oramorph too – they should really give you the stronger stuff for post-surgery recovery. I don't think the discharge time is unusual, maternity wards are bursting at the moment.

I know it’s very very not ideal but could you head to A and E? It’s a way to sit on the doorstep and make a fuss until someone sees you properly.

I had my final midwife appointment today and I swear to god, I’d opened the front door and in walks a matronly, brusk midwife and the first thing she said was ‘sorry I’m late I’ve got 8 of you today so this will be quick’. My heart sank.

I asked her about the pain and demonstrated, and when she poked the site I cried out when she touched the very specific area it hurt. But she said it was bruising and common, and to keep taking the P and I regularly.

So I feel a bit fobbed off and a bit like I’m a hypochondriac with a low pain threshold. If this pain continues by end of the week, I’ll work up the courage to bother my Gp.

On the flip side, she almost gave me a Paul Hollywood Handshake for how much weight the kid has gained so… pluses and minuses.

I’ve had two and I’m amazed you weren’t given blood thinner injections, I just thought this was standard. I had zero risk factors but was still given them, I don’t know why you weren’t at all with family history of DVT. Shocking.

As for the pain, it took me 3 weeks to feel human after mine. First one was worse than second, both were elective. Second I was able to move around within hours really but after my first my DH had to help me do just about everything including getting onto and off the toilet for at least the first 10 days. My wound opened, poured and even sprayed with blood and became infected after the second though so I was readmitted and put on an antibiotic drip for 3 days.

Whoever said c-sections were easy lied. The fact you’re only given ibuprofen after major abdominal surgery is the biggest joke as well. I requested something stronger after my first because I needed it and I was given it despite breastfeeding. All fine. Request something stronger and ask about the water retention and also blood thinners, can’t really believe they haven’t given you any.

Also, you should have the number for the maternity department in your notes. Call them and they may ask you to go in and get checked over. I had to go three times with my wound pouring with blood before they readmitted me, sometimes you have to be pushy.

You won’t want to hear this, I had to have a couple of operations and multiple doctors appointments to get taken seriously after to get sorted. But I was up and about (not driving until about 10 weeks) but fairly normal as DH was straight back to work the next day.

Sorry.

I do think you should ring the unit or midwife again to be seen, you shouldn’t be in this much pain now. In the nicest way, if it’s bruising, why didn’t we have it? What did they do differently to you?

Hi OP, I’m a GP and would definitely want to hear from you about this sooner rather than later. They may direct you to your maternity team first as they should be seeing you for any post op complications, but if you weren’t having any luck I’d have no issues advocating for you! Like everyone says, it’s enough out of the scope of most women’s experiences that you should get it checked out. You can’t carry on like this

OP, please call your GP tomorrow. I've had two ELCS and was discharged with some strong painkillers to last a couple of days and was then on paracetamol and ibuprofen for a couple of weeks. It was painful but bearable. You shouldn't be in this much pain.

OP PLEASE do not wait until the end of the week, it will not get better between now and then so you’ll just be in pain. Please contact them tomorrow and ask for something stronger.

Or can you ask your husband to? Sometimes you need someone to advocate for you if you’re not feeling strong enough

I'd go to your doctors, and find out what's going on asap. Everyone recovers differently, but I didnt really experience any pain from the surgery, and was clambering round soft play at 2w.

The level of pain you are in rings alarm bells for me tbh.

Took me a few weeks tbh. 1st ecs, 2nd elective. It was a complicated procedure because if the issues around my 1st. Eldest child hated baby and me for disappearing (2 att) along with pnd and very high blood pressure made me feel like I had been in a war. I think the 2nd was worse, physically and emotionally. Hang in ..it does get better. I'd also be asking for blood thinners, I got these routine without any family history

As per PPs, I also think you should ring your GP / out of hours. I had an ELCS and was still in pain several days later. I ended up nearly passing out due to an infection that had been missed by midwives and an on call doctor.

@Goldi321

Hi OP, I’m a GP and would definitely want to hear from you about this sooner rather than later. They may direct you to your maternity team first as they should be seeing you for any post op complications, but if you weren’t having any luck I’d have no issues advocating for you! Like everyone says, it’s enough out of the scope of most women’s experiences that you should get it checked out. You can’t carry on like this

Hear hear. Don’t wait! And I agree with a PP, take someone with you - two voices, someone to back you up that you aren’t just having an off day.

You need someone to check you out and prescribe oramorph- it's safe when breastfeeding.
I'v had 2 sections, the first I was brought ibuprofen and paracetamol when the staff weren't busy.
My second they gave me boxes of ibuprofen, paracetamol and liquid oramorph to self manage - far better at controlling the pain.
Also can't believe you didn't have 5 days of blood thinners - I thought this was standard regardless of family history. Are you still wearing your compression stockings?

It never ceases to amaze me just how shit the care for women is after a major surgery.

Congratulations on your lovely baby, it will get better.

If you're still getting pain like that then you may have an infection. Like you I was fobbed off numerous times and I was basically made to feel like a total wimp (after having my organs rearranged).

However - I had cellulitis and was basically about 24 hours away from sepsis had I not have just turned up at A&E. The following day my internal sutures were poking out through my skin and I was a swollen hot mess of shit. Bearing in mind before this I had numerous HCPs look at my incision in the days before this and it was wasn't obvious.

Not to scare you - but if you're still in that much pain then get checked out. It's not normal for it not to get better after that amount of time.

I most definitely was feeling pretty good 10days post op after both CS .Get the pain checked out ASAP incase you have a deep wound abscess!
Congratulations by the wa[flowers

Take someone.

I've had 2 EMCSes and was off even paracetamol in 3 days for each (and I'm a wuss - I take pain meds when offered!)

The only sharp pain I had was with the first, after a few days, when the internal stitching (they did such a good job, multiple layers, I can't recommend young, female surgeons highly enough) started to dissolve, I got a stabbing pain when I moved, painful, but not for long - and certainly not after 10 days.

My left leg swelled up enormously too, but was down within a week (I worried the midwife who'd never heard of the witchhazel I was using to cool/calm it).

Please, please go in and get seen, and take someone - take a man, because as much as I don't want it to be the case, they do listen to men more than women. This is not normal at all, and you do tend to get the brush off very easily post partum (I actually got a shrug when I told them about my lumpy vulva - thank god that went away!).

I also don't want to frighten you, but what if it's something left in there?

Agree that doesn't sound normal. I too had an Elcs after damage from previous vaginal delivery, and I felt great in comparison.

I felt pretty much normal after 10 days and was back driving at 2 weeks, doing all my normal stuff apart from lifting my toddler. I had diclofenac and paracetamol regularly for the first week, then just regular paracetamol with the odd diclofenac. I started to just forget to take them as I got more active.

Think I had a 2 week supply of blood thinning injections despite being low risk.

Sorry but echoing a lot of the other posters... that's not normal amount of pain. I managed a pub lunch on day 11. Wore my holdy in pants as I was still absolutely terrified my insides would fall out, managed a wee walk and a pint! 😂 Day 2/3 were the worst.

I've had 3 sections and had an infection with each of them, same symptoms as you, very painful on one side, I saw my GP and was given antibiotics which cleared the pain very quickly.

I had an emergency c section and was up walking fine the next day and discharged just over 24 hours after birth. I went for a 6km walk less than a week later. Yours really doesn’t sound normal. Definitely go back and lay it on thick!

Also I thought being given blood thinners was standard?! I had no risk factors and was given a 10 day course.