To think this shouldn't happen after a swab!!

[TheHermitCrab]

Some of you may have commented on my post yesterday. I'm 4 weeks postpartum and started having yellow discharge and my external stitches are hurting and itching (have mostly internal stitches, not sure how they are doing but so swollen I can't fit a finger up there!).

I had a 3rd degree tear, internal stitches and one external stitch.

I went to the docs this morning and he sent me to the nurse to have a swab taken. She couldn't use a speculum, too swolen and painful. So she just took the swab. When she put it in - oh the pain! I nearly cried. I told her how much it hurt, and she said it can...

So that was 10am. So at 3pm I went to the loo and I had the worst pain in the world when I urinated, worse than cystitis, but the same kind of pain. When I wiped, there was a tiny bit of blood on the tissue. Red, so not internal or old blood.

Couldn't get through to the docs so I rang 111, who told me to just keep on at my docs to tell them my symptoms had changed.

So i spoke to the nurse who saw me at the docs and she didn't seem to care. "Oh it's probably a uti" On top of my sore stitches, pelivc pain and discharge? "yes you can infect the urethra when wiping"

Ok fair enough... but I urinated at 9am, fine, not urinated all day, then 3pm.. agony and blood. Do urine infections really happen this fast?!

Everytime I have had them I always need to pee like mad... no feeling like that at all. Just itchy sore stitches... :(

Told me to just bath in salt water until my results come back in two days....

Am I being unreasonable to feel angry and fobbed off? Or just being a soft worried git?

Shadow1986 I was also told not to have baths and I havent at all until 2 days ago. The stitches should have dissolved by now, and if they haven't there will be something wrong either way. I mentioned to the nurse that I was told not to and she said enough time has passed now and I should have salt baths.

I know I need antibiotics, I think that is the point of the swab, so they can see what type of infection it is an prescribe the correct antibiotics.

I've seen the doc, seen the nurse, rang 111 and then rang the nurse again.

Annoying thing is I brought urine with me this morning and neither one of them bothered to test it. And when I rang the nurse again she suggested I wait it out but If I want I can bring a urine sample to the surgery tomorrow.... argh!

I'm not burning from weeing, people keep saying this but I'm not. The weeing is a deep pain like a UTI, the burning/itching is around my stitch constantly, wet, dry, weeing or not xx

SweetValentine
I tried contacting the post natal ward when my baby had an eye infection and I'd only left one day before and they hadn't discharged me from midwife care. They weren't interested and just told me to go to urgent care (which resulted in me being sent to a hospital in another town despite living next door to the hospital)

Everyone just suggests I talk to someone else.

I'm going to take the cystocalm through the night, if by the morning nothing has eased I'm going to ring and ask if they can just guess and prescribe an antibiotic. (after I've tried getting through to the doctors for 2 hours on a constantly busy line)

So tempted to take these antibiotics I have here in the meantime. They were given to me following being stitched up in theatre, so must be useful for something down there!

just been to the loo again. Urine cloudy, really hurts especially near the end of urinating, and when I wipe there is pink/red bloody mucus. Sounds like a urine infection I guess?

Only thing that doesn't add up if I have no urge to pee! which is usually one of the main symptoms

I would take them, I doubt they would do you any harm and at least they might help a bit

I'd probably take them tbh, depending on how long you're going to have to wait for results. They could have you feeling better before you've even got an appointment to pick up more.
I'd also imagine that they're for bacteria that can attack the urinary/vaginal tracts, if you were given them post stitching down there.
*I am not a Dr though.

I hope you feel better soon OP, it sounds awful and extremely uncomfortable.

If the stitches continue to ache keep going back and ask to be referred to gynae, I was stitched up incorrectly and was in pain for months thinking it was just normal. It was only when my husband couldn't fit in that we realised there was something wrong.

Antibiotics take about 48 hours
to take effect so it's possibly worth waiting and seeing what you're nurse says tomorrow. I'd keep a close eye on your temperature and if it's high get seen straight away.

X posted with you - The infection, if you do have have one, may not be in your bladder, it could be just your urethra at the moment. It's not uncommon to not feel the urge to pee but more people do have increased frequency than not.

My only issue with taking the antibiotics is I'll obviously not finish the course, and whether it would interfere with the ones the docs give me in a couple of days?. I don't know how antibiotics work.

I guess I'm lucky in a sense that my stitches are internal. Read a lot about infections and a lot of women have had gaping, seeping wounds on the outside. I mean, mine might be just as ugly on the inside, but at least it's contained!

Hope it can be sorted with time and pills, don't like the idea of being operated on again!!

If this helps you at all, when I lhad cystitis a few months ago I was prescribed antibiotics and after 4/7 days they'd not worked so I was given an alternative one. So based on that theory, you should be ok to start with the ones you have until your swab comes back.

I have no medical training whatsoever though but that sounds like common sense to me!

Hope you feel better soon.

I don't think you should take the anti Bs you have. You don't know if they will stop the docs being able to prescribe the correct ones. It's very important. Some are completely harmless and don't affect others but some aren't. And as you point out you don't have a full course.

NeedABumChange I do have a full course. I was in hospital for a week so was given all the antibiotics I need, and when I left they gave me a bag of drugs. Painkillers, laxatives...etc

When I got home I realised there was a full box of antibiotics, I called and asked why and they said it was a mistake and to throw them away. (must have been prescribed before they knew I was being kept in, it was a cock up anyway)

I guess the sensible thing is to follow the nurse and wait for results.. the bleeding is just scary though :(

Oh, sorry I misread.

In probability the anti Bs you have are fine but I have permanent hearing loss related to two different very strong anti Bs I was given at hosp. They had no choice as I was very poorly but to try one straight after the other when normally they don't. So to me it's quite a serious thing and I wouldn't risk it.

If the blood starts gushing or anything then I think you need medical attention straight away but just wiping backs up what HicDra says above.

If you feel shakey or vomity or get a temperature then get to a&e as these can be signs of serious infection.

Huge buckets of support and best wishes. Been there. Got the t-shirt. One infected stitch post 3rd degree tear that was actually worse than childbirth (and I say that after 26 hours labour) - just excruciating agony. Also chronic sufferer of cystisis and with a diagnosis of interstitial cystisis.
My only issue with taking the antibiotics is I'll obviously not finish the course - you have to finish the course - so why say you won't?
But there are different antibiotics for different problems - I think you will need a different antibiotic for bladder infection than one for an infection which is around your stitches.
Go back to the docs and give them hell. You should not have to wait around for days in pain whilst they decide that is going on. A physical exam should let them know if it is your stitches that are causing probs.
Am sitting here furious on your behalf.

PS - cystisis can go from zero to urine full of blood in hours - or at least that is my experience.

PPS also note that antibiotics can cause thrush which might make your problems worse - so get back to your docs and refuse to move until they have sorted you out. Also - try crying - my long and horrible experience with docs is that they take you more seriously when you cry. So wrong, but true.

NeedABumChange

So sorry about your hearing loss, I guess you're right, I shouldn't mess with the antibiotics.

I am not gushing blood. The second time I went to the toilet there was definitely more than the first. But I don't think it's coming from anywhere deep as I have yellow discharge on my pads, but never blood, but when I wipe I have red and pink blood in the mucus (Sorry, tmi!) Which I guess would either mean it's linked to when I urinate, or It's a wound from the swab as someone else mentioned.

When I spoke to the Nurse she said the swab could never have caused the bleeding, too small and soft. But when she put it in, god did it hurt, and it's hurt ever since - so it obviously had some effect.

I feel weak and achey, BUT I haven't had more than 3 hours sleep a night with the new baby so it's hard to determine what is exhaustian and what is illness. I'm a little shaky but more through nervousness. temp is fine.

MiddleAgedandConfused

When I said I wouldn't finish the course I meant if I took the antibiotics I have at home, then get prescribed something else a few days later, I obviously won't be completing the course of the ones I have at home.

No visible blood in my urine yet - just very cloudy!!, but like I said there was more blood this toilet visit from the last one, so I guess there is time.

:( I'm falling to bloody pieces

It is unlikely that you will be weeing the mucus - blood from cystitis is usually mixed in with urine. Sounds like an external infection but I am not medically qualified, just speaking from the experience of a thousand bladder infections. So sorry you are going through this. Take pain killers, keep your fluids up and please get back to the docs tomorrow if it is no better.

Just been to the loo again, oooh the pain, definitely cystitis type pain, starts off ok then once I get going it's murder, and I'm having to force myself to finish. Definitely more painful than any uti I'm ever had but I guess childbirth and stitches will make it worse.

Was blood on my pad this time, pink mucus, only enough to fill a panty liner (I'm wearing pads just to cover more surface area!)

Going to take 2 more cystocalm through the night and hope that my morning wee will be less painful! Then I only have the stitches to worry about and not a fear of urinating.

Going to ring for an emergency appointment at the docs tomorrow just to pester him about at least prescribing something for the uti even if the stitches are a separate issue. If I ring up to talk to him I'll just be avoided.

www.birth.com.au/haematomas/about-haematomas#.VNqnjtUgiiw

Do you think it could be this?

I wouldn't think so. This seems to be quite an immediate problem, and I felt fine for the first two weeks after birth, couldn't actually believe I had all these messy stitches.

My vulva feels fine, the swelling is inside the vagina, there's so much swelling that a swab was a nightmare to get up there :( nasty business.

But I guess you can't have a little person force it's way out of your lady bits, rip to shreds and expect there will be no complications :/ lol

dude, this is your VAGINA. I know the last thing on your mind right now is stuff like sex and continence but your doctor knows better.

I think a haematoma can happen at any time. Risks are obviously higher immediately after birth but it can happen weeks later if not healed properly.

Urinary infection doesn't cause that kind of swelling. I should err on the side of caution.

ZeldaMae

I'm not quite sure what your point was?

Continence - I'm sat here doing my pelvic floor exercises right now.

Sex- I'd like some please (but not after that swab incident!)

Really though... What do you mean?

sorry. I didn't want to scaremonger. My life has been forever changed because of scar tissue which formed after the birth of my first DC. I was dismissed repeatedly with 'it can happen', 'you don't have a temperature' and 'there was fluid at delivery'.

without getting too graphic, the solid bands of scar tissue which eventually contracted my vagina permanently could have been prevented had the care team focused on me rather than the fact my DC had been delivered safely.

For me, it all kicked off ten days after birth.