wound infected nearly 4 months on...

[Nancynew]

I am getting a bit concerned about tears from childbirth. I suffered 2nd degree tearing - although it took 90+ minutes to stitch (with a succession of doctors having a go!, and a PPH - which was the scariest thing for me) so I think it was rather an awkward tear. Anyway, as it was my first baby I didn't really know how it was supposed to feel / look, and so only discovered the wound was infected (and still gaping) at my 8 week check. Was put on strong antibiotics, and the doctor thought the infection was gone, but a few weeks later it was shown to be infected (still/again - not sure which?) and so on antibiotics again. The tear itself has still not healed and a specialist thinks it needs an operation (basically re-cutting and re-stitching). I wondered if anyone had experience of still having an infection after nearly 4 months (it worries me a bit how long it has gone on for), and also if anyone had any experience of the wound healing after the infection had cleared, or whether it will probably still need the operation? Any advice / experiences would be welcomed as I am getting quite fed up now.

Not got much info on infection per se, but I had a restitch at 12weeks post natal under GA, and I feel like a different woman!

oh you poor thing - i'm so sorry you are going through this. my second degree and urethral tears became infected within a couple of weeks of childbirth and opened up. have they taken swabs to make sure that you are being treated with the right antibiotics? it took me 4 courses if antibiotics for my infection to clear up - and then i ended up with thrush so had to be treated for that too. so it's not at all unusual for it to take several lots of medication before an infection goes. make sure you are keeping the wound clean - salt baths are a good ide. I covered mine with a clean maternity towel every time I did a poo, wiped with baby wipes and then had a shower to make sure everything stayed as clean as possible. getting as much air to the area as possible wil help too. are you in any pain? get your gp to prescribe some good strong painkillers if so. avoid constipation like the plague - good diet with fruit and veg and drink lots of water. i know it is upsetting, but keep checking with a mirror so you know what things look like, how they change and whether they get any worse. i can't comment on the re-stitching aspect - i healed without the need for a re-stitch. although things are not straightforward as I have a build up of scar tissue which is being thinned with massage and ultrasound. muslimah28 has posted extensively about this type of thing and has some very helpful things to say - i think you can search for threads she has contributed to.
good luck! xx

Thank you first1 (your positive comments about the operation are really useful, and I have heard lots of good things about the procedure). Thank you cardamomginger for your advice on keeping the wound infection free - I have been showering after poos (sorry!) and trying to keep as much air to the area as possible, so it is good to know I am doing the right things there. I will look up the threads you recommended too. It was also nice (not for you though!) to know that it is not too uncommon to have an infection for so long. It does worry me that I have had it for so long and it makes me feel dirty (despite having about 4 showers a day) and I worry that having an infection for so long might damage me IYKWIM. I hope though that in a few months time all will be well.

hi there nancynew i'm sorry to read about what youre going through, and i do know how you feel. at four months post natal i was still in pain and it was horrible. my first reaction is to ask are you sure there's an infection? i mean, as suggested above, have you been swabbed? because at my 6 week check the dr said to me well if i'm still in pain i must still be infected (having had my episiotomy open on day 9 and then been infected at that stage if that makes sense). she swabbed me gave me some antibiotics but then when i got the swab results back it showed there was no infection.

there is a possibility there is no infection (unless you have been tested of course) and that any pain you are experiencing is from teh wound healing- as that causes enough pain as it is!

however if you are sure there is an infection then alongside the antibiotics make sure you drink lots of water and also take a yakult type drink every day, this will help stop you getting dehydrated and help stop your tummy getting upset (the antibiotics can upset the bacterial balance in your stomach).

you should definitely be on painkillers- co codamol and diclofenac are safe if you're bfing (with a wider range of options if youre not).

in terms of restitching, don't be fearful of it, as first1 says it can be life changing. i didn't have to have one as like cardamomginger my 3 inch gaping wound healed without that, though i had to have several cauterisations. but many women undergo this procedure and it really helps them. you may want to discuss your options with your gynaecologist, but every wound is different.

in the meantime the advice above about saltwater baths, airing, checking the wound and not getting constipated (don't underestimate this one! something so simple will really affect your pain levels) is great. and also get lots of rest.

fwiw, ds is 6.5 mo now, and as long as i don't push myself and do too much (exercise is a no no right now sadly) then i can now live a pretty much normal life, going out every day, taking ds to playgroups, visiting friends and family. all these things seemed completely impossible to ever happen again when i first had ds and could hardly stand for the pain.

hang in there x

I second all the above muslimah28. Always fascinated by your posts and your willpower to push through the pain without going back to be restitched, by as you said, every wound is different.

nancynew, I was terrified, I mean really terrified of going back on the table so to speak. I suffer terribly with hospital phobia, and they wheeled me down sobbing my heart out. But I had the op almost 15 weeks ago, DD is 6months old, and I literally feel so so much better. Still irrationally cautious of sitting crossed legged, but that's neither here nor there!

Wound healing is painful enough, and if there is infection on top of it, I can only imagine your pain. But it's not right that you're still in pain so far along. I hope you see a great gynae and get all the help you deserve. x

Thank you so much for your advice and encouragement - it really helps. It doesn't hurt too much thankfully (usually more of a dull ache) but I haven't really touched the area at all as I am too scared. It is the discharge (sorry...TMI) which I really don't like, as it constantly reminds me that things aren't right, and I am not sure if this is from the wound not having healed or from the infection or both? I am so glad that you say the operation is really worth it, as it gives me more confidence to go for it when the time comes. First1 were you breastfeeding your baby when you had the operation? I am, and am worried about having a GA prcedure in light of this. I was hoping to take my baby in with me and feed her before going to theatre. I have expressed some milk too just in case. Do you have any particular advice?

thanks first1 its great to be of some help to someone.

nancynew the discharge is probably from both the wound and the infection. the wound will cause 'weeping' which is a form of discharge. if this smells foul or unpleasant that is a sign of infection. but you will get this discharge anyway iyswim.

i think first1 will know more than me on on the op and how to prepare but just thought id mention that a friend of ours came round a couple of weeks ago and talked of having had a restitch in the 60s. she said they hadn't told her about how to prepare for the bfing side of things unfortunately. she said that there's a certain period of time even after the op and youre conscious that the ga is still in your body and so it is unsafe to breastfeed even then. i think its about 24 hours but check. so best to express for feeds for whatever this period of time is. and when youre conscious you may need to pump and dump while shes taking the expressed breast milk till its safe.

With regard to breastfeeding, your surgeon will take this into account and do their best to put you early on the list. I fed at 7am in the hospital, had my op at 8am and had expressed 5 bottles worth in the week leading up to it and put it in the freezer. I was told 24 hours should go by to allow for the GA to expel from my body, but I think I actually left it about 30 hours.

OP - I had a similar experience to yours. 2nd degree tear, got infected, saw 3 different GPs before they agreed that this wasn't normal and was in fact fecked up.

The 3rd GP said I had 'granulation tissue' on the scar sight - basically the scar hadn't set right and a layer of skin had grown over the wound site.

It was sore when having sex and when I sat in certain positions. I knew something wasn't right but found it hard to explain cuz it was my first child and wasn't sure what was normal and what wasn't.

3rd GP referred me for surgery to get the granulation tissue burnt off. The NHS being what it is the referral took around 12 weeks and by that stage the wound had healed itself!

When DS turned 5 months the wound seemed to heal itself like a miracle!

Hope you're feeling better soon OP... and sorry this post has been sooo long

Thank you to everyone for your support and advice. TryLikingClarity it is good to know that sometimes wounds can right themselves - fingers crossed! Thank you so much first1 for your advice about the GA and breastfeeding, I have another gyno appointment next week and will make sure I ask about it. I have just finished the second course of antibiotics and really hope this has sorted it out, but am not that hopeful as it doesn't feel much different, but having another swab done this week. It really feels like it will never be infection free sometimes,and I am being so careful down there IYKWIM. I guess they won't operate on an infected area though. Thanks for the support, and hope rto have better news soon. It would be so nice to wake up and not have to think about it.

Just an update. Just seen a different specialist who was lovely and seemed pleased with how the tear is now healing. It is a bit ragged but has at least finally come together - hoorah! The gyno cauterised some granulation tissue there that was pulling which is now stinging like crazy, but not as painful as I had feared. She was aloso really reassuring about the repeated infections. Really hoping it will be okay now once it has stopped stinging. Hope everyone else is making progress too.

Glad things seem tobe heading in the right direction xx