Episiotomy still pain ful. Infected. 6 weeks PP.

[rawcore]

Hello,
I had an episiotomy with the birth of my DS. It was a ventouse delivery where the doc (for reason that I was too big for baby) induced me 10 days before the due date. Well, at my 1 week pp visit the doc said that the stictches were ripped and infected ... I also had a cave (hole) behind the primary skin of the epi site , she could almost insert a finger (sorry TMI). I have been on antibiotics since then, three courses ... and now I have been prescribed injections for the infection ; six in all , done with three already. Still the pain is unbearable , it's like I have been kicked real hard or am riding a bicycle on a really rocky road/mountain ... the pain originates from the right labia and then extends to the whole perinium if I continue to stand or walk for more than 2 mins. It's AWFUL. I am doing sitz but I am nowhere near better ... staying with mum. Have not been able to connect with DS the way I always wanted, just feed him and that's that ... can't even stand while holding him or sit in any other sitting position than like sitting in a chair. PLEASE HELP. Has any one of you experienced it? Please tell me I am not alone. How did your condition improve? I have searched for it online but haven't found anyone who had this 'kicked in the perinium feeling/pain'.
Also have a horrible stinging when I wee (TMI)... and then there's this pressure in the perineum when I walk for long , like walk for 5 mins.

Now 6 weeks after this, doc says that my infected site is closing off. But the pain is still the same . I told this to her and she said , "now don't be such a cry baby, you are clearly over reacting since you are almost healed". She thinks it's in my head...
This is really distressing for me , I feel I am never gonna be better. I so wanna enjoy my baby.

Thanks.

I feel ur pain I went through the same thing. Ask to see a gyne and tell them u want it sorting! I felt horrid both physically and mentally with this. I went under to have it refashioned. Had dd2 and couldn't believe that I could move and walk up to ward after stitches on a tear!!!! Good luck, you will get through this

can you go and see another obs/gyn for a second opinion? i don't know what the problem is but don't just grit your teeth and bear it. i had a womb infection that caused a dragging feeling all the time but that was cured with antibiotics so perhaps not the same thing. hope you are on the mend soon, poor thing

My GP didn't hesitate to refer me to a gynae, so just ask to be referred and deal with the gynae. All the better if you have some private insurance?

You poor thing.

I was sent straight back to hospital when I experienced what you have. When I was there we asked for a second opinion and the second opinion was a consultant who sent me on to a third doctor's clinic a couple of days later. There is no way I would just be dealing with a GP on this - see another one in the practice and request a referral. The consultant I ended up with is a Urogynecologist - they specialise in pelvic floor repair. Private medical insurance is unlikely to cover it as it is a direct result of childbirth. The urogyne said if it was left to heal on its own it might take 6 months and the muscle layers wouldn't knit back together properly so I would probably need further surgery. She booked me in for a repair at 5 weeks post birth. In the end it took about 3 months to be able to look after DD on my own and sit down properly. It took quite a long time after that to be really ok and I still have some prolapse and won't be doing any fanjo modelling, but no functional problems.

I can really connect with your description of your distress. I was terrified, partly that I wouldn't ever get better and partly that I my relationship with my DD would be damaged forever by the experience. I can reassure you that you will get better (but and I adore my DD and don't think that the most perfect start could have made me love her any more than I do now.

I also had some counselling so that I could talk my experience through with someone impartial and experienced (I saw a specialist counsellor) and so that I could reassure myself that I was really "over" my experience. I was terrified that I wouldn't ever want any more children and that didn't really match with my life plan. I now feel almost disconnected with the person who went through it and just wish I could put an arm round her and tell her that it will be ok (which I guess is why I really want to do the same for you).

Please do PM me if you want any more information or just someone to rant at as it is quite difficult to talk to the people who you are relying on for support for yourself and DS.

rawcore, you poor thing, I had a bad tear, somethings that may help, try sitting on a rubber ring, so your not sitting on the sore bit.

I found a bath helped (not too hot) even just for a few mins, with a drop of lavender and tea tree essential oil helped.

and if your still bleeding maternity pads that are soft and padded, I found tesco quite good. mothcare ones I found to hard

I also found raising my legs and resting them on the head board, so my feet were higher than my fan for short periods of time helped, and if you can do this with no pants even better as the air helps.

Are you taking pain relife, take at regualr intervals to ty to not let the pain get a hold iyswim.

It will get better, but go back to doc, or see someone else. It's very frustating when the doc tells you that you're nearly healed and you have to squirm when standing because it hurts so much.

I echo breatheslowly's post. I had a bad tear that didn't heal and after various trips to a frankly crap gp I did my own research and went and saw a consultant urogynaecologist who is just fantastic. I did go private for the repair but she also leads an nhs unit. Are you in London? Her name is Miss Michelle Fynes. Can't recommend her highly enough