3rd degree tear & very bad piles, recovery advice?

[RunningGuerita]

Hi,
I had a baby girl a week ago (DD2). And after a very calm first stage (arrived at hospital fully dillated), baby's head didn't descend for several hours. When it finally started to, her heartrate dropped and they decided she had to come out immediately. Cue controlled panic, a brutal birth, ventouse, episiotomy and third degree tear for mum. Thankfully baby is well (her cord was too short and around her neck so she couldn't descend but she was only distressed for a short amount of time).

I feel bruised and battered and apparently my piles are the worst thing about my undercarriage at the minute (masking the three stitches from the tear and the bruising). I can't sit. And am uncomfortable just about all the time. Have seen the GP at an emergency clinic today for some prescription strength piles cream. She wasn't convinced they will shrink on their own and was worried about infection.

Any advice/words of encouragement? I seem to read conflicting things about baths (with tea tree oil) or sticking to showers.

Fortunately I have help at the moment but do need to regain mobility to look after my baby properly and my 18 month old.

Thanks, RG

It took me a good 5/6 months to feel ok following my 3a tear and that included requiring a full restitch. The restitch recovery was soo much more painful but purely coz that time they actually stitched me properly . But the surgeon there suggested these things to aid recovery:

• don't hair dry the area, your hairdryer will be full of bacteria

• bathe wherever possible after doing a poo for a good few weeks, otherwise wipe with baby wipes

• take lactulose or fybrogel or movicol to soften poo

• sit on a doughnut pillow

• perineal massage so that the skin remains supple

• and caution! But wax the hair away so that no pubes can get in the way of the healing scar - cue folliculitis which is something else you definitely don't want

I had a huge pile and second degree tears plus grazes which were impossible to stitch and hurt like nothing on earth. I was worried it was all infected but the Hv looked at it an said brightly 'no, it just looks like you've been kicked like a horse down there'.

I also tried sitting on a donut cushion as it as really the only way I could sit for the first two weeks, but I then heard that it could be making things worse as it pushes more blood down to the area that's already under pressure. Don't know if you have heard this.

I will second the idea of a condom filled with frozen peas then put in a sock and put between your legs. Bliss. Definitely definitely definitely give your parts a good airing. I went commando every night once I had been told this (put a maternity sheet on the bed to save the sheets) and it really helped. Not so good in the day as the lochia sticks to your thinghs and smells horrid. Congratulations by the way!!

Thankfully breastfeeding is going swimmingly. I seem to be lucky on that front, loads of milk and very efficient feeders!
Thanks again for the words of encouragement, it makes a huge difference to hear from ladies who have been through it.

If lactulose or fybogel don't seem to soften things (they didn't make any difference for me) then ask your GP for Macrogol sachets, you won't have to strain at all and you'll probably only need one sachet every other day so should be ok with BF. Good luck, its really horrible at the time but it will all soon be a distant memory!

Solgar Citrus Bioflavonoid Complex - Quite big tablets, take one a day. I don't think you can get them in Holland & Barret, but definitely available online. My mother-in-law gave me some when I had piles after my 4th child, they are AMAZING. Good luck :-)

Hi Running - I had my beautiful DS 15 weeks ago today (my first baby), and a horrendous birth experience...although thankfully like you a healthy and beautiful baby! I was left in a very bad way with a bad 3rd degree tear. I was 5cm when i arrived at hospital but was in labour for 28 hours and didn't seem to be progressing at all....to cut a long story short i was cut and also tore and it was 3rd degree, had a lot of stitches. Sadly my stitches came completely undone and i wasn't re-stitched or anything, i had to wait nearly 8 weeks for a 3rd degree cut to heal up itself! Bloody nightmare! I can imagine exactly how much pain and discomfort you are in, it was so painful sitting, laying, walking and basicaly doing anything at all, and yes you have every right to feel bad for yourself when you've had a baby and you want to be able to do things with your baby and not be set back. My advice, keep your cut/tear as clean and dry as you possibly can. I used to bath 2 or 3 times a day in salt water. Just a normal bath and sprinkle salt in and just sit the best you can in the water 2 or 3 times a day (you don't have to sit for long) but it keeps that area sterile and clean and helps it heal as well as eases the pain. I would also say, you need to do as little as possible. Sit more to the other side, and lay as much as you can on the sofa with your feet up or in bed. Honestly, rest and keeping the area as clean as possible is the best advice anyone can give you and as for the piles (yep had those as well), take fybogel to make going for a poo easier and really try not to strain. I found it awful, 7 weeks i was laid up and doing everything from my bed. I never thought i would heal.

Sorry forgot to say, i had to have forceps hence the episiotomy. Wishing you a quick recovery and congratulations on the birth of your baby.

Hi Running, I would second the recommendation for Anusol HC suppositories. I had enormous external piles when pregnant with DS and they were the only thing that helped for me - the topical creams did nothing. I think that external ones are often accompanied by internal ones, so helping the swelling from that side can sort the whole lot out. You can buy them from Boots online if you don't want to go back to the doc.

I had a 3a tear but fortunately (touch wood!) haven't suffered with piles. However, my sister has badly and she was prescribed scheriproct. I've googled it and apparently comes as ointment and suppositories. She tried everything and said this stuff did the trick.

RunningGuerita

You poor poor thing, you have my total and full sympathy and I think you should feel sorry for yourself! Its not easy living with such pain and having a baby too look after. Thank goodness you have some help.
I guess you have to keep focusing on the bodies powers to heal, it will heal.

Just wanted to say thanks again to the ladies that recommended the suppositories. After five days on the cream and no improvement, I got an emergency apmt at my GP on Friday afternoon and got some suppositories prescribed. They are helping and I am finally starting to feel better. I also finally managed to hire a valley cushion and that is making a difference enabling me to sit occasionally to play with my toddler. Here is hoping the stitches and the tears heal quickly.

Thanks for coming back to let us know how you are doing - I'm so glad that things are gradually getting better.

Midwife recommended coconut oil to me. But 5 years on still bothering me so I went to get the piles removed surgically. Sore but they are gone permanently.

Oh and salt baths with tea tree oil in it or witchhazel

Yes am dipping myself in a salt bath with tea tree oil every evening. Only for a few mn as new advice regarding stitches seems to be to avoid soaking them.