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Childbirth

Share experiences and get support around labour, birth and recovery.

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Original poster

no feeling after a c-section

18 replies

olivo · 25/09/2006 16:26

I had an emergency c-section 4 weeks ago.my external wound is healing well but part of my tumy is totally numb - a patch about the size of my palm to the right of my tummy button whereas the rest of my stomach feels slightly tender when touched but not painful. is this normal?

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anniediv · 25/09/2006 16:28

I had no feeling in places for ages (I mean up to a year). Even now (4.7 years later), if I run my finger along my scar it has different sensation to the rest of my skin.

Original poster

olivo · 25/09/2006 16:31

didnt know it could take that long! they just told me to go to the docs if my scar looked inflamed etc, they didnt mention feeling etc

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anniediv · 25/09/2006 16:33

I think people recover at different speeds, so they can't really say 'you wil recover in X days' but I was given to understand at the time that it could take a while. HTH

SecondhandRose · 25/09/2006 16:34

Mine stayed numb for 3 years then I had a second section and the numbess went away after DD was born.

ProfYaffle · 25/09/2006 16:35

Mine is just getting back to normal after 2.5 years!

asur · 25/09/2006 16:39

mine was 5months ago and still quite numb around the scar and I can't stand it being touched... DH thinks it feels nice but I can't stand it as because it feels numb...

Weirdest thing I had afterwards though was a numb toe - big toe on left foot was totally numb for like 3weeks... Think it was from the spinal - very strange/surreal!

Uwila · 25/09/2006 17:14

Yes, I think this is normal. It probably won't ever be back to the way it was. But a patch the size of your hand sounds quite big. I would expect it to get better. You might want to be careful in the kitchen though. Don't lean up against a hot oven not realising you are burning yourself because you can't feel it.

Toady · 25/09/2006 17:22

asur - after my second section, with epidural my whole leg was numb, could still walk on it but felt really weird. Normal feeling after about 8 weeks.

jalopy · 25/09/2006 18:00

It's normal. I've had 3 sections and have been left with an area of numbness. I've had it for 6 years and not expecting the sensation to return. Sometimes nerve endings don't recover themselves.

Sunnysideup · 25/09/2006 18:18

I had my emergency CS four years ago and I still have a fairly large numb area on my tummy above the scar! For about 3 years it was still very slightly tender to the touch but now there's no tenderness, just numbness. I'll be surprised now if the feeling ever comes back I think, like Jalopy says it just seems that the nerve endings are gone.

kikidee · 25/09/2006 18:51

I had this too and asked my doctor who said it was just to do with the different layers of tissue healing. As the cut is so deep, it can take a while for it all to knit together again I think. Mine is pretty much fine now - apart from the attractive overhang!

kid · 25/09/2006 18:58

I had a section 7.8 years ago and my tummy was still numb in areas when I had a 2nd section. That was 4.5 years ago and my stomach is still numb in areas. I don't expect the feeling to return but it doesn't bother me.

Original poster

olivo · 25/09/2006 20:01

omg, i was so naive!i thought it would go back to normal and would take weeks not years, if at all.
quite depressing actually. dont like it being numb
thanks everyone.

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biglips · 25/09/2006 20:03

i had an emergency c-section nearly 2 years ago and it wasnt till a year later i started to able to feel my tummy and the soreness had gone down too. Now its not sore at all but abit numb just on top of the scar

ProfYaffle · 25/09/2006 20:11

You get used to it olivio, it becomes normal and you stop noticing it. It's also really early days for you, your tummy and scar will get less tender and you'll regain feeling over time.

runkid · 25/09/2006 20:23

Sorry to but in i had an emergency c section two years ago and have suffered terrible wind ever since has anyone else experienced this its embarrassing. I was also numb for quite a while

nearlythree · 25/09/2006 20:29

It took 1 yr with my first section which was an emergency. I've now had my third and it is totally numb and I don't expect it to get greatly better.

A nurse friend of mine has recommended bio oil, you can get it from the chemist. She used it to heal scar tissue following surgery for endometriosis. It's pricey though!

kittywits · 25/09/2006 20:54

Olivo, 7 years after my last section and there is an area round the scar that is still numb. I suppose nerves get severed when they cut you. Sensation might return for you, but it is normal if it doesn't

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