One year after second c section-what is normal?

[cobaltblue27]

Hi,

I had my second section 13 months ago. I have a hard, reasonably wide (two fingers’ worth) band of swelling above the right side of my incision. It has always been slightly more swollen above right side but wonder whether becoming more so. Took it to GP who wasn’t that impressed but referred for ultrasound to check for hernia, and no hernia. The radiologist said it was normal ‘roundedness’. Now I am worrying about whether it is bowel cancer. I have no pain, no other symptoms. Can’t feel anything when I lie down (eg any swelling). If I engage deep abdominals or lean back slightly it is not noticeable. Is this scar tissue? It is an overhang but not flabby as am quite slim. Anyone else have this? Help! Am worried.

I have the same sized area that is a bit swollen and more numb, above my scar, all the way along it. When I press it it feels like scar tissue I think, underneath the skin. Very normal as far as I know? I've had two sections, the last was 5.5 years ago, but it's been like that since the first 12 years ago. It's got flatter and improved over time but I imagine it will always be there.

Please don't panic, bowel cancer would not present in this way.

Thanks roomba. Did you ever feel yours got bigger or smaller? I suddenly thought that mine got more swollen on the right hand side. The time when i most notice it is when I am sitting on the loo and looking down (sorry if TMI!). It’s almost like a spare tyre! Funnily enough it doesn’t bother me that much aesthetically; you can’t really see it if I am wearing knickers. I suffer a lot from health anxiety and worry a lot!

Bump

Please can’t sleep worrying about sarcoma and horrible things. Anyone else had swelling appear to get worse?

It did if I poked and prodded it too much for the first few months at least after each section, probably longer. If you're really anxious and feeling it all the time to check if it's changed, you may be aggravating it? If it is scar tissue, there may be treatments that could reduce it a bit? I don't know as I've never asked about it, but I've certainly heard of people having treatment for other types of scar tissue. Mine feels like there's sort of a layer of something adhering between the skin and the muscle underneath, iyswim. You can get scar tissue adhesions internally so I presume you can get them under the skin too? That's what I assumed mine was. If medical professionals have said it's nothing to worry about I'm sure it's not. I've read lots of women on here saying they have swelling and overhangs around their incisions.

A quick google has show me a lot of women saying they have the same thing and that it's scar tissue, if that reassures you at all.

It’s just the fact that mine seems to have for noticeably bigger on the right hand side only (it was always more of a shelf on that side but not to this degree) over the last week. Have now convinced myself it is a sarcoma. Everything goes flat when I lie down though and if I poke around I can’t feel anything (lying in bed now) like a distinctive lump. So horrible.