C section recovery

[Angeliki159]

I had emergency c section 2 weeks ago.
Can anyone tell me how long they took painkillers for please?
I have been taking paracetamol and ibruprofen regularly.
The wound is healing well. MW checked and is happy with the progress.
I have started getting sharp twinges on the right side where the cut is.
I know I have had major surgery but i don't know much about the recovery.
I keep trying to not take the painkillers as i feel ok but I keep being told that I should be taking them still.

How long did it take for you to stop taking painkillers and how long till you felt normal again?

I would carry on taking them while you feel pain; I took them for 3 weeks then tried to come off them and caused myself more pain so took them for another week if not a bit longer.
I was told off by the GP for expecting too much of myself and not resting enough.
I felt quite vulnerable until 2-2 1/2 months to be honest. I was told that it’s a similar surgery to a hysterectomy but with a baby to look after so to go easy on myself.

I think I took painkillers for 3 or 4 weeks. I tries to stop taking them earlier but it was too painful. It was about 6 months before everything felt back to normal. I did get some stabbing pains and quite a bit of numbness around the scar but it's all fine now and has been for a few months. (DS is 1).
A friend had a hysterectomy a few years ago and totally rested for 6 weeks and then took it easy for 6 months, she was horrified by the way I had to get on with it hours after an emcs. In no other situation does an exhausted person (labour), have major surgery and then have to get up within hours and look after themselves and a baby.

9 days until I came out of hospital and there was no one there to remind me. I had the odd one after that when the pain got bad enough for me to notice.

I took paracetamol only, for two weeks. Six months later my lower tummy is still sore (but not sore enough to need painkillers) and still numb. I’m beginning to worry it will never go back to normal.

It varies hugely I think. I didn't need any pain killers after either of my emergency sections. I have friends who needed stronger than they were discharged with 2 weeks later and other friends who were somewhere in the middle.

If it hurts without them, as user1493413286 says, I'd keep taking them, if it doesn't, I wouldn't.

The advice given afterwards varies so much. With my first, I was down in NICU a lot and the Dr who was overseeing ds's care had all her children by c-section and said the key to recovery is getting to back "normal" asap. She was also a big fan of scar massage once healed/stroking any numb areas to remap the nerves. No idea if it was coincidence or not but I had barely any scar tissue at my 2nd section (Dr showed me what she cut out) and I have no numbness at all. Then I had a hv who was horrified I was taking ds for a walk in the pram at 10 days pp and felt I should be in bed resting.

I didn’t have a lot of pain. Only took painkillers for 2 days. If you feel fine just stop taking them. You can always start again if the pain comes back.

@LlamaPyjamas my Csection was 6.5 years ago and I'm still numb from my scar to about an inch up

Think I only took them for a few days.

I took them as needed for a few days after my emergency section but needed to take them regularly for 2 weeks then as needed after my elective section.

The heavy painkillers for about a week - when the midwife told me to stop as they can be addictive and the paracetamol regularly until I started to forget to take them. It was months and months before all was well, I remember going on a swing and feeling it well after the birth. Dd is 4 now and the area is still numb so think that's just how it is now.

I’m 18 weeks post section and have no numbness. I was at an adventure playground today playing with DC1 and it felt a bit ‘stretched’, but that could also be to do with the fact I hoovered for the first time yesterday.

DH and the cleaner have been doing that particular job, but we dropped glitter everywhere

I know I shouldnt but i have been obsessively checking my temp every 4/5 hrs because I was told if my temp increases it's a sign of infection.

The cut itself is fine.
There is a bit of numbness and a lot of itching about an inch above the cut and this sharp stinging on the right.
Other than that and the residual headache (had lumbar puncture headache from the epidural really badly for 10 days) I feel fine.
I often forget I have even had surgery.