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My fanjo op' hell. Warning! Information overload.

24 replies

VestibularProwess · 09/09/2006 11:55

If you#re squeamish ... you may wish to avoid this thread.

Well, I had my posterior perineal repair done on Monday. I thought she was just going to sew up the lips a bit for neatness. I was rather gappy you see after the most recent birth rent asunder the back muscle wall of my vag. I agreed to have the op in the belief it might prevent chafing when I'm dry and menopausal.

I woke up from the GA in really bad pain to find a whole new fanjo. Many sutures inside pinning the back together.

Now it gets gory. Yesterday I was unable to poo. The poo came all the way down but wouldn't come out because there was so much swelling closing off the hole. I was in unbearable pain. I called the Gynae dept in tears. They said come into A&E and 'we'll send someone from the dept down to see you'. I got a taxi to A&E sobbing and hobbled in. An ordinary male nurse checked me and said, after poking around painfully 'it's fine, go away, have more pain killers and put in a glycerine suppository'.

I said the hole is actually closed so this won't work. I need to see someone from gynae. He tried but they wouldn't come to me. I went away in another taxi, sobbing again with pain and humiliation, with the prescription for pain killers (which cause constipation btw). It got more and more painful all day.

The pain was excrutiating and there was no way I could poo despite it all being there ready. I could think of nothing else all day. I cried a lot. I held a mirror to my fanjo to see massive, hard, hot, red swelling across my inside buttock and green pus oozing from the stitches. Obviously an infection which the idiot at A&E failed to spot. That's why the pain was so bad and the swelling was preveting anything from coming out.

Finally I went to the GP (in another taxi). She confirmed I had an infection and gave me ABs and stronger pain killers.

I'm left feeling really angry and humiliated. After a five minute consultation they cut me up in ways I didn't know they would then set me adrift with no after care. I had to fight tooth and nail, whilst in torturous pain, to get them to provide me with the where withal to clean up their horrible errors (infection).

I try to be positive about our NHS but it has failed me so dramatically once too often now.

I'm looking for similar experiences or advice as to where to go from here.

OP posts:
AllieDelOllio · 09/09/2006 11:58

ooooh poor you. have you had your poo yet? They treated you dreadfully, i can fully see why you're upset

Greensleeves · 09/09/2006 11:58

Oh, you poor poor love, it sounds horrific I can't offer advice but you have my sympathy. Keep bumping this. xx

BudaBabe · 09/09/2006 11:59

No advice to offer I'm afraid but lots of sympathy - it sounds horrendous.

Hopefully the infection will start to clear up but I would write a letter of complaint to botht he Gynae dept and A&E.

VestibularProwess · 09/09/2006 11:59

Yes I've had my poo and it was like giving birth.

OP posts:
AllieDelOllio · 09/09/2006 12:00

oh no. i do hope you feel better soon.

foxinsocks · 09/09/2006 12:01

I would write to the hospital - they have a procedure for complaints - if you give them a call, they will direct you to the right department. Make sure you note down exactly what was said (and timings if possible) and how long after you saw twat in A&E that you saw the GP and had an infection confirmed.

You poor thing - it sounds awful.

suejoneziscalmernow · 09/09/2006 12:03

no similar experience here but a great deal of sympathic - ouch .

Orlando · 09/09/2006 12:03

What a horrible thing to have to go through.

Concentrate on getting better and looking after yourself for the time being. Then concentrate on nailing the bastards who failed in their duty of care to you.

In the meantime, lots of get-well love. xx

tootiredtotalk · 09/09/2006 12:04

how hard it must of been for you. Sorry to hear it

3andnomore · 09/09/2006 12:41

Sorry no advice really, just my sympathies...really feel for you, you poor thing and hope that the Infection is under control asap!
There should be something like patiient liasons or somehting like that where you could complain if you wish to do so...your GP might know!

pucca · 09/09/2006 12:45

Oh god, my consultant wants me to have a repair done as i had a 3rd degree tear 2 and a half years ago, sod that!! think i will continue as i am with accidents every now and then.

Sorry to hear you have had such a awful time

FrannyandZooey · 09/09/2006 12:50

Oh my dear I am so sorry

How completely dreadful. The only thing I can think is that you will hopefully be glad of it one day, I know you had not really had peace of mind about it for a while.

Personally I found I had infection after infection in this area after both my episiotomy and repair job - it is really so hard to keep it sterile enough I found bathing in tea tree baths helped, and also pressing some tea tree oil mixed with water on some tissue, onto the wound, before using the loo (numbs it a bit). You can also pour water from a jug, over your whole genital area while weeing to make it sting less.

I think you were right to have it done, FWIW. But appalled at the care you have received. My own GP had to wait years for her own reconstruction: "wait until you have finished having children" she was told. Meanwhile she was unable to have sex at all. Our health service is getting better, but slowly, so slowly...

motherinferior · 09/09/2006 12:55

Franny, what a fabulous post.

Christ, I remember my stitches getting infected after my second birth (they probably did after my first one, but I was on so many damn painkillers that time round I wouldn't have noticed). Absolute hell. My love, I am so very sorry and angry on your behalf.

Quite apart from anything else, please make sure they give you bloody good pain relief.

NotQuiteCockney · 09/09/2006 12:56

Pucca, physio can do wonders for accidents, although granted not for everyone. Have you seen a physio?

I'm so sorry about your problem, VP, dealing with medical professionals is difficult at the best of times, but when in pain, and having fanjo problems, it has to be even worse .

suzywong · 09/09/2006 13:09

Poor you and your sore downbelows

pucca · 09/09/2006 13:43

NQC...Yes i have a appointment in a couple of weeks (ds is 5 weeks old had a CS with him), the problem was from having my dd.

NotQuiteCockney · 09/09/2006 15:26

I have a friend who is a fanny-trainer-physio type person, and says nearly everyone can be helped without surgery.

tissy · 09/09/2006 15:35

you've had a horrible time of it, and been badly treated in A+E, but an infection in that area, isn't an "error" but almost an inevitability.It's pretty much impossible to "sterilise" the area before during and after the surgery, so you should have been warned of the signs of infection, and given some sort of contact point if it happened.
Now you have the antibiotics, you should start to feel better over the weekend, but phone the gynae ward on Monday, and ask to be seen for a check. Get a name from the person you speak to so you can say, "X is expecting me" when you arrive.

Mean while, if you have a bath, make it warm only, with 5 drops of tea tree oil in. Ice packs on the affected area may help as well.

VestibularProwess · 09/09/2006 17:58

Thanks all.

I'd like to point out that I had all my babies at home and tore, badly, with each and ever one but I NEVER got an infection. How can that be?

OP posts:
VestibularProwess · 09/09/2006 17:58

Thanks franny. I knew you'd be along in time.

OP posts:
FrannyandZooey · 09/09/2006 19:06

Yes I can usually be found stalking the ravaged fanny threads

How are you feeling now? I think the thing with tearing, is that healing takes place much more quickly and naturally along a tear, than along a cut with blunt edges. This is a whole different ballgame.

soapbox · 09/09/2006 19:17

I had third degree tears with both of my babes! But I never had an infection with either of them.

I think the trick was to keep the area as dry as possible. Whenever you go to the loo wash clean and then blow dry with a hair dryer. If it gets at all moist between loo trips wash and dry again.

I used to hold a disposable breastpad soaked water with a couple of drops of tea tree oil against the wound while I wee'd or poo'd. This stopped the stinging and feeling of splitting the stitches!

Don't forget to take arnica - that will help a lot with the swelling IME!

Good luck

FrannyandZooey · 10/09/2006 18:15

How are you today, Vesti?

manamana · 19/09/2006 20:28

Hi Vesti - sorry to hear you had such a horrific time. I had exact same experience of repair, thought i was oing in for a quick repair/tidy up but when the consultant looked on the day surgery ward he said it needed a lot more work so went ahead and ended up with whole area being cut open and rebuilt, took me ages to recover and i am still feeling pretty depressed about the whole thing. Off for my 2nd check with the consultant after the op tomorrow, not sure that everything is as it should be! Hope you have got some help at home to look after you and dc

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