anyone had retained membrane....

[EllenRipley]

anyone suffered retained membrane? am now being told i dont have specific kind of uterine infection as previously thought (was put on horrid antiBs), possibly retained membrane. I have many of the symptoms of an infection, noticeable about 6wks pp (c-section, am now 8wks pp and getting fed up feeling crap). Cant find much online about possible symptoms and dont fancy googling my symptoms to death, so wondered if anyone's experience this. Thanks! x

Symptoms would be offensive smelling lochia, temp, fast pulse, hot and cold, shivering, clots in the lochia, general malaise. But the antibiotics should have cleared up any symptoms. Have you had a scan to check if the uterus is clear?

I passed a huge clot of blood with some fibres entwined about 3 weeks after DC3 was born. It was about the size of my fist. I phoned the midwife assessment unit at the hospital and they asked me to bring it in. I had no other symptoms. They examined the 'clot' and felt that it could be retained products. They put me on antibiotics and called me back the following day for a scan. After waiting 6 hours the scan was inconclusive. I was asked to return a week later.
I had no further bleeding but returned for yet another inconclsive scan. i was finally admitted for a D&C a few days later. In the end they didnt have the staff for the procedure and they inserted some pessaries to see if my uterus expelled the products on it's own....nothing happened and i was eventually sent home with my newborn DS. Needless to say my milk did not flow particularly well during those stressful weeks. They did advise me that i could have painful periods when they restarted and that i would possibly be less fertile...I conceived DC4 3 months later!
Not sure this ramble is any help to you. Hope you start to feel better soon.

thanks both, ramble welcome welsh!... good to know you didnt have further problems (after a clot that size, omg). I had to mix feed as my breastmilk never established, wondering now if this has been part of the problem all along. However, i've only had 'mild' version of the symptoms you describe reik - some sweating and headaches, then followed by a heavy discharge with blood mixed in it (no odour at all), cramps and backache, some 'shooting' pains. Often tired and dizzy. Def didnt feel like a period tho. Symptoms initially abated when the antibiotics started (metronidazole and ofloxacin, combo used to treat PID) but i had to come off the first one as the side effects were awful. Dont really understand how i can have infection symptoms but apparently no infection, according to the test results? However, doc now says i may have to go for scan to check for anything retained... may insist on that! Still have lochia & some pain (maybe c-section after pains?) but no blood. And think the antiBs are still making me feel a bit spaced out. Ack! Think scan's the only way to be sure.

Deffo, although it may be as welsh experienced, inconclusive, I think you need to eliminate it from your enquiries (iyswim!)I would not expect pain this far in tbh, is the would healing okay? Were there any complications from the operation?

No complications that i was aware of! (apart from rather traumatic recovery in hospital where i wasnt getting the right dose of pain meds)... wound healed very well, was feeling generally good (apart from the usual new baby fatigue and a bit of low iron) until these symptoms started. Did get what seemed to be a brief/mild period just over a month after birth, though not sure now if that was symptomatic of mystery infection. Doc said cervix looked fine during exam, no inflammation either. Cant fully recall our last conversation, but i think he said something about there possibly being a 'site specific' infection which i took to mean, if there was retained membrane, the bacteria was focused there? I am sure i will annoy him by asking far too many questions tomorrow. Cheers reik