Stitched too tightly after childbirth

[Distressed0]

Hello, I was wondering if anybody has any advice on if I could sue the NHS when it's been 5 years since the incident.
I've googled & it said it has to be within 3 years of finding out about the negligence.
Is that right?

The other day, the GP told me that I was stitched too tightly during my surgery 5 years ago. Before being told this, I've seen multiple drs/specialists etc & on the whole I've been told 'This is just what happens after childbirth'.

'This' being fecal incontinence & repeated fissures. It was the fissures that I went to the GP for this time when they said my anus had been stitched too tightly.

Can I do anything? I just want to feel better, to BE better & for this nightmare to finally be over. On my darkest days, I honestly feel like I can't live like this anymore.

I'd request a new referral to a different hospital. You're absolutely within your rights to do this.

Could you try the massage but with painkillers first?

I really feel for you it must be so painful.

They (GP etc) never offer me any other solutions they just say it's normal. I'm on Movicol drinks 2x daily since the birth, to preven constipation & the GP once helpfully refused to give me a new prescription for those as I 'Shouldn't rely on them forever

OP Ask your GP if they would say it was normal if it was their receptionist who had these issues and kept having to leave the front desk to deal with it. Bet their definition of normal would change then.

If it were me i would be seriously tempted to leave a little gift of proof on a chair and then say "its just what happens"

Can't comment about the legal side. But have you seen a pelvic floor physiotherapist OP? A really tight pelvic floor can definitely cause some of the issues you're experiencing.

Another thing to consider is asking for a referral to Colorectal in a different hospital - not the one that did your surgery?

More drastic but would a temporary ostomy be better?
i have seen people (of both sexes) get temporary colostomy’s for rectal issues.
the sphincter muscles (there are two) are known to be difficult to repair once injured.

Have you tried getting support from this group on fb? It's small but a lot of women going through very similar things to you and a lot of misdiagnosed 3/4ths and mostly UK based so a lot of people dealing with thr frustrations of the NHS offerings. I had a 3rd degree and have some minor issues ongoing due to a very weak pelvic floor but thankfully no incontinence. Have you seen a pelvic floor physio at all? I don't know if it's a thing but I wonder if there is an element of your muscles involuntarily tightening up (like vaginismus but anally) due to all the trauma you have been through? Was just wondering due to the inability to have any touch to area/ failed rectal exam

Please complain to PALS and take further if needed. It’s simply not true that this is normal and it isn’t acceptable for them to give you the impression that you should just live with it. Tell them honestly how it’s making you feel. They owe you a huge, huge apology.

I posted recently on this very issue and was told by several midwives that post childbirth tears were always checked and treated, but they clearly aren't. You need to see a specialist colorectal surgeon with experience in correcting this type of injury. Sometime full correction isn't possible because of scar tissue and other surgeries.

See a solicitor also in case the 3 year rule applies to when you discovered the full extent of the injury.

It's an outrageous failure of women following childbirth that these issues aren't checked. I did put up a link but not sure what it is now.

@Distressed0 I have just managed to get a chronic fissure to heal, this is how I’ve done it:
GTN 3 times a day, always before opening bowels in the morning, but sometimes I’ve done a half dose before and after to relieve pain
Glycerine suppositories for every bowel movement to keep it loose / lubricated
Lactulose 10-15mls twice a day religiously
Apricots etc in diet to help with stool softening
Sitz bath (look on Amazon) several times a day
Then the thing that definitely helped the most was Voltarol suppositories 100mg once a day.

Obviously everyone is different and I’m not saying this is a cure all approach but even if something in what I’ve done helps you a little bit then I know you’ll be glad of some relief. The pain is like nothing else - well, other than like when a baby’s head is crowning, that’s the only pain I can liken it to.

I could look into a different hospital it's just difficult due to no childcare & having to rely on public transport too.

Sugargliderwombat I would do but paracetamol/Ibuprofen doesn't even take the edge off & I wouldn't know what else to try.

purpledalmation Thank you, I hope you are doing ok yourself?

Beseen Thank you but I'm not on FB. The tightening up thing makes sense to me though.

Nejnej Yes I saw a women's physio for a while but they actually said I have a very weak pelvic floor now.

Jenniferbooth I know.
It once took me 50 mins on the bus on a freezing cold day (& I had to go right from the school run so was already cold) then I was kept waiting 1 hour 20 mins past my appointment time, & then when I got in there, the colorectal surgeon had a 2 second look at my notes then asked to take a look, put his hand on my naked hip & said 'Honestly, it's just what happens after childbirth'.

He left so I could get dressed & I cried bitter, bitter tears as I dressed, thinking 'I bet he wouldn't say that to his wife'.

Thank you for the support everybody.

Thank you for sharing that BabbleBee.
What's GTN?
The Rectogesiac isn't even taking the edge off. Baths don't seem to help either as I just can't get comfortable. I'm wiping very carefully with a baby-wipe then patting with toilet roll as I realised that I'm not able to keep myself very clean as I still have a little skin tag.

I'm glad you now have some relief!

@Distressed0 GTN is rectogesic. I’ve found that it can lose potency very quickly, one of the brands said the tube had to be used within 3 weeks. If it’s not giving you a headache then it’s not doing the job. The skin tags are part of having fissures, sadly. Or sometimes a healed thrombosed pile can leave one too.

Oh and a sitz bath that goes onto the toilet is better than the bath as you’re not sitting on the floor of it, your bottom goes into it so it’s just the water. You’re probably better off using this for cleaning up too, wipes can really irritate the skin around the anus.

Thank you BabbleBee. It does give me a horrendous headache about 10 mins after using it. I hate it. It hurts so much & it's not even helping my poor bum.

Poor you @Distressed0 that sounds truly horrendous. I know the main issue is around the fissures and fecal incontinence but you also mention urinary incontinence and I'm just wondering if you've seen a uro-gynaecologist at all? If you get a good one they may be able to advise on both areas to an extent, and definitely should be able to refer on to the correct specialist

If I can chuck in my two pennies' worth, I think you'd really benefit from sitting down with a clinician from both/all medical specialties involved in this sorry saga, with your medical notes, and the clinician going through and explaining it all to you. And you ask questions.

I was a midwife in a former life and I'm struggling to understand what happened to you. Please don't read that as being dismissive. I never bought the idea if being stitched 'too tight' as you just bring the 2 sides of a wound together. So maybe you have painful scar tissue? When suturing a vaginal tear after birth, it is (or was in my time) considered good practice to insert a finger into the rectum to check that you haven't gone too deep and picked up the posterior rectal wall. If that had happened, it'd be like pooing through strands of dental floss, if you can imagine that. But, as pp have said, the stitches dissolve after a while anyway. As to your GP's comment about a finger sliding easily into the rectum, if you are relaxed it would, but not if you are fearful or whatever. Maybe you were clenching tightly?

But it is absolutely NOT NORMAL for women to suffer faecal incontinence after giving birth. Nor should you be wetting yourself. Nobody should be implying to you that these are normal. To do so is the height of dismissal of women's health concerns. I imagine you've checked out pelvic floor exercises?

As to suing the NHS - what do you hope to achieve from that? The only thing I can see is that any payout might pay for private operations, but these can and should be done by the NHS anyway.

Best of luck and I do hope you get it sorted soon.

I have similar problems OP and am currently going through tests. My issues may or may not be related to childbirth. I made it clear at the first meeting that I wouldn't be fobbed off. Time will tell. I tend to say to myself "what would happen if Princess Kate had this?" You know damn well it would get sorted. It's an awful and debilitating thing (and I don't have the pain of fissures) so don't let anyone tell you that you are being unreasonable for finding fault with the NHS for potentially causing it. Do you have anyone who could come to an appointment with you and advocate for you. I hope you get it sorted.

Rightsraptor If I sued them it would be to hopefully stop it happening to somebody else first. If it stops one other woman suffering like I've suffered then it was worth it. If one more child doesn't have to sit at their mums feet while she sobs on the toilet, then it's worth it.

Second, yes to pay for surgery to actually fix things properly. I wouldn't be suing them for a 'big payout' or anything. If a private OP costs £1000 then I'd sue for £1000... Anyway, that said, I don't think I'm going to go down that route. It was just an idea.

I did pelvic floor exercises with the physio with the device that they insert to check I'm doing them properly, I did 10 sessions & she said that's all they can give me but I've carried on doing them myself.

I go in to these appointments thinking 'Dont let them fob you off' & then they go through the notes & say 'And you didn't have an instrumental delivery? Hmm'. Then my mind goes into over-drive & I think 'See! This isn't normal, something's not right here, now, what did I want to say to them about it not being right?' & then I get all muddled & end up saying nothing.

(I hope that makes sense, that's the best way to describe my thoughts! I once took a list of questions but they were practically shoving me out the door again before I'd had time to gather my thoughts enough to unfold the paper in my hand.)

Knickerthief I hope you get yours sorted soon. I know I should be braver & speak up for myself but I'm so upset about this & nobody ever 'gets' it. They just see it as 'Use a pad' or 'Everybody has a fissure now & then'.

I have nobody else to come with me.

Leakingtoilet I'm not sure. I've seen a gynecologist recently & a urologist a while ago (he was awful. Yawned the whole way through our appointment, didn't examine me or anything)

I did the urodynamics test but by some miracle I didn't leak then. They said about repeating it but then lockdown happened.

Have you a friend who can go with you and take no shit ? It's hard as it's effecting you so you're bound to be upset but a strong friend might make a difference ?