Help my c section has opened

[user1490285009]

Hi everyone

A part of my c section has started to open up. I believe it’s just a superficial part on the outside. The opening is not deep but it’s longish. I’ve been given antibiotics for 7 days, and told to keep the area dry. The problem I’m having is - that it’s not drying. I wash it with saline solution 2x a day and dab it dry. 5min later it’s moist again, and weeping a yellowish liquid. Also the pain is getting worse, and I now feel it deeper inside. It feels like day 2-3 pain of the c section. I can move around but I feel the pain with every leg lift. Paracetamol doesn’t help, and I’ve run out of codyrdramol that I was given from the hospital.

I was already experiencing baby blues and this has just added to my misery. I’m too scared to move or walk about. And I have been cooped up in bed since my discharge 10 days ago. The very idea of there being an open wound on my body also terrifies/disturbs me. I would really appreciate any advice on how to deal with this. I feel like I’ve been left on my own to deal with it medically, and I have no idea what I’m doing.

By the end of the 3rd day the antibiotics should be starting to work. It's probably bleeding now because you've been moving too much, you really need to rest as much as possible while it heals. Easier said than done, but get someone to come and help out for a few days if your partner isn't around.
I wouldn't say you need to wash it daily, just keep clean dry dressing on it and change it when the dressing gets dirty (gently cleaning with gauze and water is fine). Get seen by your practice nurse on Monday for decent dressings and proper advice. Like PPs they may put iodine dressings on to dry it out a bit.
I'm a practice nurse and we see these quite frequently. GPs are rubbish at giving wound care advice (most will readily admit this!) so they usually just give antibiotics but don't really think about dressings. Problem with that area is it's in a crease so gets sweaty and hot, you need dressings that will wick away the moisture from the skin while letting it breathe.

Obviously, if you feel feverish, headachey etc then get urgent advice, but hopefully with rest and few more days of the antibiotics you should be feeling better.

Not a C section but a laparoscopy port after a gyne operation. Swelling, redness, and then it started draining,

I ended up in hospital for 5 days on IV antibiotics.

Get it seen to, OP. The last thing you need is a bad infection.

My section wound was open for 7 months with dd1. I had recurrent infections - you need to have your wound swabbed urgently so that you are given the correct antibiotics. It took a while for this to happen for me and it wasn’t until the district nurses became involved that my wound was swabbed and I was given the correct, targeted, antibiotics.

My wound had to be “packed” with a silver dressing for months until it finally healed over.

I had significant amounts of pink fluid coming from mine initially btw. My GP pressed on my tummy and lots came out.

It’s okay to phone up out of hours and explain the timeline and say what is getting worse. They will decide if you need seeing tonight or over the weekend and can send you into hospital if needed.
Sorry that this is happening and I hope it gets resolved soon.

I agree with the poster above, 111 and out of hours appointment. Don't wait until Monday. Hope it gets sorted for you very soon x

So I called 111. They got me an appointment with a gp. Except I wasn’t seen by a gp. I saw a nurse, who cleaned it with saline and put a bandage on it. And now I’m being sent home, apparently everything is normal and will sort itself out. But there are new open sites and more pain. It’s so exhausting trying to convince people to take my symptoms seriously.

What did they say about keeping it dressed etc?

This sounds horrible! If you are in more pain I would definitely go to the hospital. I had CS too and mine got infected, a tiny corner of the wound seemed opened but only tiny part I remember.
I got immediately to the Gp and he prescribed me Augmentin Antibiotic, these worked immediately if I remember correctly ( this was 2011)

Also I remember I was not allowed to shower or bath, my wound had some beads on each end and health worker/ midwife was coming to check every few days .
Maybe they don’t do this anymore, especially in Covid times.
I would definitely keep it very dry if any more pain I would go hospital.

So I stopped by maternity postnatal again after the nurse.

@MrsPelligrinoPetrichor

They gave me a sterile bandages/gauze, to collect the fluid. They said the fluid weeping will stop when the infection stops - but I still need to try to keep it dry. They’ll try me on different antibiotics since these aren’t helping - because the pain is getting worse.
Unfortunately that’s a fresh 7 day prescription so I’m starting from step 1 again. I can’t imagine my infection is so particular that standard antibiotics don’t help.

Fingers crossed these new antibiotics help. There are specific antibiotics for different things.

Did they swab the wound to check what antibiotics you should be on? I’m not medically trained but just wondering if that’s something that should be done?

@MilesOfSand yes they swapped the first day - but results inconclusive

They swapped again today ... I guess we might find out results in a few days.

@Depechemodebiggestfan
im now on augmentin as well - I hope it works faster than the other one.

Fingers crossed, I hope you heal soon. There’s nothing like the aftermath of having a baby for making healing so hard, so that when you have an issue like this it’s so much worse. It’s the kind of thing that if a man had we’d give them quiet time and bed rest etc but a woman - well you can look after the baby and have less rest and sleep than you’ve ever had before.

Sorry that you are dealing with this, OP. Insist that you are not discharged from the community midwife care while this is ongoing - you can stay under their care for 28 days after the birth if necessary. I would also recommend pushing very hard to be seen by a tissue viability nurse.

Things will magically start to happen very quickly if you contact PALS about your poor care so far. Good luck

I would have to go back. I’m squeamish and would pass out. I’d go to A&E.
Do not bath or shower until it’s been seen.