stomach pain after emergency c-section?

[KellyJellyfish]

It’s been 11 days since I had an emergency c-section due to preeclampsia (baby delivered 36+4) I was in hospital for a week due to preeclampsia complications and still taking blood pressure meds at home, I also had painful bladder problems and urine retention and 6 days of severe constipation while in hospital (7 days).

Ive been home for 3 days now but I’m struggling, I’m not sure what’s normal or what’s a sign I need to see a doctor?

my tummy is tender to touch, not around the scar (that is healing really well) but all around my stomach and belly button hurts. I’m also unable to stand up straight due to pain, and getting waves of intense stomach pain. It is not menstrual cramp pain so I doubt it’s ’after pains’ or the uterus contracting, it’s more like intense GI/gut pain. I also have the worst watery diahorrea and pain passing poo. I can pee but I get mild spasm pain which means I’m peeing irregularly (like start/stop) so probably not emptying my bladder.

im also breathing like I’ve run a marathon if I do simple tasks like prepare a bottle or walk upstairs.

no fever, no excessive bleeding or bad discharge, no redness or visible signs of infection, no vomiting, no raised blood pressure, no cough, no leg pain.

I had a UTI about 10 days after my c section. No idea if it was related (maybe having a catheter in during surgery caused it?) or it might have just been coincidence, but my symptoms sounded pretty similar to yours. Call 111, let them know your history and I'd hope you'd be prioritised and get an out of hours appointment today. Good luck.

I had that too and was told it was just everything healing, it was really tender.

Doubt it’s a uti as I’ve been on uti antibiotics as a precautionary measure

Thanks, how long did it take for you to start feeling better?

I've had two emergency sections: a cat 1 and a cat 2.

Don't underestimate the length of time it'll take you to heal and recover, a section is major abdominal surgery!

With my first, it took 5 months to feel normal and pain free again and with my second it took 5 weeks. You're still very early on in your recovery!

How long were you taking pain relief at home? I’ve tried to stop taking paracetamol because I’m not sure if it’s making my stomach upset worse or not

The shortness of breath is worrying. Please call your midwife or hospital where you gave birth and see what they say. Perhaps even A&E.

I had a pain similar about 10 days after my section and it was trapped wind from the operation.
I drank loads of peppermint tea and got peppermint oil from the chemist and it quickly went away.

I’ve told the GP but he didn’t seem particularly concerned about it, said if it was happening all the time it would be an issue, but if it’s from physical exertion it’s just weakness/recovery from the surgery

@KellyJellyfish I kept it up for 4 weeks at home.

Are you just getting delayed after pains? That's the feeling of your womb contracting back to its normal size. Does it feel like period pain or early labour - then it might be womb contraction

I had csection at 35+0 for preeclampsia. I had period like pains for a while after. Well stronger than that. I also had a few days after where I kept going dizzy and even feinted in the shower. I think it was my body recovering from surgery though. I’m fully healed 9m pp now. Well 99%, still get the odd feeling where the scar is.

I didn’t have any stomach/bowel problems. Although when I had a GA I had that problem 10 days after surgery and it was so bad for 1-2 days. Did you have GA or LA? Maybe LA has had the same affect on you?

Hi
Sorry to jump on after 6 months but I'm 10 days post section and experiencing the exact same
Did you ever get any help or did it just pass in time?

I was really poorly after my emergency c section. It can be very normal to feel bladder pain when passing urine (I remember it vividly both times), but the really watery diarrhoea is a ?....
All of your other symptoms sound ok except the shortness of breath.
I had quite violent diarrhoea when I was discharged, turns out I had picked up C Diff in the hospital and I also had an infection in my uterus that was only resolved with IV antibiotics after being readmitted for 4 days.
I'm not saying you have either of those things, but I think you need to ask for a GP appointment to rule anything else out.

Just realised this is an old thread, but @MaltedMilk88 seeing as you are experiencing the same thing see my above post ☺️

@readyforroundthree thank you xx