Why does my c-section area still hurt?

[McGucks]

Hi.  I know this is not really right to put in the Toddler section, but I want to hear from moms who have kids around my child's age.  He is 15 months.  I had an emergency c/s in March 2010.  I STILL have discomfort.  It's not awful, but it is every day.  Things that brush up against that area feel uncomfortable.  Some pants just kind of sit wrong on me or make me sore.  Same with underwear.  The scar is totally healed and looks normal.  I never had any unusual complications from the c/s.  Am I just a huge wimp, or do other people have the same (or similar) discomfort from time to time?  TIA and mods move if you must.

[Deepfeet]

Soo... i'm not who you're wanting to hear from (my babe is only 5 months old), but from what I've read it can take a long time for the muscles underneath to mend completely. I had an emergency c-section and I'm still regaining sensation in the area - and sensation comes and goes regularly.

This is a little out there too but I've buried some hurt in my wound and find it acts up and gets very uncomfortable when DS and I are having a rough time. The entire area is pretty volatile. Sometimes DH touches me there and I feel this deep sadness, other times I want to throw up because it feels so strange... any possibility what your feeling is buried a little more than skin deep? Just something to think about - maybe. or maybe not 

Sorry it's still bothering you, that blows!

[raqi]

I am experiencing the same thing (emergency section here, too) and was also wondering if it's normal, but now I'm guessing that it must be.

[McGucks]

Deepfeet and Raqi--thank you both so much for taking a second to write back.  I am having a lousy day and it was nice to hear from you both so quickly!

Deepfeet:  Thank you for sharing the "softer side" of your pain with me.  I am so not okay with DH touching me anywhere near my scar.  It is physically uncomfortable.  Not pleasurable.  Basically from by belly button to my pubic bone--it's a "no fly" zone.  I do think that I have some emotional sadness in there, but the physically unpleasant sensation is undeniable.  He forgets sometimes and will accidentally brush his hand somewhere near that area and I just recoil.  I feel bad for both he and I about it, especially since I have some other areas in which I am not comfortable with physical contact for other reasons

Overall, I am settled with having had the c/s.  Not ideal, and the recovery was so much harder than I ever would've anticipated...but I do believe we have a live child because of it. 

[katelove]

My LO is almost 14 months old. I still have altered sensation around my scar although not as bad as you are describing. Unfortunately this is a known complication of c/s (or any other major abdominal surgery really) because of the disruption to the nerves from the incision and stretching.

You might consider trying acupunture. It didn't change my skin sensation (which gradually improved on it's own) but it did completely resolve the pulling sensation I got whenever I walked faster than a gentle stroll. My acupuncturist told me that she has seen some amazing scar improvements.

[McGucks]

katelove:  I heard that the "'pulling" thing (me, too) is because scar tissue is inelastic.  You probably already knew that, though!

Thanks for the tip and glad you got good results from acupuncture!

[CherryBombMama]

hi! i have a 2 yr old but no c-section scar, i just wanted to comment that a little over 2 years ago i had my appendix removed and for the longest time that scar hurt and was so uncomfortable! just within the last couple of months it started to feel normal again, even though i dont have 100% feeling in my skin

hope you dont mind my thread crashing :)

[P.J.]

My son is 13 months and I had a cesarean birth too. I still feel some strange sensations around the scar as well. Not pain or even discomfort really, but just odd feelings. I agree with the PP that (at least for me) a lot of it is emotional. But it also feels like what it is: layers of muscle that were cut through. I think with time it does get better, and I would also recommend therapy. I had a traumatic birth and have done various therapy session in an effort to heal and move on (I worry that if I have another baby I would have a lot of fear around another traumatic birth). I am currently undergoing a series of massages and she has worked (very gently and carefully) on and around the scar. I got some special herbal scar healing balm (it smells soooo good!) and I rub it on and massage the area myself ~when I remember to! I recommend trying this yourself. If it feels too painful at first just lay a hand over it gently and lie there and feel whatever feelings come up. My massage therapist recommended taking like 10-15 minutes a day to do this. You can also do it at night before falling asleep. I know at least for me it takes some care and attention in order to move through and eventually let go of these painful (both physical and emotional) feelings. Good luck!

[~Amy~]

I expect most of the discomfort you are feeling is due to the nerve damage that occurs when the nerves are cut during surgery. The sensations in the area are not normal and the brain interprets that as pain, numbness, etc. I had a section a little over 3 years ago and just in the past 9-12 months has sensation returned fully. It takes a long time for nerves to regenerate.

[lovepickles]

DD is 18 months. She was also an emergency C-section. The right side of my scar still hurts and when underwear rubs it the wrong way I still twinge. It has gotten better now that my period is almost back to normal. My abdomen is still pretty weak, too.

But I know ALL about that emotional pain. I had a cat once that let me rub her belly all the time. Then we got her fixed. If I went near it I got bit. My husband and I were intimate a few months after my recovery and I seriously wanted to bite HIM when he went near it.  My poor kitty. :( I know now how she felt. I was so angry and hurt about that area. Being an emergency I HAD to cooperate with the C-section but we were going for a Bradley birth and I was very disappointed.

[konayossie]

I am now a little over 2 years past my emergent c/s. I no longer have pain at my incision site, but I know I was still having pain around 12-15 mos bc I discussed it with my mw at my yearly appt. Certain underwear fabric would drive my scar crazy as would the fit of certain pants. My mw said I might be having a bit more sensitivity than normal bc my scar keloided (sp). I don't know exactly when it quit itching/hurting, but sometime after that it did. So hopefully yours will get better soon!

[neonalee]

Mine doesn't bother me daily, but probably 4 or 5 out of 7 days a week?  I would say it's more discomfort and weirdness than physical pain.  I do have a lot of emotional pain over it.  In fact, I couldn't even look at it until a couple months ago and still avoid looking at it most the time.  I recently got Scaraway silicone healing strips (so now I kinda have to look at it) and they seem to be helping.

[ellairiesmom]

I had a c-section with DD1 back in Sept 2007 & it still kind of feels weird sometimes...kind of a little pulling type feeling.  I am sure the extra lbs around my middle since DD2 was born last year isn't helping either.  

[Floresmizraim]

Hello sorry to let you know that I had a c-section 4 years ago and my right side of my scar and surrounding area still hurts at times. Maybe its that pulling sensation but i still feel discomfort .  Has anyone tried any good scar remover? If so please let me know please.

[Storm Bride]

I suspect that's caused by adhesions. I had that pain for almost a year after my second one, and I have it again from my last one (almost 2.5 years ago).

I've heard the Maya massage technique is helpful for this, but I haven't personally tried it.

Oops - I was responding to something partway down the thread, and just realized it wasn't the OP.

OP: Some of that sounds like it may be nerve damage. A lot of women get it, and many of us can relate to the description of it as feeling like a really bad sunburn. Does that ring any bells? There are also adhesions, fat deposits in the wrong place (I've heard that OBs just shove the fat back in above the suture line, so everything gets mis-shapen), etc., which might account for some of the pain and the issues with how your clothes fit.

In any case, I've certainly found that pain, numbness, discomfort, etc. from c-sections can last a long, long time.

[neonalee]

Originally Posted by Floresmizraim 

Hello sorry to let you know that I had a c-section 4 years ago and my right side of my scar and surrounding area still hurts at times. Maybe its that pulling sensation but i still feel discomfort .  Has anyone tried any good scar remover? If so please let me know please.

I'll try to remember to come back next time I'm online (nursing to sleep now ). I recently saw a dermatologist for annual skin check & asked about my scar. She said it looked like it was healing very well but gave me a prescription since I hag such strong feelings about it. She said something about it helping cells move & heal faster? I haven't gotten it yet; waiting for new insurance to kick in at my new job.

sent from my phone using tapatalk, please excuse typos.

[hildare]

i second the adhesions theory.  i don't feel the pulling so much anymore, but i also have weird pains due to a fibroid in there (and pregnancy). 

some very gentle yin yoga focusing on the hips will release lots of the tension, stretch things a bit, and help (theoretically) with emotional release too.... 

i never had the numb scar thing, though.  i would be very tempted to ask your midwife/ob, though, if it's bothering you a whole lot at this point, it could be endometriosis or fibroids or something besides just the after-effects of the surgery.

[MsDolphin]

My un-scheduled c/s was 14 months ago. I haven numbness around the scar area, I don't like that feeling, but I guess it comes with the c/s healing process. I occasionally get a twing of pain, but it not anything like some of you are describing.

[McGucks]

I am 19 months post c-section and finally can wear a pair of jeans and they don't bother my c-section area.  Aaaah.

I still prefer sweats or soft pants, but who doesn't...

Neonalee:  Can you tell me a bit about the product you are using?  Has it helped?

My scar is keloided, too.  Heck, I never looked too hot in a bikini anyhow, and the scar is WAY below anything I would've worn in public anyhow.  I still don't really like to look at my scar.  I try to feel positive about it in that my sweet baby came out of it, but it honestly still kinda creeps me out.