Sponge or gauze left behind?

[kathleen_mary]

I had a c-section in November 2009. I thought I had recovered fairly well - but have been plagued with health problems over the last six months. Abdominal pain that is not severe and not coming from one specific location, weight loss, anemia, nausea, and chronic sinus infections/colds. I just seem to get sick with everything. I also had a miscarriage in December at approximately 8 weeks. I already had a colonoscopy and endoscopy to rule out stomach and bowel cancers, celiac's, etc. Bloodwork ruled out pancreatic problems, vitamin b deficiency and a bunch of other crap. 

I went for a mayan abdominal massage and she detected some scar tissue that's sort of behind my belly button. She asked me if I had mesh placed in my abdomen, which I did not. Now I'm wondering if it's possible that a piece of gauze got left behind in there. 

Anybody have symptoms like this and were they related to your surgery?

[MadelinesMama]

When they close your incision multiple sets of counts are done.  It would be pretty unlikely that the sponge count would be wrong but recorded correctly 3 times.  Is it possible she is feeling a small hernia?  I have one slightly to the left of my belly button and I could see how it might feel like something foreign in there. 

[pittsburrito]

My best friend had a sponge left behind during her c-section, and she had pain for months afterwards before they finally identified what the problem was.  She had to have a 2nd surgery to remove it about 10-months after her original c-section.  Also, my neighbor works as a nurse in L&D and she said she has had patients have to return to surgery 24-48 hours following a c-section to remove sponges.  (She was actually telling me to avoid a particular doctor who had more than one patient who had this happen to them.)  It is rare that it happens, but it does happen.

[kathleen_mary]

I had pretty much dismissed this as a possibility because my c-section was over two years ago and the major problems didn't start until about 6 months ago. 

I was a patient of a midwife practice and had an unplanned c-section. I didn't know the doctor who did it at all and didn't have any obvious complications, so I never even had a follow up with her. I just went back to the midwife and she checked to make sure the external scar was healing ok (it was - you can barely even see it). 

Maybe it is just a hernia. I'll ask the gastroenterologist about it when I go back. Maybe she can feel around there or would at least know what scan to order to check.  

[sunshower]

it's unlikely they left a sponge or lap pad in you,  (i scrub in c/s)  - but- you could get an xray, we use xray detectable laps and sponges for this very reason....

sometimes they use films when they close you up if you had oozy bleeding though, and some of them are sort of mesh like. some doctors are more prone to using them then others.