Repost: C-Section Infection 6 Weeks Later?
Originally posted on April 2011 board...
I posted last week that I had a small bulge/hard area above my
incision that I was worried about. I saw my midwife yesterday and she
got me in with the doctor that did my c-section. She was concerned as it
was not only a hard area, but now was red and hot to the touch. Yikes.
He diagnosed me with "cellulitis", a bacterial skin infection in my incision, and I am now on a week of antibiotics! WTF. How would you even get an infection 6 weeks after a c-section? I was so distracted by the severe pain of him taking a sample via needle of the sore area I didn't ask why or how I'd get an infection this much later. Any ideas or has anyone else dealt with cellulitis?
Until last week, I've had no
issues with the recovery... the wound healed very quickly, and seemed
sealed almost immediately. That's why an infection this much later just
seems weird!!
Re: Repost: C-Section Infection 6 Weeks Later?
I have had nothing but problems with my c/s incision!! It was mildly infected when I left the hospital, so I was on amoxicillan for one week.
At 2weeks 2 days post partum, I woke up and went to the washroom and saw that it had seemingly "split" open in a very small area just to the left of the centre and was oozing. I nearly blacked out and went to urgent care. The dr there put me on a different antibiotic which I wasn't able to BF on.
5 days later that same dr called b/c the swab came back and the antibiotic she'd originally prescribed would not kill the infection, so she switched to another (still unable to bf on it!). I had an allergic reaction to that med after 5 days of being on it. So we're now looking at 17 days of antibiotics, plus whatever they gave me while I was still in the hospital.
During these times, I was doing my own wound care, using non-stick gauze and paper tape and changing it every few hours. Because of the fact that it wasn't able to breathe properly, it started developing "granulation tissue" which eventually turned into a huge bump, 2" long by 1/2' wide. My ob finally told me he was going to refer me to a specialist.
The specialist used silver nitrate to burn off the granulation tissue, leaving a hole of the same size and about an inch deep below it. Their nurse packed it and set up home care for me to continue to have it packed, every other day, for possibly up to 3 months!! I've had someone coming in since 6 weeks pp (I'm 9 weeks now) and it's already healed 91%!! This gives me hope!!
I have no idea why you would develop an infection this late after your c/s but I just wanted you to know that you're definitely not alone in this crappy healing process and hopefully you'll be 100% once that course of antibiotics are done!! Good luck, I'll be thinking of you and hoping you don't have to go down this road that I'm on!!
Wow, I am so sorry to hear you are going through this!! Sending healing vibes your way... thanks for putting my issue in perspective, obviously could be so much worse. Feel better soon!
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I've had more problems with this c-section than my previous 2. This one was more difficult to heal from. I wear a compression garment every day to keep the skin from hanging over the incision. If I don't wear it, the skin rubs, causes a rash and I end up having parts of the incision gap open. I brought it to my OB's attention and she just blew me off with "yeah it happens". But I've never had that happen with my other ones. I was concerned and scared my incision would open entirely. I had about 4 spots over the 6-7 inch incision that was open and it got infected. I just cleaned it with alcohol and neosporin.
Now I'm losing more weight and my OB will sign off on a letter of medical necessity to get a tummy tuck and remove the extra skin that isn't retracting from the weight loss. So I'm eager to be past all of the infections soon.
Ive had nothing but problems with my c-cestion either. As a PP said, I woke up to go to the bathroom one night and seemed to have come apart. There was so much blood I was sure that my insides were falling out and I had to be rushed by ambulance to the ER. They said that several hematomas that had formed under the incision. It had to be manually drained twice which was the most horrible pain imaginable and developed an infection. The antibiotic for that caused me to be sick to my stomach constantly. I have had to do my own wound care as well, changing the dressing often.
I am 8 weeks out, and still have the drainage and they didnt give me any answer as to when I could expect it to get better. Im getting worried now, because now it feels like every time I stand up, I have to like ratchet myself up slowly or the pain on the one side is excruciating and radiates to my hip. I tried calling the ob today, as taking pain meds has not seemed to help at all, and I was on hold for 30 minutes, and still never got to talk to anyone. I left a message and have yet to hear back. =(
I hope that you get better soon.. and that everyone else dealing with this does too!
Wow that sounds way worse than mine!! Like I said, I had to get a second opinion after 6 weeks before I got any where as far as healing. I'd maybe ask for a second opinion since your doctors seem so dismissive!! I am having it packed every other day, but aside from that, I don't really have much pain, definitely not compared to what you're describing. Definitely not normal!!! Good luck!!