Scar numbness etc - don't get it...

harmonicbabe26

So question or maybe more of a comment on the whole numb scar/incision area issue...

I had my appendix taken out when I was younger. If you know anything about where they cut you, it is really not that far from where the c/s incision is. Same - bottom of belly, though more on the right, under the panty line, you can't really see if when wearing a swim suit. Also, it is about the same size (length) as a c/s incision would be. It is also a major abdominal surgery etc...

I don't recall any major issues, healing problems, unbearable pain, numbness or weird sensitivity...

Why do so many ladies seem to freak out so much about a c/s incision?? I am facing a c/s due to a stubborn breech baby and I've been thinking about this a lot. It just hit me now that I already have a scar on my tummy. It's been a few years since the appendectomy but my life was never affected by it really. If I remember correctly - sure it was hard to move at first, but I was up and running in no time. My skin on and around the scar is as sensitive as ever, the scar is very pale and flat, no weird healing issues...

Why is everybody making the c/s healing and scarring sound so awful?

Just wondering, not trying to make anyone feel bad or start a huge argument.

Comments?

magdalina.h

The scar and the recovery weren't bad. It's hard to care for a newborn right after major abdominal surgery. It's also more healing because the uterus has to shrink back down, the hole from the placenta has to close up. I assume there is more involved with the pulling, tugging, and general procedure to the c/s than getthing the appendix taken out.

ETA: A lot of women go through hours worth of labor before having a c/s so their body is beat up both ways.

marissaw5

magdalina.h:

The scar and the recovery weren't bad. It's hard to care for a newborn right after major abdominal surgery. It's also more healing because the uterus has to shrink back down, the hole from the placenta has to close up. I assume there is more involved with the pulling, tugging, and general procedure to the c/s than getthing the appendix taken out.

ETA: A lot of women go through hours worth of labor before having a c/s so their body is beat up both ways.

I agree with all of this. Your body is just going through a lot of changes in a short amount of time as well. You think about all the ways it had to adjust to grow a baby- in a very short amount of time the baby is out and your body has to re-adjust. I will say though, I labored for 36 hours before having a CS and my recovery (from the surgery) was cake. I guess that means with my RCS recovery should be something even better than cake! I had no issues with my scar, pain, feeling back to normal, etc. I did have a super bad spinal headache from the epidural though, so you also have to remember that each one is different and can result in different complications. 

skio

It's all about one's personal experience. You had an easy recovery from your appendectomy, I'm sure some people have horrible recoveries from the same surgery. Some people have easy recoveries from c-sections, some people don't. Don't forget that some women labor for many hours before having c-sections, which tends to make recovery harder. And as someone above mentioned, having a baby has huge emotional, hormonal, and psychological aftereffects, unlike any other surgery, abdominal or not.

I had numbness around my incision for about 9 months. I don't know why, but I don't care. I had it. I certainly didn't "freak out" about it. And my scar is dark, raised, and ugly. But whatever. I have a healthy baby and that's all that matters to me in the end.

Don't judge other people for how good or bad their experience was. If your appendectomy recovery went well, hopefully your c/s recovery will go well, too.

mben1119

You were lucky.  My husband had abdominal surgery as a child, and still has numbness around his scar.  My c-section incision opened up 2x now, and is still not healed more than 9 weeks PP.  Not everyone's experience is the same, and it is awful for some of us.

nmeissner25

I think everyone has there own experiance with there recoveries and are all different. I hear alot of people that had great recoveries and everything went fine, me on the hand had alot of troubles with my recovery from it i had bleeding from my incision a week after surgery and so i had a long battle ahead with the healing process wont go into too much detail. I dont mind the scar cant even notice it while wearing a swim suit or underwear its noticeable at all.

jb2rn

Did you have a lap? A lap incision is tiny and nothing like the csection incision. My recovery wasn't awful, but as others said , you are caring for a newborn, so that means no sleep after surgery, trying to breastfeed (and the uterine cramps that come with that), and the emotional up and down due to hormones.

samm1983

mabenner1:

You were lucky.  My husband had abdominal surgery as a child, and still has numbness around his scar.  My c-section incision opened up 2x now, and is still not healed more than 9 weeks PP.  Not everyone's experience is the same, and it is awful for some of us.

I agree.  Everyone is different.  My incision is still partially open 15 weeks PP. Everybody's recovery is different.

bworth83

I think that woman who freak out about a scar, to me, is ridiculus. I had to have a c-section and this is my first child. To me its my war scar n I am happy to c it becuase I know my son came out healthy and fine becuase of this. If you truly care about a scar... shouldn't u jus be happy that u have a child becuase of it. I mean yes people do heal differently n i know i had sum major problems with my pregnancy due to a ddrunk driver hitting me while beign pregnant..... But still I can look at my son and just b so happy. Screw the scar. I wouldn't care how it looks... I haven't lost all my baby weight n im still adjusting to b a new mom But i love my body and i love my son.

annabelle.27

Everyone heals differently. I've heard people talk about "nasty" c-section scars, but mine is a pencil-thin, faint, white line. You have to hunt for it to see it. My recovery was also quite easy. But I've known women who weren't so lucky.

meleenae

I think it is just a lot all at once on your body.  Birth, the surgery (cutting your skin, moving muscle, cutting your uterous, removing the baby - which you can feel by the way) and then being a mom to a newborn, breastfeeding and trying to rest and recover while you aren't sleeping.

With that said it's not that bad.  I was frustrated at not being able to exercise for 6 weeks and not being able to lift anything heavier then the baby for 3 weeks and not being able to drive for two weeks.  My husband had to go back to work a few days after our son was born and it was hard to be on my own reocvering from surgery with a baby.  But yeah, if everything goes smoothly, within 6-8 weeks you'll be back to your old self.  Good luck!

RA1109

Everyone is different. My csection was a breeze.  I couldn't feel anything unlike the pp (baby coming out), I have a tiny little scar that you almost can't see at all, I have no csection pooch, recovery wasn't painful, I was was completely back to normal 4 weeks pp, and sex wasn't painful at 6 weeks.

 

My  vaginal birth however was pure hell and required total reconstructive surgery that mangled my lady bits and didnt heal for 2 years, during which time I was pooping out of my vagina. My parts and bowels are still a mess. My csection experience was awesome and well deserved! 

salsa_wifey

Everyone heals differently.  My scar healed nice and flat on one side and healed outward on the otherside.  Not that big of a deal but since I'm doing a repeat, I asked if they could fix it.  My scar tissue was very sensative for a long time but I think that's normal.  I did have some electric shock feelings which sucked but that's normal when your nerve endings are reconnecting.  I didn't get the dreadful "flap" but after 2 year and 7 months, I still have not regained full feeling from below my belly button to my incision.

My dad had abdominal surgery and his symptoms were very similar to mine.

Overall it was a temporary thing that never really affected me either.  I don't like the numbness but most of my feeling is back so it's not nearly as annoying.