need to complain a minute about recovery.

jellolz

ugh. i have developed a pretty good sized hematoma along my incision line, but it's really big near my left hip. it's hard, and makes my incision feel like it's going to rip open. it hurts, and i'm so frustrated. i thought i would recover like you're supposed to, and go on with my life. of course not.

 my OB says it will reabsorb on its own, or he will split my incision back open so that i have to pack it to make it heal from the inside out. it's no smaller than it started, and while it didn't hurt at first, it's starting to now. it's big enough that you can see a big hard lump on my stomach on the one side.

i'm going to call a general surgeon in town tomorrow and try to get an appointment to see if he can drain it with a needle. i've been researching, and i can't just let the thing alone for who knows how long... you can't lift anything until it's gone (and i have a three year old) and if your body decides NOT to reabsorb it, it turns into scar tissue. i don't want a huge ass lump of scar tissue sticking out of my belly.

i'm just having a bad day, i guess. i went through so much to give a couple two babies, and i've had to deal with so much CRAP because of it (this, a month in the hospital on bed rest... AND the hospital was four hours away from my husband and daughter, 16 weeks of morning sickness...) I just wish God would cut me a break! 

tawillers

I am so sorry you're having a rough time, but I wanted to say that what you did is amazing.  I'd love to hear your story if you're willing to share.

mlf625

I'm so sorry.  That sounds really uncomfortable.  

Good luck with the general surgeon, I hope they can help. 

PBear93

tawillers:

I am so sorry you're having a rough time, but I wanted to say that what you did is amazing.  I'd love to hear your story if you're willing to share.

I agree with this completely! 

thishappyhouse

Im so sorry!  I too had a very large hematoma post delivery.  Unfortunately mine bled out my incision 7 days PP and put me back in the hospital for a week for IV antibiotics.  I was given the choice to pack and drain it but ultimately decided to let it reabsorb.  The pain was much better after 3 or 4 weeks and I felt completely normal after 8 weeks.  Recovery may have been faster if I had it drained, but I really feared more complications.  

I think talking to a general surgeon or an interventional radiologist is a good idea.  Please also monitor your temp closely to be sure you don't develop an infection.  Free fluid (blood) is often a perfect breeding ground for infection.   

jellolz

thishappyhouse:

Im so sorry!  I too had a very large hematoma post delivery.  Unfortunately mine bled out my incision 7 days PP and put me back in the hospital for a week for IV antibiotics.  I was given the choice to pack and drain it but ultimately decided to let it reabsorb.  The pain was much better after 3 or 4 weeks and I felt completely normal after 8 weeks.  Recovery may have been faster if I had it drained, but I really feared more complications.  

I think talking to a general surgeon or an interventional radiologist is a good idea.  Please also monitor your temp closely to be sure you don't develop an infection.  Free fluid (blood) is often a perfect breeding ground for infection.   

it makes me really happy to hear that your's reabsorbed. i am 2 weeks postpartum, and mine hurts pretty bad sometimes. i am draining what looks like motor oil out of my incision, but not enough to make a dent in the size of the hematoma. if reopen and pack it is my only choice, then i'll let it be, but i want to see if i can have it drained. if the general surgeon is of the same "wait and see" approach, then i'll wait and see. i just want to hear it from more than one person, you know? (this general surgeon does all of the vascular stuff here too {small town}, so he's got experience with this). i am on clindamycin right now, just to make sure i don't get infected... the dr said if it DOES get infected, that we have no choice but to reopen it.

 

and sorry i didn't double quote, but for the two of you that wanted to hear my story- i had a family member that suffered IF, thought about offering to be her surro, and when she got pg on her own... i though, well, i suppose i could help someone else! i found an agency i loved, and ended up being matched with a wonderful couple that the mom had a complete hysterectomy at 29. our first cycle was canceled due to the egg donor overstimming, and then the second cycle, we put back two pretty blasts, and they got two pretty little girls out of it on 8/13! 

jhleap

My hematoma caused my incision to break open the day I got home from delivery, and the first Dr. wanted me to pack it to let it heal. Go see a surgeon, the second Dr. I worked with did not believe packing the wound was the best course of action as it can sometimes make it take longer to heal... we left the incision open to drain and today (12 days later) it is completely closed. Scar will not be pretty where it opened, but I am relieved to not have had an open wound for longer than necessary.