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I had a cesarean 7 days ago...went to the doc yesterday to have staples removed and I have cellulitus. I am now on anti-biotics and have been told it is a must to keep the area dry. Does anyone have any suggestions? I read the post about the diaper rash cream...has anyone had success with that? Thanks! Lisa (Liscola@aol.com)

TO liscola: Who had the diaper rash post? I did have a little infection in my incision and the best thing I found for keeping it dry and clean was unscented maxipads laided sideways in my underwear. VERY ABSORBANT...lol.

when i had my first son in 99 i believe i was st_tched and steri-stripped. i did the maxi pad across the incision as well and had no issues with the healing i had gained 70 lbs ith my son he was born by emergency c section at 9 lb 12 oz his head was stuck. i had no complecations with my healing and returned to work 2 weeks after with a thin scar line. however the area is still numb above the scar which i think is normal after having your nerves and muscles severed. im going for my 2nd c section on july 24th along with tubal ligation. I'm definitly glad i got to read these poss and now know what to look for incase of complications. i hope you all are doing much better now and good luck. my son turned 7 last sunday. he drives me crazy but its so cool to see them turn into such little people :)

My husband had a surgury where he needed to be stapled and his incision became infected ..he also had to have a nurse daily sterilize it and gauze the hole..very common for incisions to become infected...you didn't mention if you had a doctor look at it but you do need to..it wouldn't take very long to heal if taken care of properly..good luck

When i had a C-section in 2000, they stapled me. I had NO problems what so ever, NOR do i have any scaring, It all depends on your dr and how they elect to close it and care for it. Personally I would rather be stapled, I have had a LAP done, and they used st_tches and i have scars from the stiches. Each person has there own way of doing things. That is my opinion.

Hi! just to clarify something to help a few people who had comments above: According to Ob's i checked with, the holes that appear are not THE problem; they are merely a of the problem. A hole appears in the incision to signify that there is an infection INSIDE the site, and the body will not be able to heal until it produces a hole and permits the resulting ooze to have a place to escape until the healing process is complete. in other words, it is not the hole (s) that is the problem; it is the underlying infection/cleansing that the body is working to heal that CAUSES the hole. if your body did not make a hole for these fluids to escape, you would REALLY have a serious problem! If your site is puffy and painful with no hole, especially a few days AFTER the C-section, see your Ob. Chances are good that they will discover fluid exists under the incision site and they will MAKE a hole if your body hasn t already. the hole(s) is essential to the healing, and once opened, your body will not allow it to close until all fluid has escaped and the body feels there is no more infection to fight. so, the question remains: Why does the infection occur? why dont Ob's discuss or warn women about the likelihood of this event and the length of time it can take to heal you after the C?? the ER dr. i went to said his experience has been that on average, OVER 1 in 20 C-sections results in oozing that must be packed until the oozing stops and the hole closes. Yet none of us has heard of this before it happened to us! It s a frightening experience, esp. for those of us that had it for a long time-- one woman wrote here that hers is not finished after ONE YEAR! another is at 9 MONTHS! It is truly an awful thing to be aware that you are "open," and cannot complete the healing process because your body is thoroughly ticked off at something it feels is still not RIGHT. i think more warnings should be given, and more research ought to be done to improve this state of events. This problem is not common knowledge.

I had a c-section April 13, 2006. It's now June 20th, 2006 and I am still healing from infection in my incision. My dr used staples on me and he had to make 2 holes inside me for the pus to drain out. I have home care nurse everyday that has to pack the 2 holes so thy heal from the inside first. It's horrible to know that you have these 2 open holes in your stomach and it's taking forever to heal. I was never told about this and I also ended up getting a skin disease from it called cellulitis. I am not sure why dr don't inform their patients that this could happen. I am not sure why it happened either, maybe dirty utensils, who knows but it does happen and it's quite common to get infections with c-sections so I have been told afterwards. It's been over 2months and I am still not healed.

I also need some help>Had to have emer csection on may4,2006. its now july11th, and i have healed. however, i have developed ulcers on my abdomen, and have had a 'ma__s' in my stomach shortly after the csection. dr thinks its infected tissue. have had a sono done- there is a lot of scar tissue, and the ma__s is not made of fluid. have been on constant medication since surgery for infections. could this ma__s be fibroids? going tomorrow to dr to see about removing this thing...any ideas what it could be? also wanting to get tubes tied or a full hyst...please help...so tired of having this growth...will not go away.

Hello all. I'm a nurse and can tell you that any oozing of fluid and non-healing wounds after two weeks is NOT normal. Please check with your doc ASAP and ask about fungal infection such as yeast, and bacterial infections such as necrotizing faciitis (flesh eating bact), and MRSA. Infections are not uncommon--you can get them at home, hospital or anywhere, that's why you can't sue if a post-op wound gets infected. Your skin carries natural bacteria that you are never entirely rid of. However, if you have concerns about your wound condition, and your Dr. b__ws you off, get a second, third, fourth or tenth opinion!! Take care of yourselves!! Be your own advocates. Staples vs. sutures is a preference--there is no difference between the healing ability, but staples are done more quickly than sutures, and are usually less painful to remove, unless the doc uses a dissolving suture. He wouldn't with a c-section, though. Most dos will use steri strips as well to keep the skin together. If you are concerned about healing or are overweight, you should ask if a drain could be placed in your incision to prevent blood clots and allow excess fluid from acc_mulating and causing infection. C sections are MAJOR abdominal surgery. Even if you have had one, most docs will now deliver v____ally. It's called VBAC- vag birth after c-sect. I'm sorry that so many of you have had complications. Obesity, smoking and diet are huge contributors to poor healing outcomes. I will be having a c-sect b/c I'm oregnant with twins and need to have a scheduled birth. And it's safer for the babies. But I would prefer v____ally if birth position would allow. Take care all!

My opinion, you can refer back to my previous postings. I am allergic to fake earrings, if i wear anything other than real good, my ears get really bad. I think the staples do have lots to do with it.

i had my c-section 10/26/07 i got cellulitis staph, it was re-opened, drained, and packed daily for two weeks!(THE WORST PAIN EVER) finnaly i was able to remove the packing and it healed right away, thank god. i still have some numbness above the cut. i have a hardness where the infection was and then another softer hardness along the insion. the sides sometimes have a stingy feeling or sharp pain, my skin is also sensative to the touch, the doc sd that was yeast but i have taken about 6 diflucan till last week, and i was a small woman, my stomach went down rapidly with my first son and now my stomach is still huge but the rest of me is small??? ARE THESE FEELINGS EVER GOING TO GO AWAY, AND HOW LONG? please ladies dont let any doctor shove u off, these are very serious infections and MRSA is contagous, PLEASE MAKE THEM DO A CULTURE AND EXAMIN YOUR WOUND SITE, AND NEVER SHOULD THERE BE ANY OOZING, THIS IS A DEADLY INFECTION!!!!!YOUR BABIES NEED YOU!!! I KNOW ONLY GOD HEALED ME, U ALL R IN MY PRAYERS!

Charity, I had my 4th csection. Didn't do anything the first two weeks as advised, then somehow tore 3 st_tches. They used bond glue but still open. Also got lumpy. He fixed the scar from my 2nd section and it looked great until I tore st_tches. Now, it is still opened and even worse, it looks like I got that loose flab. Did yours go away right away or did it take some time? All the other sections, dr. did not take their time but this time my dr. made sure to tuck the old scar under and sew me up real good inside. Is that what you mean by sew muscles back together? I need this to close up and I need to lose the flab. It is 4 weeks since my last c-section. I would really appreciate any info you can give me. Very self conscious over this.