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My son was delivered by emergency c-section on May 28, 2005 and on the day we were due to come home (6/1/05) my incision began to become red and swollen. They took out the staples, gave me a bag of iv antibiotic and a prescription for oral antibiotics and allowed me to go home with the understanding that I needed to see my OB the next day. Well, by the next day, there was the hole about the size of a dime. OB said it looked fine and to just keep changing guaze as it oozed. Since I hadn't any fever he wasn't concerned. Well, that hole was the size of a quarter or so by 6/5 and there were other holes developing. So I was back to the office, where they "dehisted" the wound. My wound ended up being about 11cm long by 3 1/2cm wide with one very deep pit. They told me that 4 other women that delivered within the same 24 hours as me had this happen to their incisions too and so they were reporting it to epidimiology. So now I have the visiting nurse (at first 2xs now 1x each day) and back to my OB once a week (about an hour away). It has really been hard - I am on maternity leave and this is affecting my time with my son before I have to get back to work, it has hurt my milk supply and ability to nurse comfortably, it definitely has harmed my self-esteem because it makes you feel so disgusting - I don't want to look at me so how can my husband?! Plus I thought my troubles were over - when I was 15 weeks pregnant I had surgery to remove my left ovary because of a very large tumor that was discovered during my first ultrasound! I did a lot of reading and research on pregnancy and childbirth and this was not a complication of a c-sections that I ever read about! With it being as common as it is they really should tell you more about it! And to think some women schedule a c-section like a pedicure!

I had my c-section on 2/10/05 and my incision opened up two weeks after the staples were removed...I had something they called a seroma, and I have been healing for almost 5 months now. I have packed it with all types of meds and solutions, as well as with gauze soaked in a solution. My daughter just turned 5 months old and I still have a hole in my incision the size of a half dollar. The skin has yet to close. This is my second c-section and I had no problems the first time...I think that there was negligence in the procedure. I will never have another c-section.

I had my 2nd c section on 6/7/05. Just withing the last 2 days do I feel the incison burning and stinging. I believe I may even have some oozing. Is this normal? I didn't have this with the first section...HELP

I had the same thing happen to me. They bandaged me up, and have been checking on me every 2 weeks. It feels like it is burning. I really can't see it cause of my stomach being still swollen. But I got a mirror and looked at it. The skin is not completely closed so it is still open. I spoke with a nurse that I know and she said it take about 4 mths for it to completely heal.

Wow!! I can't believe how many of us have had similar problems. On july 5th I had surgery to remove a cyst near my kidney. They went through my c-sectiion scar and extended it laterally. On the 13th when they took stiches out there was extensive hematoma and 6 cm opened up with a 3 cm tunnel. It had been oozing alot for a couple days. I now have daily home nurse visits. I am very excited about something called a wound-vac. I am supposed to get one tomorrow! I am told my wound may heal in 2-3 weeks and with better cosmetic results too! Has anyone else used this? I'll let you know how it goes. Best wishes to all for a full recovery. Jeannie

THIS HAPPENED TO ME!!!!! You are the first one I have heard of this happening!!! WOW! The night I was discharged, I was laying on the couch and reached for the remote! Fluid gushed everywhere! I went in and they opened it ALL THE WAY! Cleaned it out and stuffed it with gauze that was dipped in sterile saline. They must have put about 3 yards in! Then they covered it with a huge maxi pad and taped it to my stomach and said it would have to heal on it's own! It was a nasty huge gaping hole that went hip bone to hip bone and was about 3 inches deep! I changed the gauze 4-6 times a day and it took amost 12 weekd to close. When it did close there was a huge hotdog type lump that eventually went down and a bigger than normal scar. You can really see where I had the section and that was 6 yrs ago. The doc said it was a great thing that it poped open, because all that fluid would have pooled and become infected and it would have been bad! I'm so sorry. It will be a long recovery, but it will close.

i had the same thing happen to me and leaded to 10 months of nurses attending daily to treat my wound it then closed but yestarday had opend up again phone the nhs and they said they cant do nothing :O

You should have called your ob and he/she should have met you at the hospital to look at you. Something is definitely wrong if your incision opens up after 5 days. I had my staples taken out after 5 days and my incision was scabbed over after only 2 days, no reason for it to open. Call your ob and make sure they see you right away, they shouldnt have discharged you from the hospital if you were open.

im am so frustrated at this point i gave birth by csection on 5-5-5 to a beautiful baby girl aislinn. well the day i went to discharge i fed her, stood up and out came gallons of blood and ooze...its now been three months of packing cleaning with dakins and using zerophorm to get it to heal...my wound has healed from 6 inches deep by 8 inches long to 5 inches long and 1cm deep but the problem is a wide patch that will not pull up to the top part of the incision i am a larger girl so they are blaming that... its summer i want to go swimming where i want to!!! not just be restricted to the ocean and private pools i want to exercise to lose weight... i have a odor coming from it and i feel so unnattractive my husband cleans it for me and i go to a wound clinic twice a week now which before was everyday then 3x a week with a 2 yr old and a 12 week old its getting annoying i want my life back now there trying to tell me i need surgery like a tummy tuck... does anyone think that this could be neglect??whos fault is this why are staples taken out 4 days later?this is the first time i have expressed my self about this situation because i dont know anyone who was going through this it frustrates me to see all these women having to deal with something that seemingly good be avoided am i wrong?

I have been looking for answers for so long and I am so happy to find this site. I had the same thing happen in May of 04. It was terrible and my husband or my dad had to pack my wound 3x a day. No one had answers and my own doctor would say I had an infection and then another would say I did not but It opened do to a lot of fluid because of my emergency c-section. Did all of you have emergency c-sections? I am still having pain in the incision area a year latter and I can not get any answers. Just medication. Anyone else having pain after incision closes again? Is there a way we can contact eachother personally? I would love to chat with someone who has had the same experience and may have some information. The doctors seem to think the pain is from scar tissue. Pleas Sarah go to a doctor!!! You need to care for the incision. You could get even more sick!

My e-mail-darlenemc@sbcglobal.net. Also I developed a hernia from the first surger and incision opening and had to have another surgery to "clean up the scar tissue" and fix the hernia. I thought the pain would go away after second surgery but same pain came back on the right side. I also had a tubal ligation with my c-section. PLEASE HELP!

I had something called a seroma after my staples were removed after my c section. I had to pack the "hole" with special packing and flush it with a slat saline twice a day for the last 7 weeks now. the hole started out 4 inches long and 3 inches deep, here i am 7 weeks later its about 2 inches long and 1'4 in deep. The only pain i have felt with all of this was the tearing out of dry guaze before each dressing change. It's been hell but my daughter was worth it all. Good luck to you

im not a dr shelly but my wound specialist uses a wet dressing called zerophyorm it really works its a yellow dressing that is coated in a lubricated pteroleum jelly like substance it cause no pain and you can buy it at walmart the dry dressing will continue to keep it open due to ripping the skin i would try that

Lauren, My hole has not healed up either and now we are on our sixth month. My doctor has st_tched me, but it pulled apart and I still have seeping and an odor as well... I understand the not feeling attractive part. This has made my life a nightmare. The doctors act so nonchalant about it. They keep saying eventually it will close or I will have to go to a plastic surgeon. When I had my first c-section, the doctor sewed me up, no staples and I healed just fine. Where in the world can we go to find answers? I feel as if the doctors will never have an anser. I am terrified of plastic surgery. What if that doesn't heal? What I don't understand is how they will st_tch up and close small wounds, but they will not do anything about a gaping hole in someone's abdomen. I hope someone out there has some way that we can be helped and made feel normal again.

sherry,i totally understand your frustration here i am on my 3rd month and in 2 weeks im going to have a consult with a plastic surgeon i may have to have a tummy tuck...i think maybe you should get a second opinion are you seeing a wound specialist? i am and hes really great but doesnt have answers either just that it happens with repeat csections well i think they need to come up with a better way of closing again dont you i wish this never happened sometimes but then again its all worth it for my daughter...sometimes i wish my husband would understand how i feel unattractive though the seeping and smell may be called fat necrosis thats what is coming out of mine!! i would try teh xeroform it really works also i would try a dakins solution which helps with the smell its 500 ml of water remove 1 tbl sppon of water and add 1 tbl spoon of bleach not the floral stuff just plain bleach it works really well for the smell i clean mine 2x a day and when i cant get a chance too i can smell the differance it makes it feel alot better too...dont be scared of the plastic surgeon we as women have been through worse between pregnancy and this that you can get through more to get it fixed!!! so sherry where are you from im from rhode island if you want yo ucan email me Lm0982@yahoo.com talk to u soon lauren

Go to your ob/gyn ASAP! I had the same thing happen and had an infectio and 4 surgerys after I am ok. Watch for temp. good luck