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I am so glad i found this site!! i have been going crazy trying to figure out these pains i am having on my left side and on the internal part of my incision. i am 8 weeks post opt. i quit bleeding 2weeks ago but if i am on my feet for to long i start gushing blood again and having that sharp pain throughout my insicion. If any one has has this please let me know. bernadette@ebeeson.com

Hi bernadette, Did you see your doc for your six week appt yet? I felt pain and sorness for about three months after c-section. Eight weeks along I was still in pain. The bleeding did not go away for me for sometime. As soon as the bleeding subsided about two weeks later I got my regular period. YUCK! Hang in there and ask your doc is there anything you can do to feel better. I just started having soreness and pain again after two years. They didn't find anything. I guess for certain people our bodies will never be the same after surgery. Good luck and keep us posted. Try to take it easy.

I have the same problem. Left side, 7 mos after C section. It bothered me after 2 mos, so I consulted my OB/GYN who said, "relax, take time, looks fine to me." Now, after months of pain and swelling and not being able to sit up right or hold baby right, I went back to her and now to a surgeon. Surgeon believes it is improper st_tches from the actual c section. And, that the muscles have torn apart. I must go for surgery to correct problem, get some kind of mesh inside to hold my self together, and it will be 4-6 weeks recovery. I feel angry about this. My little baby is just starting to crawl and b___st feeding is going so well. However, as I heel, I won't be able to nurse him, so he must go on bottle (which he cries and rejects.) Ugh. Well, he'll be fine... hope I will be too in time. Thank you all for sharing your woman-wonderful insights.

Update: Still have the pain and swelling. I had the blood tests and ultrasound and surprise, nothing was detected. The next step is to schedule the lap. Take care and talk to you soon.

I have been reading these responses regarding abdominal pain after caesarean sections. I had my only son four years ago and since the section, my scar has only hurt a little bit. However, I do have a small lump on the right side of my scar. Everytime my husband and I have intercourse it seems to hurt more, and it also aches around the time of my period. Now I think I may be pregnant again and I don't want whatever this is to hurt the baby or me. Does endometriosis, if left untreated, cause infertility (I had a negative pregnancy test last time around but have to test again in seven days), or can it be harmful to the baby or to the mother? What about hernias? I can't believe it's been four years and I just never thought about going to see a doctor about this. I just figured it'd be something that would resolve itself over time--that's what the doctor who delivered my baby told me during my six-week checkup. Thanks in advance for all your advice.

Information regarding swelling in the caesarean section scar (found online at http://pmj.bmjjournals.com/cgi/content/full/76/896/376b Q1: What is the differential diagnosis? The differential diagnosis of this swelling with late onset after surgery include organised haematoma, st_tch abscess granulomatosis, incisional hernia, endometrioma, and neoplasm which is either intra-abdominal or neoplasm of the abdominal wall itself as sarcoma, desmoid tumour, or metastatic cancer. Q2: What investigations should you consider? An ultrasound scan will help to determine if the ma__s is cystic or solid and exclude underlying intra-abdominal pathology. This was done and showed a 2 cm hyperechoic area in the abdominal wall musculature with no posterior defect, which excluded the possibility of incisional hernia. There was no a__sociated intra-abdominal pathology. Ultrasound scan showed 2 × 2 cm hyperechoic area in the abdominal wall musculature with no posterior abdominal wall defect. Other investigations which could be considered include computed tomography and fine needle aspiration cytology. Q3: How would you treat this patient? Surgical exploration of the scar and excision of the swelling should be considered. This was performed and there was 2 × 2 cm firm ma__s in the subcutaneous tissue which was extremely adherent to the anterior rectus sheath. The sheath was partially excised to ensure complete removal of the ma__s. Histopathology examination of the resected tissue confirmed the presence of endometriosis. Discussion The cause of surgical scar endometriosis is believed to be iatrogenic transplantation of endometrium into the surgical wound particularly during late pregnancy and delivery where endometrial tissue has the maximum potential for ectopic implantation. The reported incidence after term or near term caesarean sections ranges from 0.1%-0.4%. The endometrial tissue inoculum is subsequently stimulated by oestrogens to proliferate until it becomes large enough to cause symptoms. The time interval between surgery and the onset of symptoms is variable and ranging from a few months to several years with average interval of 4.5 years. ***Incisional endometriosis usually occurs in the right side of the scar as it is the usual side of the operator and it is densely attached to fascia.*** The typical presentation is a tender ma__s adjacent to surgical scar of gynaecological procedure. The tenderness is usually intermittent and is a__sociated with the menstrual cycle, but this pattern is not always present. The rare incidence and late onset with slow and intermittent progression of symptoms after surgery is usually misleading and is the main cause of misdiagnosis. It is also interesting to note that incisional endometriosis is rarely found in a__sociation with symptoms or findings of pelvic endometriosis. Medical treatment of surgical scar endometriosis is similar to treatment of other forms of endometriosis but it only produces temporary alleviation of symptoms followed by recurrence after cessation of the treatment. Therefore, surgical excision is the treatment of choice and should include the ma__s and a clean surgical margin which may include part of the rectus sheath in order to prevent recurrence. Synthetic mesh may be necessary to close large defects of rectus sheath. A preoperative period of suppression of ovulation may be considered to reduce vascularity of the lesion, which may facilitate surgery and reduce postoperative complications. Final diagnosis Incisional endometriosis.

I had an emergency C-section 3 months ago, after laboring for 18 hours. Everything went well, even though I hated having had to be cut, and I did have pain and still can feel my inside being sore. It hurts to have s_x and it's just uncomfortable all together. My concern is the bulging belly. I look I am 5 months pregnant, and I can't go anywhere without people congratulating me and asking me when is my due date. It's not just regular fat stomach, it's very hard to touch and high as when I was pregnant. I went to doctor yesterday and they looked with ultrasound and said everything looks good it's probably my abdominal muscles, and that it can't be corected, only with cosmetic surgery. She also said that next ime I have a baby, I should ask in advance to have them sew my muscles back together before they close me up...suggesting C-Section again...What if I don't have more kids? She said it's part from pregnancy and part from the way they pull them appart while doing c-section. Shouldn't they put everything back together the way it's supposed to be before they close you up? I am very confused and quite upset. I cant wear regular close since my stomach is very hard, so I have to wear pregnancy clothes..etc. I am devastated. Thank you for sharing your stories. It feels good to know I am not alone. Stay well and keep writing.

I wrote a few weeks ago regarding my surgery - the removal of a lump at the end of my c-section scar. My surgeon got results back from pathology and it turns out the lump was incisional endometriosis. He suggested I see my gyno again to determine if I need hormonal therapy to keep the endo from returning. So that is my next step! I am so glad to have the lump out of me and have had no pain in that area other than the surgery healing. Both my gyno and my surgeon ruled out incisional endometriosis in the beginning because it is rare, but that is what it turned out to be. Pain is not normal - get it checked out! I'm so glad I know what was causing my pain and can now be proactive about it. Hope this helps!

I had the same thing from day one. I could barely even walk 2 months after the surgery. It's now 6 months later and my OBGYN says it's perminant but can't pin-point why it happened but "a__sured" me it wasn't the doctor's fault. I think she is covering up for her partner. All tests keep coming back clear but there is something very wrong.

WEll i DOnt have that type of pain .. I have this numbness in the lower middle of my stomach.. I was just wondering do other girls have that from there c-section.. I had my back in Nov 2003 .. sry i cant respond to the other feelings.... I was just wondering if anyone else was numb

Ok, I'm up as of 1:30 am, worried because my pulling and dull pain that I have been experiences since I had my son, 3 years and 4 months ago, has now become more of a sharp, burning pain as of tonight. Now, I have gone to see a surgeon, last year. He did not want to do anything invasive. He just had me cough lying down and standing up several time to see if it was a hernia. He couldn't feel anything and told me to come back in 6 months for a follow up. I didn't go, because nothing had changed and he was 2 1/2 hours away from where I live. Let me back up a bit to say that a year after I had Samuel, I went to my OBGYN and told her about my pain. She said it was possible it was a hernia (did the cough thing with me) and then said she didn't feel anything. She said that if it was a hernia, it would get worse and I there would be no doubt that I need to go to ER right a way. Well, I am just concerned about "going under" as some of you have already said as well. At any rate, this kind of pain is the kind that you just wish would go away. For me, it is on my right side of my lower abs near my pelvic bone. I was just nervous about the thought of having to have a surgery and I couldn't sleep anymore until I found out if there were others who experienced this type of pain. As others have stated, I am so glad to see so many people sharing on this topic. I'm not glad that we all have this problem, but I am glad we have a support group here. I don't know what I'm going to do as of now. It's very possible that I will be checking on it soon, if the pain gets progressively worse or begins to last longer. However, I know that I will be mentioning it at my next annual in April. I'm grateful to all of you who have share your triumphs over this problem. I pray that we will all have that relief soon. I think I can go to bed now. I'll check in later.

ladies - I have similar symptoms to you all and my GP has diagnosed incisional endo which is being followed up by a gynaecologist asap. What I'm wondering is if any of you have had any legal advice??? I was told that it occurs when the obgyn doesnt rinse the scarline properly of all uterine tissue when he closes up after the C-section. This sounds negligent to me. Any comments?

I had my first c-section 7 months ago. I started getting a sharp pain about 1 inch above my incision - on the inside. It feels bruised to the touch...and there is a small lump I can feel on the inside. I went to the doctor last week and he ordered a CT scan...I go tomorrow for it. I am also now getting some pains on the left hand side. The doc thinks it is a hernia - because I said the pain started after I had a bowel movement. I have searching and searching for other women who have gone through this - and frankly I am saddened to see all of us on here who are having pains months after our c-sections without any explanations. I will post again once I get the results of the CT scan. Anyone with similar pains and maybe their story email me at: debthe@yahoo.com

Christie, Thank you for your posts. I am really happy for you!! With your advice and results many of us might be posating messages similar to you in the very near future. Take care and check in on us every once in awhile. :)

Hi, In response to Emma, and the legal issue. I too, was wondering, and happened to mention it to a friend, who is a doctor...he was very quick to "shut me down". I get the distinct immpression that 'they' (drs.) stick together, and the chances of actually making any progress is slim.(in legal action) I would be curious though if anyone has been successful in a courtcase against a dr. Also, I am in Canada, and I am not sure where a lot of you are from...and how it may work in different countries. Anyway...I continue to check this site...because I am AMAZED at how many there are with similar situations. Take care all, TJ

Thx for your reply TJ. I have done a lot of reading, and endometriosis is not mentioned anywhere as a risk or possible complication of C-section. This is an avenue I will certainly pursue if my laproscopy confirms my diagnosis, if only because my anger is rising while I WAIT so long to be reviewed by my obgyn. And I'm sure my anger will overflow if he bills me for services to correct the problem! I am in Australia - I'm sure the legal issues are different everywhere - but what I find out I will post here. You're right, they do stick together....