Left Sided Abdominal Swelling And Pain After C Section

511 Replies
kara - December 29

To all you women!I have had 2 c/sections.1.5 yrs after having my daughter I went through the same things as you guys! I was told I had a hernia,I was told I had IBS because it occurs on your left side,and after a 2 yr painful ordeal of pinching,twisting,numbness,and a lump inside where my c/section scar was I was diagnosed with endometriosis.Not cla__sic endo where it affects your fertility and periods,but rather c/section endo.It's caused by adhesions and scar tissue.I finally had it operated on 2 yrs later and was the size of a baseball and hard.That was the culprit that had given me my pain.I also had severe bloating also.So I think the majority of women on here sound like they had what I had,but it's hard for the docs to actually see it as it mimics hernias. The lumps you feel are called nodules.Feels like a little marble smack dab in the middle of the pubic line.Hope you get answers soon.It's not serious,but more so bothersome of not knowing what it is.

 

michelle - January 2

Hi everyone, to the people who have a hard painful lump in their incision, it is called incisional endometriosis and if you take note the pain and the lump come and go with your periods. I find mine gets itchy about 2 or 3 days before my period starts and the pain and the lump stays for about 2 weeks. I hope this was helpful for someone.

 

luisa - January 2

I dont know if thats normal but i'am having the same problem! 3 mth. ago i had a repeat csection and my right side has been hurting and inflamed as well. my doc. says its only been 3 mths. and its supposed to hurt. but it didnt hurt this bad with my first! I recently talked to a lady friend who coincedently had the same problem and said she sufferd for 2 years going from doc. to doc. until finaly one doc told her it was that they probably stiched her ambdamen to thigt wich was causing all the pain! he decided to inject her with astrong mucsle numbing injection, and she says she has been fine ever since, wich was 6 yrs. ago . please e-mail me to see what your doc.tells you. so I can also act further upon my pain. I'am not registerd here but e-mail me @ breaddaddy@AOL.com thanks! I'd really aprish.

 

katharine - January 7

I had a repeat c-section on dec 14th 04 and have had a really hard recovery.I have pain on my left side about 2 to 3 inches above my incision.The doc told me it was pain from all the nerves trying to reconnect to each other. The pain has gotten a little better but i still have a long way to go. Good luck to everyone we are all in the same boat....

 

Cyndi - January 8

I've had 4 c-sections, the last one just 4 days ago. What you are describing is similar to the pain I had after my 2nd c-section 8 years ago. What happened is that I was doing fine until I decided to start exercising at the 6 week mark instead of waiting for the full 8 weeks after surgery. (Let's just say that when it comes to 8 weeks, docs mean what they say). While exercising I felt a very sharp pain and I started to bleed again. After that, my left side was very tender and I couldn't take any weight on it. Not sure if it was a hernia, etc. as I never had it checked out. This lasted until my 3rd c-section which I had in July 2004. After my 3rd c-section, I felt things were stronger on my left side. Not 100%, but about twice as good as before. The funny thing is that now that I've had my 4th c-section this week I ended up over-exerted myself using my right side to get out of bed at the hospital, that I have now hurt my right side. My suggestion is to talk with your doc, but mainly take things easy. It's so quick to hurt yourself when trying to recouperate.

 

Sujatha - January 10

Hi everybody, i am so glad i came across this site. i had a c section 4 months back and now my entire stomach area hurts really bad. i had a seperation that could turn to hernia . the doctor told me. but i was not expecting any pain. my first baby was by normal delivery and then i had this. i concieved when she was 7 months and was so sure i will have a normal one this time too. but the due date came and went and after one and half weeks after that i was called in for induction and then after four days of failed induction i had a c-section. i was miserable. i had no friends or family to help me out. iam basically from india and so this case. the friends who promised help before the birth got scared after i came home. they were to scared to deal with a baby or a sick women. so only after a week of help from my husband- he had to go back to work, no leave - i was left alone from 6 in the morning to 6 in the evening with a baby and a toddler of 18 months. i tried my best not to overwork. my husband was the greatest help and everything was getting good. now after four months the pain started not very often but now its gotten worse and now it hurts all the time. i read all the messages and decided to give my doctor a call. i thought it will go away on its own. she has asked me to come in tomorrow jan 11 at 10 in the morning. i hope she says it s hernia and nothing much. if they dont treat me here i can always go back to india and get it done. my mom had the same condition and she said i can get alright here. it seems the insurance dosent cover cases like this. i may not get the care i would get here but i can get the work done when i want and soon as possible. i dont know what the doctor is going to say tomorrow. i will post again

 

NicoleC - January 13

Hello fellow women, like Kara who posted on Dec. 29, I have been diagnosted with endometriosis---the post- c-section kind. I first noticed the small marble on my lower right abdomen 3 years after my C-Section (and 2 years 4 months after starting to menstruate again after my C-section). All the same symptoms--burning, radiating, pulling, and marked increase in size during menstruation and especially the first days after menstruation. I have been put on Seasonale for now---helps some. My doctors don't seem to know what to do. They don't want to prescribe radical hormone therapy (the kind that puts you in a fake menapausal state (I'm 35 years old) but they also seem very reluctant to let me have surgery to remove the ball. Intuitively, I can only guess that leaving it there is not a good thing and that although it shrinks and grows with the cycle, it may ultimately just get bigger and bigger. Kara or others who may have had the surgery or had hormone therapy---how is it going? Thanks and courage to all.

 

KimV - January 15

Same as most. 2nd Csec 7 weeks ago, major pain on my right side that wraps from the front over the hip onto the back. OB said wait 2 weeks to see if it is just nerves. If not better in 2 weeks, I will have an ultrasound to check for a hernia. Sounds like my OB is more proactive than most of the ones in the previous emails.... How long after hernia surgery are you out of commission?

 

Stephanie - January 17

Hi, I'm so glad that I found some many women with the same symptoms - I thought I was the only one with never-ending pain! My son turns 1 on Thursday and I've had a pain on my left side since approx. 8 weeks after a repeat c-section. I saw a midwife when my son was 6 months old and her answer was "you're doing too much; take it easy!" Which is a lot easier said then done with two kids! I keep thinking that the pain will go away - is hasn't. I actually wanted to hear from anyone who has had continued pain following a c-section and then gotten pg again...I want a 3rd child and I'm so afraid that the pain is something serious and I will not be able to carry another baby to full term. Anyone been there, done that??? Thanks so much.

 

NicoleC - January 18

Jolene and Kara, Thanks for your postings. How are you both recovering from the surgery to remove the lump? My surgeon is reluctant to perform surgery (I've had my lump for 5 months and this is 2.5 years after the C-section) and I'm trying to understand why when from all I have read it appears to be the best solution. For others trying to diagnose a lump, fyi, the diagnostic procedure my surgeon used was a needle aspiration (not too uncomfortable to do) to confirm that I had endomitrial tissue growing in my lower right abdomin. Also, fyi, terms for this can include abdominal endometrioma or extra-pelvic endometriosis. Best to all.

 

tina - January 21

I am 4 weeks post surgery and have severe pain in my stomach muscles can't understand the really sore spots as this is my second c-section and didn't experience any of this the first time ....what are adhesions? and where is the pain from them usually?

 

sharon - January 22

Ever since my c section 13 months ago, i have always been bothered with my lrft side of the scar. It swells alot and can be painful. i found it strange it was always my left side. i must see my doc about it.

 

Christine - January 24

It has been six months since c-sec and just the last 2 months have been bad, mostly the left side, 3 inches in from my hip bone. It gets worse with s_x and is sore when pressing on it. I thought maybe IBS but I don't have the other symptoms. It isn't cramping but bad pain - I caugh whooping cough so I have been coughing for almost 6 months! So checking with the doc - perhaps I pulled/herniated or ? something. Thank you - I can't believe there are so many of us with this!

 

mandi - January 25

I had a C-section almost 2 years ago and for more than 6 months I have been dealing with mild to severe pain in my left side, near my incision. It comes and goes with my period and it has been gradually getting worse. I went to the doctor today and she told me that it probably wasn't endometriosis b/c you shouldn't be able to feel anything, since it develops on the inside of your uterus. She went on to say that it is most likely an incisional hernia. I'm worried though b/c I've read articles stating that you can actually feel a lump with incisional endometriosis. I have an ultrasound and CT scan scheduled tomorrow, but now I fear a misdiagnosis. It does make me feel better to see this site and to know that I'm not the only one dealing with this problem.

 

Ange - January 26

Hi All; My daughter just turned 3 moths and I am still bleeding, (from both ends, sorry if too graphic)!! I also have crohn's Disease but have never bled this much from there. I had my first DEPO shot approximately 1 moth ago. I did a urine test to check for an infection and it was negative. My doc said that the bleeding should "calm itself down". Well I am 3 months post-op and its getting a little expensive (pads)!! I too have this really bad burning sensation at night when I roll over in bed and sometimes I get a sharp pain at the incision. Alot of my stomach is completely numb and when it itches I can't really tell where! I have to rub rather than scratch b/c it just feels too weird to scratch numbness! Anyway, I am so amazed that we are all going through this. Where is everybody from?? I am from Canada Take care and good luck to you all!!!

 

Rachel - February 5

Hi Ladies, I hope people are getting their problems dealt with. I wrote in on Nov. 30. Since then I have seen 2 M.D.s, had a CT scan an ultrasound a needle biopsy and a core biopsy. I just found out yesterday, like so many of you, that I also have an endometrioma. It is about 1cm. under the surface of my skin, actually on the outside of my abdominal wall. It is 3cm round. It still causes me very much pain...have been off work for about 9 months, can't do much but sit on the couch all day. I'm on oxycontin twice a day and also nerve pain medication. It has been, and is, really hard! I've been referred to an OBGYN, who I hope I will see this month. I'm positive they're going to take it out soon. Take care everyone!

 

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