This is my 1st visit here. I did a search trying to find out what's going on with me and ended up here. WOW! I was surprised to read that so many women are experiencing the same thing I am. I have had 5 c-sections in 10 yrs. My last one was Oct. 2000. I have a bulge that is painful on my left side above my incision. I'm not sure how long it's been there (kinda busy with the kids:) but it has become increasingly tender and painful to touch. It is especially painful if I bend over at the waist and then stand up straight. It doubles me over. It seems so weird having this pain being 4 yrs "post-op". There are a few things I remember that were out of the ordinary. When I had my 3rd there were some complications with the anesthesia, it didn't "take" and I felt the whole thing. (Also, I labored with 1, 2, and 3 before section. Wanted to with 4, but Dr. called it off night before I was schedule for induction---I now believe this was a wise decision) Also remember that with my last baby they cut my bladder and I had to keep my cath. for 3 wks. (that was fun to drag around) I feel so weird when I'm out somewhere and all of sudden I grab my abdomen because a pain hits me. People don't know how to react, esp. when it passes as quickly as it came. After reading everyones entries I have decided to call my Dr in the morning and schedule an appt. It amazes me sometimes what we overlook and live with sometimes simply because we've become used to it! ↑
Dear Kim,
Definately, go see your M.D., and if you don't like what you hear... go see another one! ( I had to) I can't believe you've had 5 c-sections, that's amazing! It sounds like we have the same thing, and I believe it is very underdiagnosed! It just gets written off as a bit of scar tissue that would get worse if they took it out, and it'll probably just go away on it's own. Yah right, don't buy it! The constant pain in the whole pubic area - not just the lump; the intense stabbing, twisting pain that takes your breath away when you bend over at times; the lack of intrest in sex because your pubic area is sore all the time (multiply this by 6 months, a year)...this is not normal! Not good for you, your kids or your husband! I even have pain in my left hip (bursitis). Does anyone else have this? (not sure if it's related). Give your M.D. this site to look at in his spare time(not that he'll have much). I actually talked briefly to a lady at a party who said she had a friend with a similar condition (although I'd never heard of it before, and neither has my family M.D.), and that she had the lump excised and now she's feeling great... so there's hope! Good luck with your M.D. Kim, and your 5 kids! ↑
Rachael- it sounds like you have an endometrioma. Some Dr's may not have heard about them in c-section scars..... but they do happen. Tell your Dr. what you think it is & have him look into it. ↑
Rachel, I did go to the doctor yesterday and it didn't take her long at all to tell me I had a hernia and that I need to have surgery. They are scheduling it for this month. I feel pretty fortunate to have a diagnosis so quickly (although I think I've had this for a while) especially with so many women still suffering. I feel badly for my family as I just had knee surgery 7 weeks ago and am still going through physical therapy for that. My doctor says I cannot wait though because it is so close to my intestines and if it wraps around there it could cause a blockage which would be serious. I'm a little worried at being put to sleep yet again! Has anyone ever heard of memory loss with being put to sleep? (nothing serious, I just feel like I can't remember things like I used to). I have been put under 8 times (5 sections and 3 knee surgeries) so this will be number 9. Just wondering..I will let you know how it goes, thanks for the encouragement, I probably would not have gone if I hadn't gotten on this sight and read about this. ↑
Dear Kim,
That's fabulous news! No more needless suffering, and now the reason for your pain has been validated...so you know you're not crazy or imagining things. With five children, you're much to busy to be in pain (if you know what I mean). I see a surgeon next week, so I'm hoping to have my problem dealt with soon also. Take care and enjoy the holidays! P.S. regarding the memory loss, I've been a bit dizzy/forgetful lately to. I believe that being in pain affects your thinking, also taking painkillers(if you're taking them) affects you, and being a MOM-that'll do it every time! ↑
Rachel,
Thanks so much for the encouragement! I hope you find out what is going on with you as well when you go to the surgeon next week. I am going to mine on Wednesday and will schedule my surgery then. I'll be sure to let you know how it goes. Take care! ↑
Kim & Rachel, I had the same problems you guys are talking about, I'm 2 yrs post-op. I had surgery on 10-29-04, they found a small hernia and they removed some scar tissue. The pain was the worst for me durning my cycles. I have only had one cycle since the surgery, I was still heeling at the time but the pain wasn't there. The true test will be when I get my next cycle. I did also have pain on a weekly basis before the surgery, I don't anymore :) Kim- the recovery from the surgery was fast, surgery was on Friday and I went trick-or-treating with my kids on Sunday, back to work on Monday. Your family will be glad you did it in the long run. Good luck ladies, there is hope. ↑
i have the same problem with the pain on the left side and i had my c-section about 7 1/2 months ago and it burns for me to run or when i stand for a long period of time. one doctor tried to give me steroids thinking that i might have a nerve ending in it but i am breastfeeding. ↑
Hi ladies. I had my 3rd section 8 weeks ago and have been having abdominal pain for the past week. my external incision split open the last day I was in the hospital but has healed now. Other than that everything seemed pretty normal until the past week. The pain feels sort of like it is coming from behind my internal scar and occasionally I get a feeling like someone is shoving a knife up inside me or something. When me and my poor husband tried to resume or intimacy I had to stop because the pain became intolerable. I never experienced this with either of my first two c-sections. Any ideas? ↑
hi all - i had my first c-section 10 weeks ago. i had an infection on the left side about a week after i got the staples out (in one of the staple holes) and atibiotics cleared it up. but soon after, i noticed a small lump on the left side just above the external incision. i thought it was something that would heal or go down but it hasn't. now that my abdomen is smaller i've noticed that the left side of the incision is larger than the right, and the lump on the left hasn't gone away. my regular doc thinks that it might be a granuloma, or a stitch that didn't dissolve properly. has anyone else had this? i am going to the obgyn that did the surgery today to see what he says... it doesn't really hurt but sometimes i can definitely feel a dull ache. i don't want to have to get another surgery to remove it because i don't have insurance and had to pay a huge hospital bill already. any response to this is appreciated! ↑
Kristi, Mel here again. I'm the one from way way up quite afew comments ago but anyway .... I have not been able to have sex since having my daughter 5 months ago as it burns and stings so bad. This was my second c section and like you, I didn't have this problem before either. I have been to a gynacologist and he seems to think I have what's called "Vulvar vestibulitis syndrome". I have looked it up on the net and think he's right but also feel it is in some way related to the surgery. Re. your wound splitting open ... this happened to me the first time, after a horrible wound infection. I wonder if this could have anything to do with it? I don't know. It's so confusing and so distressing isn't it. ↑
C-Section -Oct 1st - I had a checkup w/ my regular doctor and she said that i was just healing slowly. But now that it's almost been 12wks, I'm beginning to worry again. I still get the pain on my left side if I stand to long or walk around awhile. It feels heavy on that side when I try to suck in my stomach! I'm changing doctors and making an appointment. I wish this would end. ↑
yes did you ask which side the dr was standing on? this is what it is caused from extreme pressure on one side mine was the right but he warned me this would take place due to his past pt's always asking bout why so much pain on the one side and this is why! be careful cause its been 4 months for me i still get like a dead pain aches like!but i still want to become pregnant for one more making it 3 for me i have been cut both ways and straight up and down is much better trust me! ↑
did anyone actually find out what this pain is and what did the DRs do to help it??? i can t believe there are so many woman having this same problem. i had my c-section 25 months ago now and for the last 8 months i have had this awful pain in my right hand side. it feels like someone has a hot knife twisting in my scar... about 4 months ago i noticed a small lump where the pain is and its getting bigger... 2 months ago i went to my Dr. who told me it was fibrosis on my scar line and just to take pain killers as there is nothing can be done...13 years ago after my first child i was told i had fibriods but they didnt hurt like this...i am going back to the Dr. in the new year and insist that i get refered back to the hospital as no-one should have to put up with this uncomfortable pain.... i just hope they do something about it before it gets anyworse....good luck to all and i wish you well donna ↑
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 classic 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. ↑
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. ↑
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. ↑
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.... ↑
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. ↑
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 ↑
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. ↑
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? ↑
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. ↑
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. ↑
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? ↑
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. ↑
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 sex 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! ↑
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. ↑
