Scar tissue or nerve damage after a c-section?

[Winter Biscuit]

I had an elective repeat c-section on 1/23/07 and everything was healing well. I haven't taken any pain meds since I left the hospital. At my 2-week check-up, I was told that my incision was closed, no sign of infection, and that my scar looked "beautiful."

I'm now 5 weeks postpartum and just started having sharp stabbing pains in my incision area. Motrin doesn't relieve the pain (not even the prescription-strength Motrin that they gave me when I was discharged from the hospital.) My incision scar is about 4 inches long (they re-opened the incision in the same spot for my 2nd c/s) and the pain is concentrated on one side of the scar only, at the very end (e.g. the first few centimeters of the incision). The pain is not constant; it comes and goes, but I noticed that it is more apparent after I've been walking around alot (e.g. after going grocery shopping) and in the evenings.

When I first felt this pain, I immediately wondered if I had somehow split my incision open, or if it had gotten infected somehow. The incision is still closed and the scar looks fine. There is nothing oozing out or anything like that to indicate any sign of infection. It just hurts like a SOB. My SIL is a surgical nurse and wondered if it could possibly be scar tissue stretching or possible nerve damage. :confused:

Does anyone have any experience with anything like this happening after a c-section?? I have a call in to my OB's office, and I also have my 6-week postpartum check-up next week so I'll be talking with my doctor about this soon enough. Just wondered what could be going on and what to expect.

[Sophia]

I have pain like that near the outside edges of my scar if I overdo it. With my earlier c-section scars it went away completely after a few years (it got more and more infrequent over time and finally went away--I have an 11 year gap between my two girls, so it was *very* healed when I got pg this last time). I've had similar pains this time, again, only when I'm more active.

[ellidew]

I get sharp pains near my incision area and most of the area below my belly button is numb. Sometimes it itches and I go to scratch it but i can only feel it enough to get really annoyed! At my post partum appt the doctor said it could take up to 12 months for that area to heal. She said they cut through nerves and what not on the way in and there is no way around it. I'm nearly 16 weeks post partum now and i have a yearly in 2 weeks so i plan to bring it up again. The few people i've talked to said it took them a year or well over to feel normal in that general area.

[maplekitty]

Sometimes it itches and I go to scratch it but i can only feel it enough to get really annoyed!


I get that too and it is *so* annoying!! :p


to the OP - at 5weeks PP, the stitches on the inside might still be healing...so perhaps what you are feeling is the incision in your uterus?? I dunno, that's my guess? I used to get a stabbing pain on one side as well, but it's pretty much gone now.

[marchfamily]

I had a fair amount of achy'ness for weeks after both csections. I have a condition called keloids (excessive scarring) which might have been the cause. My scarring was so bad with the first csection that they had difficulties getting in the second time. From what I remember, I felt mostly normal after 6-8 weeks.