Bowel complications after my C section?!
Question: It is day 5 after my surgery.. and have had a horible day with my stomach and trying to have a bowel movement. I think I have some sort of hemroid , because it is very painful and bled a bit .. now I am having pain in my lower left side near the incision.. it is tender and sore but has not gotten really worse.. any thoughts? I dont know if I should call doc on this late sunday night.
Answers: It is day 5 after my surgery.. and have had a horible day with my stomach and trying to have a bowel movement. I think I have some sort of hemroid , because it is very painful and bled a bit .. now I am having pain in my lower left side near the incision.. it is tender and sore but has not gotten really worse.. any thoughts? I dont know if I should call doc on this late sunday night.
My sympathies. The GI tract is usually messed up after abdominal surgery, even if it wasn't involved. You may have developed a hemorrhoid during the pregnancy, being currently irritated by matters. Ideally you would have been given stool softener to go home with, to ease matters until you healed a bit more. If you don't have them, then you should get some, Ducolox is sold over the counter and works quite well. For immediate relief of matters, you can use either the Tucks pads, or a cotton pad with witch hazel, patted right on the tush where it hurts. If you keep them in the fridge, it does wonders to put out the fire. Baby wipes are your best bet for personal cleaning, softer that dry paper and easier on the personality. The incision site sounds pretty normal. As long as it's not hot to tough, and you aren't running fever, you can expect it to be tender and sore for a while yet. You would like to see a dry incision line, but a scant amount of drainage does happen. You will probably feel most comfy in very loose clothing that comes nowhere in the vicinity of the site. For undies, you pretty much are stuck with bikini's, unless you can find the old fashioned grannie undies that will come up to the waist, above the incision site. Once you no longer need a pad, you may find boxer shorts are better. The left side pain is likely due to gas and an irritated bowel. For the meantime, you might do better keeping things moving smoothly with a glass of the drinkable fiber ever day, along with things like prunes that keep you moving. You won't want to strain at all, it won't hurt the scar- but it will hurt you and the hemorrhoid. You might also feel more comfy with a firm pillow pressed directly over the scar, the support will actually feel good. You can of course call your doctor, but at late hours it goes to a service and you will still not likely hear from him until the morning. In the morning, you can call for a script for the stool softener, and to ask about the incision. They may want to have a peek at it, just to be safe. Hope you can get comfy for tonight. Try the firm pillow, and lie on the left side with the right leg bent slightly at the knee, and another pillow between the knees for support. That and some ibuprofen or tylenol should let you get through the night in relative comfort. Baby wipes you probably already have, put a few of those in the fridge or freezer if you need them quick, and use those for bathroom trips.
call the dr in the morning. it could be something serious. it also could turn out to be nothing but i would call just to be on the safe side.
Yes, call the doctor. This can cause problems for years if not corrected.
I had a section with my first. Call the doc in the morning. If it's been only five days (congratulations, BTW!) are you still taking over-the-counter stool softeners? That couldn't hurt & it might help.
My second & third children were V-BACs -- I recommend trying!
Good luck!
By chance did they give you any pain meds after your surgery? A well known culprit of this would be Vicodin..... Try an over the counter stool softener, drink plenty of water, and give your doc a call.....