How long after birth did your stitches hurt?

[ShanaMama]

Possible TMI..... consider yourself warned.

I did not have an episiotomy, but tore very slightly in two places. I remember the feeling the stitches being put in, despite the local numbing shot. Apparently one of the tears was very close to a nerve. At 19 months post partum, I STILL feel pain in the scar area. It really hurts with friction.......IYKWIM..... and sometimes even bothers me when I wear control top stockings.

I wanted to get an idea if anyone else has pain for so long. Will it ever go away? Was yours a gradual decrease or did it just disappear one day? I'm also wondering if there is a difference in the recovery from episiotomy vs. tearing? (I still wouldn't want an epi., just wondering about ppl's experiences IRL).
FWIW, I did see an OBGYN for this problem to make sure my midwife didn't goof up and that there was no underlying medical cause. She checked me extensively and said: "Well, you tore very close to a nerve, so it's very sensitive. There isn't much we can do". Thanks a lot!

[ShanaMama]

Possible TMI..... consider yourself warned.

I did not have an episiotomy, but tore very slightly in two places. I remember the feeling the stitches being put in, despite the local numbing shot. Apparently one of the tears was very close to a nerve. At 19 months post partum, I STILL feel pain in the scar area. It really hurts with friction.......IYKWIM..... and sometimes even bothers me when I wear control top stockings.

I wanted to get an idea if anyone else has pain for so long. Will it ever go away? Was yours a gradual decrease or did it just disappear one day? I'm also wondering if there is a difference in the recovery from episiotomy vs. tearing? (I still wouldn't want an epi., just wondering about ppl's experiences IRL).
FWIW, I did see an OBGYN for this problem to make sure my midwife didn't goof up and that there was no underlying medical cause. She checked me extensively and said: "Well, you tore very close to a nerve, so it's very sensitive. There isn't much we can do". Thanks a lot!

[DrSally]

Ouch, sorry that's happening. I had 4th (the worst) degree tearing and felt every stitch (20 min worth) and couldn't hold DS right away b/c I was trying to make it through the stitches. They could only see 1cm of his head after 24 hours labor, so he got suctioned out. It took 5 weeks for it to feel "not so bad" and then prob another month for it to be ok. Pain went away gradually and now I'm totally back to normal. It must be b/c it was close to a nerve, b/c if I could recover back to normal, I would think anyone can!

ETA: I'm learning a lot about post tear/epi issues. I guess I was really lucky, and my ob felt he did a "perfect" job with the stitches. Based on what others are saying, I wouldn't take "nothing we can do" for an answer either. This is something you have to live with every day, and it sounds like there are some possiblities to explore.

[DrSally]

Ouch, sorry that's happening. I had 4th (the worst) degree tearing and felt every stitch (20 min worth) and couldn't hold DS right away b/c I was trying to make it through the stitches. They could only see 1cm of his head after 24 hours labor, so he got suctioned out. It took 5 weeks for it to feel "not so bad" and then prob another month for it to be ok. Pain went away gradually and now I'm totally back to normal. It must be b/c it was close to a nerve, b/c if I could recover back to normal, I would think anyone can!

ETA: I'm learning a lot about post tear/epi issues. I guess I was really lucky, and my ob felt he did a "perfect" job with the stitches. Based on what others are saying, I wouldn't take "nothing we can do" for an answer either. This is something you have to live with every day, and it sounds like there are some possiblities to explore.

[Momof3Labs]

You may have granulation tissue, which is scar tissue that HURTS something awful. My OB blew me off the first time, but then after I returned complaining about granulation tissue, agreed that this wasn't right and she could do something about it. She proceeded to remove it in her office under a local anesthetic - I thought that I'd never sit again! But within a few days, it felt a lot better.

I'd get a second opinion if I were you, and mention the words "granulation tissue" when you go in there.

[Momof3Labs]

You may have granulation tissue, which is scar tissue that HURTS something awful. My OB blew me off the first time, but then after I returned complaining about granulation tissue, agreed that this wasn't right and she could do something about it. She proceeded to remove it in her office under a local anesthetic - I thought that I'd never sit again! But within a few days, it felt a lot better.

I'd get a second opinion if I were you, and mention the words "granulation tissue" when you go in there.

[schums]

A friend of mine had this too, along with some other issues that didn't show up right away (she tore in a muscle on the pelvic floor, I think, and it didn't heal well). Anyway, she finally got her OB to look at original tear, and had to have a "procedure" done in the office. She said it hurt like heck, but she started to feel MUCH better very soon, even during "high friction" moments!!

GL,

Sarah
Mom to Alex (3/2002) and Catherine (8/2003)

[trumansmom]

Another possibility is vestibulitis. I don't remember what the actual issue is, but it hurt a LOT for the first year, and I still have flare ups if I break any of the "rules". I would add it to your list of things to ask your doc about. And I wouldn't accept "There isn't much we can do" as an answer. I would find someone else who would take me seriously. That's just not okay.

Jeanne
Mom to Truman 11/01 and Eleanor 4/04

[lizajane]

my fab ob removed the scar tissue after ds2 was born. he found it when repairing my tears and epis. (my kids were 9.5lbs, i tore a lot AND had epis.) i felt it every "time" before ds2. now i don't feel it at all. definitely ask about scar tissue. i had no idea until the OB just let me know what he was doing while stitching up after ds2- that is to say, let me know he was removing the cyst, as he said, before stitching.

[ShanaMama]

The OB actually mentioned 'fixing it' during a future birth. She said it's possible to tear in the same spot (I guess due to weakness) & if I do tear there again, the repair would hopefully heal better. Way too many hypotheticals in that scenario to give me much comfort. Plus I'm aiming for no tears next time around!!
The other option she offered was getting shots in the exact spot. I think she said cortizone (sp?) or steriod shots, but don't remember exactly. The downside to this option is that there is an equal likelihood that the pain will get worse rather than better. Hello, I need better odds than 50/50 to go in there with steriod shots. It's bad enough right now!

[Crunchymom]

I had a 2nd degree tear and about 7 stitches (ds blew out like a cannon after only 2 pushes!) At my 6 week checkup it still hadn't healed completely and when we tried to have sex the first time at 8 weeks it hurt too bad and we had to stop. At 10 weeks we tried again and it was fine. The way I healed though there was a little "tag?" of tissue at the bottom of the opening that bothered me/hurt in certain positions. When ds was about 1 1/2 I think, I finally talked to my doctor about it and she referred me to a GYN who removed it in the office. All was better after that! Maybe you can have something done now to correct it?

[ribbit1019]

I had a similar problem, the pain went away at about 10 months though. Hugs-that has to *really* be uncomfortable!!


Christy
Wife to Richard
My Waterbabies
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[lizajane]

i had the EXACT same thing- the tag. but also a cyst that was hidden. that tag drove me NUTS. i made sure to tell the OB to remove it as soon as i walked in the hospital!! that way, i didn't have to pay for it to be removed (i mean by having him do it after DS2's delivery.) but mine were only 22 months apart, so the wait to have it removed wasn't so bad.