Wound bursting open after section

[Mel n Nadie]

Hi all,

Just wondered if what happened to me had happened to anyone else or if anyone had heard of it happening?!?!

I will explain briefly! 5 days after having my section my wound burst open and my intestines came spilling out of my stomach! Was airlifted to hospital and everything was put back together and I'm now fine!

I had my section at Dr Grays Hospital in Elgin, Scotland. My wound had been bleeding for about 3 days afterwards quite heavily. When they eventually took the dressing off for good there were 2 lumps poking out of my scar (it looked like lumps of fat?!?) and my stomach was a funny shape (long and hard and was quite square!) I didn't realise this wasn't normal as I've never had anything like this done before. The doctors let me out of hospital and then 2 days later the wound burst open when I bent down in the shower with my intestines spilling out on to my hands!

It was most probably the most scary thing that has ever happened to me but all is well that ends well! As far as I know this is NOT common but I wondered if anyone else had had a similar experience?

 

[Nix]

This exact thing happened to a lady in my hospital. She was sitting with her baby on SCBU and her intestines literally fell into her lap. Wasnt pretty at all and she had to be rushed to theatre.

I'm sure it is awful when it happens to you. I would have traumatised me for life i think x

 

[Porgie]

Omg omg!!!

 

[Maman]

Omg omg!!!

constructive

ive heard of it happening, if i were you id look in to it and make a formal complaint. my wounds were healed tight within hours of having both my sons, and second time round i was walking about within 12 hours, my scar feeling no dofferent to a cut on my finger. with the 3 layers of stitches the surgeon is supposed to have done i dont know how it could split back open so bad. sounds fishy.

 

[Proud_Mommy]

Omg!!!!

 

[SIEGAL]

OMG! never heard of that, that is terrible. I have nothing constructive to say.

 

[Wildfire81]

Did you have staples? In the med surg I used to work on a guy had his staples split like that. Most sections are not that kind of incision here anymore.

 

[happygal]

Omg! I honestly never knew something like that could happen. The thought of a c section has always scared the hell out of me...i now have another reason to add to the list!x

 

[Maman]

the more i think about this the more angry i am for you, it sounds like the care you received was sub-standard. This is exactly the kind of story that makes section sound awful.

For a start they should have kept a sheet with your 'seepage' written down on it. i have my notes from theatre to 10 days after birth, and from 10 mins post theatre there was only a 'small ooze' so no bleeding etc at all. from then on theres only one point where i leked any thing from my wound. Was your wound checked every few hours for the time you were in hopsital? it should have been, and they should have checked thoroughly before you left. if it wasnt looking to be healing well did they do anything to prevent infection? extra anti biotics or anything?

Seriously, you need to have it out with them and get a second opinion from a completely unrelated medical professional (maybe a medical solicitor) and make a formal complaint. It really sounds like failure on their part.

 

[Lil_Pixie]

i was up and walking within 12 hrs after my section and i never even felt a twinge from the scar. by the time i left hospital after four days it was just a scar. i took off the dressing after two days and there was barely even a hint of blood on it.

I cant imagine how this could happen, sounds fishy to me too X

 

[Lina]

I am so sorry that you have had to go through that, what a horror.You need to seek legal advise this is not common and sounds like a case of gross negligence.

 

[mel85b]

Hi Mel n Nadie,

I am so so sorry you had to go through that, I thought I was the only one. This happened to me in jan 2010 after a c-section (she was breech). My midwife took out my stitch and when I went to put it in the bin I had an intense burning sensation and my intestines fell out onto my stomach. After 6 hours in hospital (they were waiting for the best surgeon availabe) they finally sewed me back up and 2 weeks later sent me home. I have never felt such pain in my life, I thought I was going to die! I wrote to the hospital to ask WHY and HOW this happened and was told that it is a 'rare complication' and the chances of it happening is only 0.03% of operations in the developed medical world. We are now ttc baby no 2 and I am petrified of this happening again. In the letter I received back from the hospital I was told there is no reason I can't have another baby and that the chances of it happening again are low, but obviously the chances of it happening once were very low and it did. My scar has been painful since it happened which my doctor dismisses as 'normal' It often goes very red and inflamed, and I have the same burning sensation and feel as if it is going to burst again quite often still. I am not trying to scare you, but to warn you of the problems you may face both physically and mentally.