C-section: Questions and potential complications...

Use Contractubex. You can start applying it as soon as the scabs fall off...

Just so you know, Contractubex is primarily a scar cream.
Don't expose the scar to the sun. Period.
Apply it three times a day—and make sure you actually massage the cream into the scar.

It’s one color right now, but it'll change over time. You're better off starting with Contractubex immediately. Fresh scars are much easier to fade.

placidgardener19 said:It depends on a lot of things... how they stitched it up, how your skin usually handles scarring...
In my case, I lost more skin right in the middle—either it just didn't hold or I stood up too fast, who knows.
Either way, those 5 cm (out of about 20) are swollen and red.
And at one end, you can't even see the incision anymore—not at all.

Maybe there's an infection in that area. That's what happened with mine. Two stitches just split wide open. Or maybe it actually ruptured.

You can deal with that later through scar revision. But honestly? I wouldn't recommend it. I went through it and nothing got better. If it really bothers you, try laser instead.

I didn't apply any treatments at all... nor was that ever suggested to me. They simply advised me to make sure I wasn't wearing any underwear with an elastic band that might press against the scar. But since the scar was positioned so low and was such a tiny area, that just wasn't an issue. Now, it's almost completely gone—though keep in mind, that was twelve years ago.

Thanks for all the input!

I get why my colleague is worried about the scarring, but honestly, I think how much it actually shows up just depends on the individual. It’s different for everyone.

I’ve actually heard of Contractubex before, so I’ll definitely mention it to her.

So, here's the deal—I’ve completely lost sensation on the right side above my scar, covering about 8 square inches. I’ve been doing some digging online and realized this can happen when a cut is deep enough to nick certain nerves, but honestly, I haven't found many people sharing their actual experiences with this.
Does anyone have any advice? This feeling is just... surreal. It’s incredibly frustrating because sometimes the area feels like it's itching intensely, but when I try to scratch it, there's absolutely nothing there. Just dead space.
Is there anything at all I can do to try and get some feeling back? It’s an awful sensation. Everything felt perfectly normal just four months ago.

Angela Wright said:Just like the title says—I’ve lost all sensation on the right side above my scar, covering about 8 square centimeters. I did some reading online and saw that this can happen if the incision is deep enough to nick certain nerves, but I haven't found many people sharing their actual experiences.
Is there anyone else out there dealing with this? It is such a bizarre feeling—sometimes the area feels itchy, but when I try to scratch it, there is absolutely nothing there.
Is there anything at all I could do to help bring the feeling back? This sensation is just awful. Everything felt perfectly fine four months ago.

There isn't much you can do besides wait. 🤷
It’s actually a very common occurrence; in my own case, the sensation didn't return until about a year had passed.

As for other "side effects," I also used to deal with intense abdominal pain caused by adhesions—I even ended up in the ER once under suspicion of having appendicitis.

wanderingcobra76 said:There’s really nothing you can do but wait. 🤷
It’s a totally standard thing; it took about a year for my sensation to finally come back.

As for those other "side effects," during that 1.5 to 2-gram phase, I used to get these agonizing stomach pains from adhesions—I actually ended up in the ER once because they suspected appendicitis.

Great. 🙄
But I won't play the victim; I handled it well enough that it stayed manageable, especially considering what I went through.

I haven't had a C-section, but I did have a laparotomy, and honestly, the incision looks exactly the same. For me, there’s zero sensation above the cut. I can't really offer much comfort here, since my doctor basically told me the feeling probably isn't coming back at all. It’s been a year and a half since my surgery, and still nothing.

At first, it really, really bugged me, but I guess I've just gotten used to it and accepted it now.

The part I miss most is when my husband would kiss me right there while we were being affectionate. 😬

copperraven53 said:What I miss most is that feeling of being close to him—just having him kiss me while we’re cuddling. 😬

😢 It’s a heavy feeling... but honestly, I kind of embrace it. There’s something about that overwhelming sadness that puts things into perspective. It hits you hard, making you realize how lucky we are compared to people living with paralysis or dealing with permanent disabilities. When you face that kind of weight, you suddenly find yourself incredibly grateful just to be able to feel the rest of your body.
I did a little digging online, and after scouring some foreign forums, I found that while some women do eventually see their skin bounce back, it takes a significant amount of time—and for others, it honestly just never happens.

A former college classmate of mine had twins via C-section about seven years ago, and she’s actually regained her sensation. She does mention—though I suppose that's to be expected—that it doesn't feel quite the same as it did before, but she’s mostly just accepted that as her new normal.
How is Angela Wright's little one doing?

Angela Wright said:Like the title says—I’ve lost all sensation on the right side above my scar, covering about 8 square cm. I’ve read online that this can happen since deep cuts can sever nerves, but I haven't found many people sharing similar experiences.
I'm wondering if anyone else is dealing with this? It’s a bizarre feeling—sometimes the area itches, but when I scratch it, there's absolutely nothing there.
Is there anything I can actually do to try and get some feeling back? It feels awful. Everything was perfect four months ago.

For me, sensation started returning around the one-year mark—mostly around the incision, though it's hit or miss...

The peripheral nerves were cut, so that sensation isn't coming back—not ever.

Angela Wright said:😢 kinda sad... I feel that too. Maybe the whole mess isn't even that bad, honestly. Like, when you realize there are people dealing with paralysis or whatever, you just end up feeling super grateful for everything else your body can actually feel.
I did a little digging on some US forums, and apparently, some women get their sensation back, but it takes forever—and for others, it just never happens.

Exactly. You gotta be thankful, because when you look at how much worse things could be, this isn't the end of the world. 😉

Anyway, if you go down there and realize you can't feel anything, just remember it’s because you finally got your little baby, your precious little thing. Suddenly, that numbness doesn't seem like such a huge deal anymore. 😍

I mean, I'd totally take it if it were for that reason instead of just stupid endometriosis, but hey, it is what it is.

I've heard the exact same thing from women who underwent tummy tuck surgery...

Honestly, I’m in the exact same boat—still haven't felt anything in that area even after a full year. At this point, it’s almost become my "new normal," if that makes sense? The only time I really notice it is when I'm wearing tight jeans; then it gets a little annoying because that sensation is just super uncomfortable...

I went to the clinic, and honestly, I felt like my muscles were being stretched out rather than actually being cut
It was brief, almost unnoticeable at first, but then the sensation came rushing back pretty quickly..

So, I had a C-section about two years ago, and just last year, this little lump started forming right on my scar. My OB-GYN basically brushed it off, telling me everything was totally fine and there was nothing to worry about. But then, about a month ago, the pain started becoming constant. I finally went to see my primary care doctor, and they gave me a referral to surgery, suggesting it might be an inflamed stitch or something left behind from the procedure. They told me to go get it checked out and see what the specialists have to say... Now I’m sitting here wondering if anyone else has dealt with this? Does anyone actually have experience with what happens next—is it a full-on surgery, or just a quick incision, or what exactly are we talking about here? 🤷

Quick question... I gave birth via C-section about two weeks ago. They let me head home on day five after doing the usual checks, cleaning up the incision, and the doctor mentioned there were some little stitches on one side of the wound... but since then, nobody’s said a word about them. All I got was "take the bandage off on day eight and you can shower normally." Well, now I'm looking at that exact same spot—maybe an inch from the edge of the incision—and I can see this little thread poking out of my skin. It looks white, clear, almost plastic-y... I have no clue what I should do with it. Is it just supposed to fall out on its own, or does someone actually need to pull it out? I see some people in here mentioning they had appointments scheduled specifically to get their stitches removed on day eight, but nobody ever told me anything about that, and it’s definitely not mentioned in my discharge papers...

shadowcrane27 said:Quick question... I had a C-section two weeks ago. They discharged me on day five after checking the incision, cleaning things up, and the doctor mentioned some stitches on one side of the wound. Since then, nobody has said a word about them—they just told me to take the bandage off on day eight and shower normally. Now, on that same side, about an inch from the edge of the cut, I can see this little white, clear, plastic-looking thread poking out of my skin. I have no clue what to do with it. Does it just fall out on its own, or does someone need to pull it out? I see some people here mentioning they went back on day eight specifically to get stitches removed, but nobody told me that was necessary, and it’s not mentioned in my discharge papers at all...

You've got absorbable sutures. Your body will just soak them up and they'll disappear. I had a bit poking out once too, so I just clipped it with nail scissors so it wouldn't bother me.

Ugh, I just did the exact same thing... fingers crossed this stuff disappears soon because my clothes are literally sticking to it every single time I move.