C-Section- Please help?

Question

My sister just had a c-section on 1/10/07. She has had nothing but problems since then and I can't seem to find any useful information for her. If anyone knows anything that might help clear the air, we would definitely appreciate it.
Heres the story. c-section after over 24 hours induction (pitocin, break the water, etc). Baby is fine and perfect now, but my sister is totally swollen from her belly down. She keeps running a low fever. They don't know why. Had x-rays done to find out why she was so swollen in her belly. "Everything looks fine." She also had to have a blood transfusion once now and there is talk of another one.
She is so confused and so annoyed because they keep telling her go to the bathroom, but she isn't allowed food. Walk around to help recover, but stay off your feet because you are swollen. You can go home tomorrow, and then...we will be putting in a catheter tonight (so obviously the home thing is out).
Anyone have any insight to this at all????

Answer 1

It sound like she shouldn't be leaving the hospital...
I was hospitalized after my c-section, but it was 9 days later and I had a Strep A infectio in my incision (as well as a nipple infection). It took a couple of days to figure out what was going on and which antibiotics to treat it with... but after a week I was fixed. The thing that sucked was that my baby had caught the infectio from me through her freshly fallen-off umbilical cord (we suspect)... I then spent another week up in Pediatric ICU.

Just tell you sister to be patient, and try to take it easy. It's important she rests, and recovers, and enjoys her baby!!

Answer 2

I had a c-section done. Emergency c-section. Almost 6 years ago. I'm still having problems. I've had 7 surgerys in the past 5 1/2 years. Your sister needs to get up and walk around. Her stomach is probably swollen because of gas. It's very painfull. Morphine can cause gas believe it or not. You have rights. Your sister needs to tell the docter what she wants not the other way around. If she doesn't get up and walk around then that is going to cause problems with her legs. Anytime you have surgery on your stomach it's gets swollen with gas. Water can also cause bloating. She needs to eat. My docter thought he was going to keep me from eating, I ate anyways. My mom brought me food. I wasn't allowed to eat for 2 weeks. The docters didn't know if they were going to have to do more surgery. Can you imagine just drinking water for 2 weeks. I'm going in for my 8th surgery sometime next month. Lost everything. Do to poor docter care. Scar tissue is a big problem. My docter said she has never seen anything like me. X-rays won't help if she has gas. I really feel for your sister. I only have half of my stomach and bladder. The scar tissue grew into everything. I never had a problem before. My other kids were born natural. My last one was the c-section. I would love to talk more about your sister and find out more about her. I've been threw almost the samething. My docter found that endometreosis ( i guess that's spelled right) was growing in my stomach. It started after I had my c-section. Now that's painful. It was all over my stomach. It can grow anywhere in the body. Some people don't know that. The only way it would stop is if my doc took my only overy that I had. I was 29. At the age of 29 I had had a hysterectomy.It's been a long and painful road.

Answer 3

I am a surgical tech in the OR and can tell you that if it was a sponge left in it would show up on x-ray because the sponges are now made with a strip in them that show up on x-ray, that's why they are called raytecs so yes they would show up on x-ray. The instruments are not made of metal they either onyx or chromium. The sponges are very easy to count if it is done right. They raytec sponges have a blue stip on the end of them that seperates them easily so they do not stick together. If you had x-rays done then it would have shown up if there was an instrument or a sponge left in. As far as the swelling that could last for up to a month. I've seen the procedure done, assisted in many, and when you consider how many layers of muscle and tissue they have to cut through of course you will have swelling plus your uterus will be swollen. A low grade fever is also common. I would ask your doctor to have a CBC done if you think you have an infection. I don't understand the not eating thing. I had my c-section at midnight and ate breakfast in the hospital at 7:30 the next morning. The only thing they told me is that if I was going to eat then I was going to get taken off of the morphine drip and get oral medication because if I am able to eat and drink I don't need the drip. I was encouraged to walk around. The swelling in the abdomen is no reason to stay off of her feet. Now if she was having edema or pitting edema in her legs and ankles that is a different story.

Answer 4

Wow! I'm so sorry that she's having to go through all of this!

Since I'm not a doctor or nurse, I only have limited medical knowledge, but the fever is obviously the result of infection, and since the swelling should've gone down by now, it's kinda obvious that is where the problem is. Something I can think of that might be causeing this, and it's a little far fetched but possible, is that maybe they left a surgical sponge behind. You see it all the time on shows on the discovery channel or TLC. It's just a little gauze square that they use to sop up blood so they can see to operate, but it wouldn't show up on an x-ray at all. They are the most common item to be left behind after surgury (according to a show on TLC) because when they are wet, they are very, very difficult to count afterwards when they count all the instruments to make sure they have them all. And unfortunately, they are the instrument most likely to cause a secondary infection, because bacteria doesn't grow on metal so easy.

I would ask the doctor if that wasn't a possibility.

It sounds crazy, but it's the only thing I can think of.

Hopefully, though, it's nothing like that, and best case senario, the whole problem goes away on it's own tomorrow. Good luck, and tell her congratulations on her new baby!

Answer 5

I didn't have a blood transfusion but I did have the bloating along with my legs and feet becoming so swollen I couldn't walk. I was told by my doctors it was fluid and to keep going to the bathroom. I was induced on a Thursday and baby born by c-section Saturday afternoon. I was told it was because of me having the IV for so long. I think it lasted at least one month(child is now 4). I Hope everything resolves it's self and she is doing better in the coming weeks. Sorry I don't have any other info. I've also looked for info but couldn't find any.

Answer 6

I had a c-section and they wouldn't let me have any food until I passed gas, as for the swelling I was swelled up for about a week or two after the surgery because of the water but it went away. Although I didn't have any problems I was up and walking around the next day and went home a day early. Sorry to hear about your sister but hopefully what I have metioned may help a little. Good luck to you and your sister.

Answer 7

it is plenty greater hassle-free. I surely have had 4 c-sections. the 1st 2, I did exertions for various hours and then had the c-sections. restoration for those took plenty longer than the subsequent 2. They have been planned c-sections and that i replaced into up and shifting interior of hours of surgical treatment and felt tremendously commonly used with a week. and that i replaced into purely in choose of discomfort killers for 2 days. That sounded greater like the restoration time of a vaginal transport to me. So, particular...it is plenty greater hassle-free.

Answer 8

wow, thats crazy. sounds like a crappy hopspital. I'm sorry. So many people sware by c-sections. but I just dont think theyre right. stomach muscles are so sore to heal. it's awful. then it's hard to go poo and what not cause its so sore to push and blah blah blah. look up c-sections on wikipedia. its wierd the doctors dont know. sounds like they messed somthing up. hope she is not a guinea pig for somthing.

Answer 9

Is there more than one doctor involved in this confusion? My daughter had a c-section and got a staff infection, could that be possible? Or have they checked for staff infection?

Answer 10

Did they check to make sure the got everything out?