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Infected Episiotomy/Tear - 7 weeks later
I had a vacuum delivery and ended up with a tear and episiotomy. A few days later it got infected and the stitches popped. Hospital said they couldn't restitch it. I was given one round of antibiotics. I've had regular check ups and am just told to keep it clean. Now 7 weeks later, I'm still in agony... Sitting, walking, peeing. I still have an open wound and it's upsetting me so much. It's huge and raw. I clean it when I go to the toilet with some stuff the hospital gave me and bathe it in some purple solution then gave me. It has been so long and it's hard looking after a little baby and being in all this pain. What can I do???
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Oh you sound in such a bad way - how awful for you.
Firstly, have you had a six week check at your GP yet? They should check you over thouroughly so hopefully they can help?
Have any of the home visit midwives checked you over too?
Honestly, i'd be tempted to go to a&e if it's an open wound as you say - get seen to ther and then?
Sorry you're suffering so much, hope you get sorted really soon x
A similar thing happened with me after DD1. I had a second degree tear, which I then had an infection and all the stitches popped. They refused to restitch it as they said that 'in the old days' they wouldn't have stitched it at all and it would 'open wound heal'. It sounds weird, but it actually does. It takes a bit more time, but by about 3 months PP it was healed. It was painful, don't get me wrong, and DTD was well out of the question for a long time. It's just trying to get your head around it healing from the inside out, rather than what we are used to seeing when wounds are stitched.
Unfortunately for me it was all a bit 'tight' from the scar tissue and a skin tag, so I ended up going back into hospital 9 months PP, and having an op to have all the tissue removed and restitched. I seriously wouldn't recommend that to anyone though - I couldn't walk afterwards where they'd gone into my pelvic floor muscles and DH had to take emergency time off work to look after our then crawling 9 month old! If I had the option now I definitely wouldn't get that done, even with the tightness etc.
Hi, so sorry you are going thru this, I had similar experience with my first, a failed vacuum attempt and had forceps assisted with a tear and epesiotomy ! Like you I picked up an infection and drs didn't seem concerned, my mom bless her ( a but old fashioned !) Told me the way they cured popped stitches in her birthing days ( she had 4 ) was a warm bath with a cap full of dettol in the water to disinfect and clear the area.
I was horrified but followed the twice a day sitting in a shallow bath with dettol in it ( it stings a tad !) But less than a week later it had cleared up and was healing much better with a lot less discomfort.
My mom gloated the old ways are best for a while but as my midwife agreed it wouldn't do any harm I lost any arguments lol " its just the place that's different " shed say !
Anyway, you could try it also look at the sanitary protection you use an any with a plastic later will not let the area breath so might be keeping the area warm and sensitive to infection. ( again a lession I learned the hard way !)
If its bad I'd defo check with the midwife / gp again to see if there's anything else they can offer.
Hope this helps x good luck