Is there nerve damage after a caesar?

[summerlump]

I have had two surgeries in my lifetime. One left me with nerve damage and one without.

Do you damage nerves in a caesar? Is there a loss of sensation in the stomach area years afterwards?

I know there are so many variables. I really should have kept my elective caesar option. I had no idea there were so many people with such strong opinions..Even those who have never had a baby.

A friend recently used scare tactics on me to get me to go to some para-medical professional who claims to turn breech babies - without even knowing the position of my bubs or my medical history.

I'm assuming a lot of it is up to the individual's health and the way her body heals.

[SassyMummy]

I had a caesarean, which is classed as elective (I say that because it wasn't wanted, at all, by me), and never had any physical problems as a result (apart from being cut open and being in pain afterwards...).

But I have nerve damage around the scar. I can't feel touch about 10-15cm above the scar. I can feel BELOW the scar, but not above. It's really gross... it makes me feel really disgusted. It's just an icky feeling.

[Lila]

hi
well i had 3 c/s and have quite a bit of nerve damage around the scar area- i know it will stay that way, and i´ve met LOTS of women with the very same issue.
but having said that for me, personally it´s no big deal. the only thing i can´t do is wear panties or pants which would be sitting on the scar- can´t STAND that- but other than that- i am totally fine... :)

turn a breech baby can work, but then their is always the odd one out, where this approach ends in a drama.....

it is your call...

[AquaDevil78]

C-sect here too, and i too cant feel anything just between the scar and prolly about from 3 cms under my belly button. That whole area is numb.

[SorenLorensen]

i think i am one of the lucky ones, i did not have feeling around the scar for a while but now almost 2 years later it is pretty much all back. it did take a while but im happy with my scar and the feeling i have.

i remember when i didnt have any feeling, it never bothered me and i hardly noticed it but if i was concentrating and watching my finger go across it but could not feel it i would almost :barf: , but i think it is something you get use to, and in my case goes away.

[EmsMum72]

I had an emergency caesar 3 years ago and definately have nerve damage. I still feel numb above my scar and I agree with Sassy, it's just an icky feeling.

[nats]

I only really proply touched mine for the first time yesterday :( I realised there was no senastion there. it made me sick! It's only about 2 cm above the line and below.

[~Emmylou~]

There's been a few threads about this and in reading them I'd say the vast majority of women have some numbness around their scar after a c/section.

Whether or not the feeling comes back eventually is an individual thing. Some women are 10 years post op and still no feeling, others it lasts only a few months.

[Chicco25]

I've had 2 c/secs and will be having my 3rd on the 28/06. The only place I don't have any feeling is the scar itself, every where else is fine. Even after my c-secs the only place I noticed numbness was where the incision was made.

:yes: I do think it is an individual thing on how your body heals. I also think it comes down to your OB and their skills,IMO.

C/secs are scary in themselves and it really does not help when you have people telling you the absolute negatives about the whole thing. And I have to admit forums of any type are probably the worst place to figure out if it is what you really want.

If bubs happens to turn - then thats great for you. If not, there is no point focusing on the negatives. Just focus on what you are going to get in the end.

Good Luck with it all :thumbsup:

Anita

[Minke]

I do have numbness along the actual scar itself - but it does seem to be not as bad as it used to be :D

Good luck which ever way it happens! My sister was turned twice (and ended up coming out head first), but i would be wanting someone with medical training to be doing it IF you decided to go that way.

For opinionated people i find putting your hands over your ears and saying LaLaLaLa LaaLaLa works eventually :D

[JATS]

Ok just being the odd one out here it seems :o but although for the first 4-6 months I DID have no feeling on or above the c/s scar, since then I have no numbness what so ever on or around the scar. :no:

Nerves can regenerate, they just take time to do so. Mine have regenerated just fine.

[zenifa]

I had my c/s nearly 22mths ago and didnt' have any nerve damage around the scar or any part of the abdominal area. I have had quite a bit of surgery in the past (related to my right hip, which is why I had to have c/s in the first place) and did have some nerve damage from that, that took a long time to recover.

[pegasus]

Okay - from a medical point of view (I'm an Occupational Therapist with fairly extensive experience in scar management - worked with a fair few women who had had c/sections when I was working in a private hospital up the corridor from an OB's office), oh, and I've had 2 c/sections myself too.

They have to cut nerves regardless of whether you've had an elective or emergency - pretty much they are surface ones that only really supply feeling to the skin.

Any time a nerve is cut/damaged, it goes into shock for about 4weeks then it can grow back about a millimetre a week. Depending on scar tissue that's around the area and if you stimulate the area (with massage and different textures, and things like vibration), you can influence how your nerves function as they grow back. Influencing factors include your nutrition level as well - ie. if you smoke - worse healing, if you take zinc supplements - better healing.

Hope that helps.

By the way - I've got perfectly normal feeling over the whole of my stomach and have had for months (2nd bub is 11months old)

[SassyMummy]

I had an "elective" caesarean... but mine is still gross.

I think I'm happy to not massage it in order to get the feeling back... just thinking about massaging it is making me feel kinda queasy...

[pegasus]

I had an "elective" caesarean... but mine is still gross.

I think I'm happy to not massage it in order to get the feeling back... just thinking about massaging it is making me feel kinda queasy...

Hi SassyMummy - I guess massaging it does sound worrying if it doesn't feel well to begin with, but I guess I need to clarify when I say massage treatment for scar management, I don't mean get in there and knead and push etc (or at least until you can take it). Sometimes it's a matter of touching 5 - 10cm away from the scar - it's a step by step thing and starts off as gently as you need. if that's even just getting comfortable with looking at your scar, that's it too.

[summerlump]

Okay - from a medical point of view (I'm an Occupational Therapist with fairly extensive experience in scar management - worked with a fair few women who had had c/sections when I was working in a private hospital up the corridor from an OB's office), oh, and I've had 2 c/sections myself too.

They have to cut nerves regardless of whether you've had an elective or emergency - pretty much they are surface ones that only really supply feeling to the skin.

Any time a nerve is cut/damaged, it goes into shock for about 4weeks then it can grow back about a millimetre a week. Depending on scar tissue that's around the area and if you stimulate the area (with massage and different textures, and things like vibration), you can influence how your nerves function as they grow back. Influencing factors include your nutrition level as well - ie. if you smoke - worse healing, if you take zinc supplements - better healing.

Hope that helps.

By the way - I've got perfectly normal feeling over the whole of my stomach and have had for months (2nd bub is 11months old)

Thanks for posting this...good to know. What do you mean by "vibration".

[pegasus]

Thanks for posting this...good to know. What do you mean by "vibration".

Some therapists will use therapeutic vibrators (the one's I've used are basically like a stick with different head attachments) to break up scar tissue and / or stimulate the nerves in the area. usually not used till down the track.

[SilverStarfish]

Ok just being the odd one out here it seems :o but although for the first 4-6 months I DID have no feeling on or above the c/s scar, since then I have no numbness what so ever on or around the scar. :no:

Nerves can regenerate, they just take time to do so. Mine have regenerated just fine.

Nope, you're not the only one. I also have completely normal feeling and sensation across my entire tummy and abdomen. No problems here whatsoever :)

[ReecesMum]

Hi there,

Never even thought about nerve damage before i read this.So i just went and pinched myself in several places on and around the scar and what do you know?? I have less feeling on and around the scar then when i pinch myself that little bit further out(Yes, I really did pinch myself lol).So i learnt something new today and that is maybe it did cause some nerve damage having an emergency c-section!

So i guess you do learn something new everyday.LOL!

ReecesMum.

[razzle]

I've got loss of feeling as well. It's weird, even though I can't feel anything, I hate undies rubbing on the scar - I wore huge mummy pants for a while after the c/s because my normal ones hit the scar. And sometimes I get itchy under my scar, which is weird too because you can't scratch it, it's like a phantom itch. :o

[no1pearl]

mmm, the phantom itch! it's a pain - well no, an itch!. I also have (though i'm only 4 months on so far) pain/extra sensitive bits in the numb bit!?!
And to one side it's quite painful to touch around a little bunch (3 wide ones) of stretchmarks, i blame it on doing too much while healing, and perhaps damaging the scar tissue and healing process??

[squiglet]

I was a bit shocked when I discovered that I had no feeling on a huge patch of my tummy on one side.

My ob/gyn said it would slowly start to come back over the next 6 months. After reading everyone elses stories I'm not holding my breath.

I to find it yuck to touch the numb patch as well. I shave down below and it's the worst feeling shaving over the numb bit.

[brodiebunch]

I have nerve damage bellow my scar on the right hand side as I opened up there after the op.It actually affects my Labia as well.It is also numb above for about 2cms.The other side is fine.