My C-section went wrong..advice needed please

jellyhead

My SIL also had to go back into hospital because her wound was open. It can happen sometimes. She says she's never having another baby, felt scared during the whole thing.

Excuse me for being thick - what did they do wrong? Is it that they removed the stitches on day 6 instead of day 10?

Heavy bleeding wouldn't have been a reason to stay in hospital I'm afraid, frightening as it may seem. Not from what I saw at my hospital anyhow, lots of us were bleeding very heavily. We were told to come back if we passed a clot bigger than a 50p but mine was bigger than an apple and was just shrugged off, apparently it's fine and you don't need to be in hospital.

As for what to do next - if they told you ten days for stitches but didn't write it down then I think that should be addressed, but also I think that given your penumonia (the reason for your cough maybe?) sometimes these things happen and if you can tell yourself that you are okay now and your baby is healthy you might start to feel happier about things?

bank_of_slate

It's well known that smokers are slower to heal and more prone to infection so it will have been a contributory factor.
...Linda xx

margaretclare

I completely agree with nzmegs above.

Most younger people who smoke do so because they think it's 'cool', then they become addicted, but the bottom line is, they haven't yet seen or felt the long-term effects. I have lived long enough, although not a smoker, to have seen it all.

djtonyb

Been through this too. Had c-section burst open due to hospital infection. They couldn't resuture mine so I had the district nurses coming in every day for 16 weeks to pack and dress my wound. I was lucky in that my 'innards' were not visible.

Talk to the hospital - In my case it came to nothing and its not documented on any notes either.

Enjoy your new bundle of joy

xx

P.S I am not a smoker !!!!

aliasojo

Oh for goodness sake! I have no love for smokers believe you me, but this thread is about medical care....not whether the OP should give up smoking or not.

merlin68

Having had 4 c sections, i dont think that what happened to you was that unusual in this day and age.
With no 1 i developed a staphocoocal infection and was readmitted after 10 days with a temp of 104 and pus pouring out of my would and was treated atrociously. No 2 my blood count went down to 9. No3 i heamoriged after the blood pooled in my stomach and didnt come out and with no 4 my wound didnt close up properly and i had a chest infection.
Its quiet common after c sections to get complications which is why they dont like doing them.
Also if you smoke, i always gave up when pregnant you are more prone to chest infections and wounds not healing properly.

djtonyb

I wasn't commenting on wether the OP should give up smoking or not I was making a point that it happened to me and smoking was not an issue in my wound opening

LondonDiva

As already suggested above, best thing for you to do would be to email the PALS team if you just want answers and the complaints team if you want to complain.

You can start with PALS and then make a complaint if you are not happy with the response you get from PALS.

DO NOT get a solicitor involved at this stage unless you know now you want to go down a legal compensation route as this will set the tone for the response to your contact. If the first thing anyone hears is I want to sue you and get money before the facts come to light or you've spoken to anyone, it makes it unneccessarily adversarial. After making a complaint, if you still are unhappy the records, people / notes will still be there to take legal action.

If you want support during the process, there is a specialist agency funded by the govt to support you it's called ICAS and they are free, can help you pull the complaint together, attend meetings etc.

I would also say, PLEASE don't copy 143 people into the correspondence as it's just annoying and pointless. People just shrug their shoulders when letters like that come in as it's seen as a shorthand signal for a hysterical person who's likely to be hard work because s/he doesn't have a sense of proportion.

Either contact the PALS or complaints team and cc the Chief Exec or contact the Chief Exec or Director of Nursing directly - although bear in mind it's going to be sent to PALS / complaints to deal with.

Google your local ICAS and also the complaints manager for the hospital.

lynn44

jellyhead wrote: »

My SIL also had to go back into hospital because her wound was open. It can happen sometimes. She says she's never having another baby, felt scared during the whole thing.

Excuse me for being thick - what did they do wrong? Is it that they removed the stitches on day 6 instead of day 10?

Heavy bleeding wouldn't have been a reason to stay in hospital I'm afraid, frightening as it may seem. Not from what I saw at my hospital anyhow, lots of us were bleeding very heavily. We were told to come back if we passed a clot bigger than a 50p but mine was bigger than an apple and was just shrugged off, apparently it's fine and you don't need to be in hospital.

As for what to do next - if they told you ten days for stitches but didn't write it down then I think that should be addressed, but also I think that given your penumonia (the reason for your cough maybe?) sometimes these things happen and if you can tell yourself that you are okay now and your baby is healthy you might start to feel happier about things?

Yes it is usual for external stitches to come "free" but NOT INTERNAL like mine.
Regarding loss of blood in hospital. I didnt bleed IT WAS clear fluid from my wound..which was a sign of something WRONG but was just IGNORED.
I am not proud to be a smoker and have and will continue to try and give up this horrid addiction, I was on champix and going to no smoking sessions when I fell pregnant.I have smoked for over 29yrs and am not proud of it!!!

These things do not "just happen" they knew I was a smoker with a history of chest problems, that is why they agreed to use reinforced stitches and stay put for 10 days ..:mad:

jellyhead

Sorry I'm thick, when you mentioned sanitary pads I thought you meant the vaginal bleeding that happens after you have a baby - sorry!