Scar issues (pulling, sensitive)

Submitted by clavicula on June 24, 2011 - 1:44am
Body: 

Hey, ladies,

I just want to share this "self diagnose" because sometime someone can find it and may find some help to understand her similar situation.

I have POP since 2008, so I begin to consider myself "experienced"in the POP field, if one can say that.
However, I also realized that my symptoms were caused mostly by scar tissue/nerve damage. My POP must have been very mild (doctors said there is no POP, so I gave up having properly (?) diagnosed), since a year or so I haven't seen my cystocele, my rectocele literally disappeared and cervix is as high as it can be.

On the other hand I am still having symptoms here and there. Typical peripheral nerve damage symptoms: some atrophy (where my episiotomy scar is, inside my vagina), took me years to realize it is there. Pain, burning sensations, some minor urge, hypersensitivity (better orgasms, have to admit this too!lol). After 3 years it is finally localized (I felt it overall for years, old members may remember my struggles with my bladder, etc.) to a 1x1 cm spot give or take.

My scar tissue is taut now (never been before WW work, but it also contracted as time went by for sure), I feel the pulling sensation it moves up every time I stand up in WW posture, of course. Yesterday I saw this picture Christine posted and it finally clicked. This pulling up phenomenon pulls on my scar and my damaged tissues and my damaged nerve as well. This is exactly what I feel. I ONLY started to feel the strong pulling up sensation after my uterus turned from tilted to normal postiton!

Now I know my problem is a bit different here (some scar not even too much, and some nerve damage). Well, I accepted it and I am fine.
Just want to encourage everyone: pull up into WW posture! :)

Liv

chickaboom

July 10, 2011 - 5:56am

Hi Liv, thank you for this post. I think I have something similar, especially after my most recent episiotomy. I am definitely experiencing symptoms of vaginal atrophy - what a scary word! :(. I know I am still newly pp but I sure did not feel in my previous pp periods what I am feeling now - not to the same extent.

What is the significance of the scar tissue being taut? And if scar tissue contracts, is my perineum doomed to eventually disappear one day? O_o

Did your uterus flip to its proper position after maintaining the ww posture for a while? Or did you do anything else? (mayan massage etc)

More questions-- how can I know whether or not I have a tilted uterus? I read somewhere on here I think that I can find out from the position of my cervix? I've always had some pretty painful periods so I know I have one of the symptoms. THanks.

PS-Have you given birth naturally after that initial episiotomy? And if so did you tear? I would like to birth naturally one day and am worried that I'd tear right along my old scars.

louiseds

July 10, 2011 - 7:21am

First question. I knew my uterus was retroverted, ie bent backwards instead of forwards. I think it was jammed back under my sacrum because my cervix came out of the back vaginal wall, instead of out of the front vaginal wall. It had been like that for a long time. I haven't used tampons since before having babies. Prior to that when I used a tampon the menstrual fluid would go into the back of the tampon, about 1.5cm down from the top, instead of onto the top. My front vaginal wall was very stretched out and smooth, while my back vaginal wall was all wrinkly and scrunched up, which may have set the scene for my rectocele. My uterus flipped over to normal about a year before I stopped menstruating, and my periods became a lot less heavy and painful. The night time flow had always been the heaviest since I had babies. When I was young I hardly had any night time flow at all. It went back to low night time flow until menstruation ceased altogether.

Second question. My first labour and birth was fully managed, high epidural, stirrups, forceps and big episiotomy, in bed for the whole labour, and hooked up to a drip. My second and third births were both active labour with vaginal birth, the second lying on my side and the third on hands and knees . A little laceration with the second, which I would not have even known I had, and no tearing or damage with the third.

Life is good.

Louise

clavicula

July 11, 2011 - 12:54am

I feel my scar pulling when I pull up onto WW posture. This is why I was so amazed, the lifting feeling of the proper posture is amazing! I have no idea what is gonna happen with scar tissues. In 3 PP years it was only improving for me, so I try to stay positive. I hope that WW posture will protect me from further prolapsing no matter how the scar tissue would look like.

My uterus flipped forward after just a few months into WW work (WW excercises, lots of plies, elbows and knees position, downward dog you name it, and ww posture, sitting only on the ground, etc.). Boy, was I happy! Finally I could wear tampons! And my terrible periods went away too. My periods are so much lighter now, no cramps, less blood, which is surprising, but maybe this is related to my diet.

Your uterus is tilted when- as Louise said - your cervix emerges from the back vaginal wall. This is where my cervix was, sometimes at the top of my vagina. Sex was painful sometimes too.

I had 3 births. 1 epi, and 2 tears. I tore along the first scar both times. Midwives tried their best, but I couldn't avoid tearing. I had a mediolateral cut. I have a long perineum (2.5 inches), obgyns, midwives all told me I would tear. It was true.

louiseds

July 11, 2011 - 3:49am

Liv, you said, "obgyns, midwives all told me I would tear. It was true." Was this because of your long perineum? I can't remember, what position were you in for stage 2?

clavicula

July 11, 2011 - 7:14am

First, I was on my back, of course. Second time birthing stool (worst idea ever, at least for me). 3rd time I was standing.

Liv

louiseds

July 11, 2011 - 7:59am

do you think your babies would have come down onto the perineum, had you been on hands and knees? ie the head coming out kind of horizontally, with its weight on your pubic bone, rather than on your perineum? I guess it is rather an academic question, given that we can't wind the clock back. It's a tight squeeze anyway, and the perineum is where the tearable tissue is, so that's where it is going to tear, if it is going to tear. Right?

Aza, do you have an opinion on this, if you are around?

Louise

alemama

July 11, 2011 - 9:14am

I also hate the birth stool and have read extensively about them- the research I've done says the promote tearing.

clavicula

July 11, 2011 - 11:10am

Louise, you could be right. My first and third were also OP babies. I forgot to mention that. Being hands on knees felt very painful and bad for some reason. I followed my instincts at least I thought I did. Next time I'll go for hands and knees I guess.

Alemama, as far as I recall, on the birthing stool I tucked my tailbone under. Tearing was inevitable.

Liv

aza

July 13, 2011 - 1:27am

Hey everyone,
Pushed for time here but wanted to chime in...totally agree with alemama on the birth stool...they are great for labour sometimes but I have seen too many difficulties (tears particularly) when they are birthed on. If I had to wager a guess I would say your tears (or most tears, since you never asked to be the focus, clavicula ;) ) would result from a birth stool or OP and other malpositions or compound presentations (i.e. hand up on face) than from a long perineum, no doubt about it. I have seen short and long perineums stretch with the greatest of elasticity in the vast majority of births.
So many other things to say but will have to return later

clavicula

July 13, 2011 - 8:00am

Thanks, Aza. I mentioned my long perineum, because I have heard it a lot, you know, usually with amazement and (mostly) surprise.
Yeah, the birth stool was a bad idea. Felt good though. Weird.
Liv