[MrsMomOrtiz]

I was wondering if anyone else has had experience with this in their weight loss journey.

Last year in July I had my first cesarean. The incision was then reopened this year in February for hernia repair.

I still have a lump, and a lot of numbness around the incision area.

My surgeon wasn't very imformative as he just wanted to reassure me I was okay and healing to his expectations. That's good and all, but what about down the road...like I'm TRYING TO LOSE WEIGHT?! haha

Does the feeling ever come back to that area? Can I rebuild the muscle? On the account that I can't; is that going to become that 'loose skin' that I'm so afraid of getting? What should I expect; or not expect for that matter?

Thanks!

[reji]

I had an incision many years ago in my leg (not quite the same thing, I realize). The area is still numb to this day, but other than that, I see no difference in muscle/loose skin between that leg and the other one.

I hope someone with a similar surgery can chime in with more detailed info.

[icedragon6669]

not the same area.. but i Had surgery on my achielles (huge 4-5 inch incision) and the dr at the time said it would damage a lot of the smaller nerves around the area but they do heal though very slowly, and it could be numb for up to 6 months! but it will get back to normal.
And my muscle tone came back, even though I had half the achielles spliced and removed. you can rebuild muscle tissue but you need to find specific excercises and stick with them regulary (best to see a physio and find out which excercises)
and it is a different muscle but I assume it would be similar with other muscle groups too.

Now 12 months later, I do have full feeling in the area

[fattymcfatty]

I had a C-Section at about 260 then a year later had to be re-opened for an emergency surgery for an ectopic pregnancy that took too long to detect. I was about 270. The C-section was April of 09 and the emergency was June of 10. I still had numbness a few months ago. Soreness with certain ab moves with the 30 day shred. I had no scarring with the C-section but the last surgery has left me with a bump and scar. One area didn't heal quite right. But it is faint. It now looks like an ingrown hair, to be honest, and the redness is finally starting to fade. I'm still a ways from goal, and while I hate my abs, they are starting to look better. Not great, but slow improvement. I can't speak to whether muscle can be rebuilt since I am still a work in progress. I think loose skin would be more related to being obese for long period of time, age, etc, than a surgery, but I am not an expert. Hope this helps.

[Aromyn]

I had a C-Section in June of 09, at 330lbs. The incision re-opened by itself a week later, (wound dehiscence), which is apparently a risk in surgery, especially for overweight women. All that to say that my C-Section didn't heal until November of that year. (It didn't go all the way through the muscle wall, which would have been terrible, just the fatty tissue, yuck.) So immediately after healing I had a swollen ridge the length of the incision, but almost three years later, it has gone down. Still dark but not heinous, and not at all swollen. The nerve connections in my ab region is another story. There is still an area towards the middle of my lower abdomen that I "can't feel", on the surface, (I feel the pressure of a touch, just not really the touch, hard to explain), though it is MUCH better than it used to be. I think it will come back, it's just taking it's sweet time. The muscle will repair, it's the nerves that take forever to come back. I have a thin friend who has had 2 CS's and agree's that this is a universal CS issue, and prob. not a weight issue.
A

[theCandEs]

Well, I've had 2 c-sections. I have a pouchy, loose skin belly. The incision site is still numb. I don't think exercise will help. I've done crunches and it's still the same. Maybe others have had better luck, but even with all my weight loss, I still have the saggy belly. Sorry.

[peachypeg]

Originally Posted by Aromyn

There is still an area towards the middle of my lower abdomen that I "can't feel", on the surface, (I feel the pressure of a touch, just not really the touch, hard to explain), though it is MUCH better than it used to be. A

I have had 3 C-sections......the first two were not so bad, the third was a different story. I have a mound, not swollen, but a mound there. (not something that was there before the first one) And I am like pretty much everyone else, I have lost feeling in that zone. Just like she tried to say above.....you feel the pressure just not the actual touch. Now you have to understand, my "baby" will turn 17 in just a few days......my site has been like this for 17 years. I say site because after the first, the stretch marks were horrible. I had lost all my baby wieght the first two times but still had that mound or pudge or what ever ya wanna call it. Not sure what will take it away to be honest.

[astrophe]

Does the feeling ever come back to that area?

Yes. It just takes a long time. Healing from my emergency C-sect was like the numb spot "shrinking" as the nerves knit back up in my lower abs. Earlier I could feel the bumps from the staples that were used to help close, but those seem to have gone away in time.

Kid is 8 and it's my only one. So far all feeling is back, and it's just raised line scar now. Not a biggie.

I guess it depends on how long it has been? Esp now that you are post op from hernia it is like starting over in terms of rehealing nerves and muscles.

Can I rebuild the muscle?

Sure. Just give it time to heal first before you start jumping around doing stuff. I don't know if you need a hernia belt or what. Talk to your doc about your particular case. We can't see you over the internet and we aren't your docs.


GL
A.

[ronni62]

Just to add my 2 cents here--I've had two c-sections, one almost 20 years ago, and one 15 1/2 years ago. Sense of feeling in the incision area did not ever return--like someone else said, I feel pressure, but not pain or touch. I was told that the nerves were cut during the surgery, as is normal and can't be avoided, but that they would never heal back together. I also had lumps after the 2nd c-section and was told they were adhesions. Some of them went away, but I still have a couple, though they are much smaller after so many years. (I also get keloids easily, so the lumps could be from that).

And, as far as the loose skin worries, I'm sure that wouldn't be from the numbness or even the surgery, as the muscles heal up and can be strong and still support the layer of skin, as long as there is still enough elasticity in the skin. As far as me, I'm sure I'm too old and I know I don't have very 'elastic' skin anymore so I'm not looking to get flat and bikini-smooth, just healthier and smaller