Labia swelling after abdominal surgery

[hexeengel.livejournal.com]

N00b, made my intro here.

Two weeks ago, I had reconstructive abdominal surgery (minor panniculectomy plus liposuction for medical (i.e., not cosmetic) reasons, long story I am willing to share if anyone's curious). Ever since then, my labia and clitoral hood have been swollen and, well, puffy. Moreso than if, say, I were aroused. It's starting to get painful to wipe myself after urinating, and to even wear underwear since they rub against me. And I can't not wear undies, since I'll get very bad chaffing on my uppermost inner thighs (am dealing with that right now too, in fact, since for the first week after my surgery, I couldn't wear them because of bandaging and the like), due to my higher-than-"normal" estrogen levels that cause me to have damn near continuous vaginal discharge (just the wet stuff, nothing to indicate an infection of any kind). It's also meant that sexual activity of any kind is pretty much out of the question, which is no fun for anyone involved.

Sorry to be so confusing and long-winded, but my question is, what could be causing this swollen puffiness, and what can I do to reduce/eliminate it?

Comments

[so-says-ali.livejournal.com]

Depending on the areas from which skin was removed, swelling in the party zone might be fairly normal even after a couple of weeks. I would consult your surgeon though; that sounds wayyyyy uncomfortable.

[die-in-a-fire.livejournal.com]

Haha, party zone.

What about ice? Maybe?

[so-says-ali.livejournal.com]

Y'know, I think I even thought to myself "Get this woman an ice pack!" and I must have gotten distracted by a shiney thing or something. Good call.

[loonylupinlover.livejournal.com]

I don't know if it's normal for what you've undergone, but have you tried putting antiperspirant or an anti-chafing cream on your upper thighs? I used to get so sore if I'd wear a skirt, but putting antiperspirant on the parts that rub together, and keeping the area stubble-free (by making sure it's shaved or else long enough that it's not prickly) has helped so much with chafing. I do find I have to reapply the stuff at least once during the day, but it might be something to think about. I'm not sure how it would work with a lot of discharge, but it could be worth a shot. If you can cease the irritation by not wearing undies, that might help.

[jananaphone.livejournal.com]

No idea why you're swelling, but I'm interested to hear about the surgery (what it was, exactly) and why you had it, if that's okay. :D

[hexeengel.livejournal.com]

Not a problem. I have to tell the "why" before the "what," so here goes...

Long story short, my son was born via emergency C-section in July of 2004 (he was breech and had the cord around hs neck, and I went into labor. I wish I'd been as educated as I am now about such conditions, but he's happy and healthy and smart and an absolute angel, so I suppose that's more the point, and that I'll know better the next time). About a week later, 12 hours after getting my staples out, the whole incision split open and I got my first ambulance ride to the ER. Turned out I had a massive infection that had even began to engage the abdominal wall, and had emergency surgery again to correct it. My wound was then left open to heal on its own, so as to avoid a "repeat performance." I went to a Hydrotherapy Wound Clinic for five months following this, at which point I was finally able to have my post-partum exam. The OB/GYN who saw me then was the same doctor who performed the second surgery, and he said given the progress it had already made, I didn't need Wound Clinic anymore, and that the wound shold finish healing on its own in a matter of weeks with the home care we were already doing for it. Turns out, he was wrong. 18 months after that I still had an open (shallow, but open) wound on my lower abdomen. I had cultures taken and scans done, and for the life of us and the doctors, we couldn't find anything abnormal to indicate why this was happening. My family doctor recommended I see a platic surgeon, so off I went.

(And trust me, that IS the short version :P)

What a panniculectomy is, is essentially removing extra fat and skin on one's abdominal area (basically a tummy-tuck). In my case, the C-section wound (and what scar had formed) was removed. The liposuction was then necessary to make all my skin fit together again.

[jananaphone.livejournal.com]

Eeeek! How awful! Well, I'm glad you've got the problem fixed. I didn't even realise what possibilities there were for complications with C-sections. Sort of off-topic, but I (and my 4 younger brothers) was born by C-section, but my mom never had any problems... maybe because she's a skinny freak. :D

Anyway, good thing you're all healing up. I hope the swelling goes down soon. :)

[barefootmomma.livejournal.com]

Ow ow ow ow! Geez, that sucks.

Maintainer Request

[glasspumpkin.livejournal.com]

Hi there. Could you please edit your post to include a descriptive subject line? This will help other members use your post as a resource in the future. For more information on what we mean, take a look at this part (http://www.vaginapagina.com/index.php?title=VaginaPagina_FAQ#Have_I_typed_out_a_descriptive_subject_header_and.2For_LJ-cut_text_that_lets_readers_know_what_my_post_is_about.3F) of our FAQ (http://www.vaginapagina.com/index.php?title=VaginaPagina_FAQ).

Thanks!

Molly
For the VP Team (http://www.vaginapagina.com/contact.php)
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Re: Maintainer Request

[hexeengel.livejournal.com]

*facepalm* And I did read that, I forgot, apologies.