My article on Momspresso for our lovely moms out here.

An awareness, heads up.

I was discharged from the hospital on the fifth day after a c section delivery. I had the so called post operative recovery period, with zombie like nights, getting up every two hours to fill in the tiny tummy of my little one. With no time to sleep, and uncombed hair, I couldn't even wear a pressed neat dress which was once my priority. I knew this period was going to be more demanding and tiring.;
All went well until I found myself very weak and the sutures on my tummy suddenly started swelling and paining within a few days after I reached home. Initially I thought the pain was just due to the lack of rest, after all a major surgery has been performed on the site where I had this pain, so I took it light.
Then the next day, the pain was so severe with an high fever of 101 degree Fahrenheit. I could no more bear it, so I decided to meet the doctor. We rushed to the hospital and informed my doctor; about the issues. She was a bit worried and asked me to go in for a few quick blood and urine tests and i got them all done on the same day .
As we collected the reports the next day and met the doctor, she found that; nothing was wrong with it.; But fever and pain was still killing me. The doctor advised me to take rest, eat well and have a nap whenever the baby slept. I was put on paracetamol and a few more medications to help me feel better. Yet, all in vain. Nothing saved me from the sudden chills and terrible high fever. And I did not understand what was happening around me. I was physiologically so depressed and meek. I thought this was the end of my life, since nobody could help me out to find out what was happening to me. All nights were already restless as the baby was demanding frequent feeds, diaper changes and what not.;
But I wanted to give myself one last chance, with all the courage and energy mustered up, I met my gynecologist, who this time got perplexed after she saw me so feeble and fragile. She quickly asked me to go for a scan to diagnose if I had an infection internally on the pelvic region where the surgery was performed. She said this was the final possible way out and we agreed.;
This was the nightmare that I was not aware of , I was taken aback when the scan report had an impression mentioned that I was severely infected with pus and hence the same had to be collected as sample with the help of a syringe and a needle from the sutured area to run a few tests again to check on type of bacteria responsible for the cause of the infection. The doctor explained to us that there was an infection caused by a particular strain of bacteria, which they need to find out to start the course of treatment with antibiotics, but; instructed us that it could only be treated with intravenous fluids for which hospitalisation is required again. Also, the pathological report confirmed it to be the case of staphylococcus aureus infection.;
What is staphylococcus aureus?;
Staphylococcus aureus;is a bacteria present in the nose usually temporarily and on the skin of a person. The;bacteria can spread from person to person by direct contact, through contaminated objects or, less often, by inhalation of infected droplets dispersed by sneezing or;coughing. Most infections caused by;Staphylococcus aureus;are skin and soft tissue infections such as abscesses or cellulitis. It is most often spread to others by contaminated hands. The skin and mucous membranes are usually an effective barrier against infection. However, if these barriers are breached, for example, skin damage due to trauma or mucosal damage due to viral infections,;these bacteria;may gain access to underlying tissues or the bloodstream and cause infection.
I had an abscesses internally in the pelvic region filled with pus. It looked like a pocket of infection that formed below the sutures which cannot be seen externally and filled with infected pus cells and fluid accumulation. In some cases, oral antibiotics may be given for minor skin infections. But if abscesses are present , they are supposed to be surgically drained.;So, with no other option left, I was hospitalised again for a week to drain the abscess by piercing a hole on the surgically sutured area.;
This was so pathetic and painful. Every alternate day, the surgeon would drain the pus out and cover the hole to avoid any further complications. It happened for the next seven days. Between I was feeding my baby and doing all the motherhood chores required for the little one who had no idea of what I was going through. What kept me going was the baby’s beautiful smile and his cute little eyes searching for the warmth on his mother's lap. Finally, the day had arrived when I was discharged from the hell and I had a great sigh of relief. I was prescribed with oral antibiotics and other vitamin tablets for my recovery for the next fifteen days.;;
Hope this article helps other moms out there to be aware of such post surgery complications. Please talk to your doctor, even if it is a mild fever that you feel uncomfortable with post surgery. This may save you from a lot of confusions and trauma.;