Hematoma

[mom2angel]

Has anyone ever had a hematoma from internal bleeding after a surgery? I bled internally after a C-Section 19 months ago. They opened my incision by hand and drained it, but I was still left with 2 hematomas. My incision was left open and I had to pack it twice a day until it healed.

I had my yearly cardio appt this month. In his report it says that my hematoma is still there. I believe this, because I still have pressure in my lower abdomen, like I did right after the surgery, only not as much. Today I started putting a heating pad on my abdomen, hoping to speed up the process of re-absorption. I don't know if my body will reabsorb this anymore, since it's been over a year and a half already. I also don't think any doctor would ever remove it, since surgery is always a risk for us anti-coagulated patients. I'm not having any pains or problems from it. I would just like it to not be there but it is not a real issue. I might be able to fit back in my smaller jeans easier if it was gone, so it's really a vain issue

I'm just wondering if anyone else on this board has ever had a hematoma after surgery and what their experience was with it.

 

[river-wear]

Hi, this forum gets a little quiet on the weekend, so I'll post to bump you back up to the top.

My father-in-law had a large hematoma after hip surgery. He's on warfarin for a-fib but they still drained it. However, he was also battling an infection in the area so maybe that was part of the motivation.

Have you asked your doctor why they don't drain it? Maybe they can do it in a minimally invasive way.

 

[mom2angel]

Hi Michele. Thanks for the response. Your father-in-law's infection may have been why they did more for him. I have heard of people getting infections from these. my Dr. actually told me that my incision would probably get infected and I'd have to come back in. Luckily, it didn't
I had two hematomas after surgery. One was in my abdomen, and the other was in my right thigh. The one in my abdomen was growing and pushing my incision open between the staples. So, they did remove the staples and drain that hematoma by hand. They took out a lot of blood and clots. I can't remember the amount now, but it seems like he said 60-80ccs. However much it was, my cousin who's a nurse said that it was a lot.

The incision hadn't closed up because of the hematoma. They decided that it was best to leave it open and let it heal from the inside out. I believe they didn't want to mess with surgery due to the Coumadin. They said they would leave the other hematoma alone. They said it was contained in a leg muscle, so it would not move or cause any problems. They decided that letting my body reabsorb it on it's own was the best option, since I'm anti-coagulated.

The one in my leg wasn't supposed to move, but they both moved after I got home from the hospital. The one in my abdomen moved up higher, and the one in my leg moved from my leg into the center (pubic area). I could tell they both moved, because the bruising and discoloration moved to these areas.

When my daughter turned a year old, I called the Ob/Gyn grou that delivered her, and asked to make an appt. They sent me to a normal Ob/gyn, because they said it had been too long since delivery for them to see me. this other Dr. didn't really seem to want to check anything out. She said that since i was healthy and I was exercising, that I was doing well and I should just not worry about it. At that time, the visible bruising was still present.

Now, 19 months after surgery, the visible bruising is gone, but I still have pressure (not pain) in that area. I am also still a little swollen/puffy in those areas. I found it interesting that the cardiologist said that the hematoma was still present.

My plan is to just use a heating pad on the area daily. Try to increase my exercise and watch what I eat. If I lose a little weight, it will be more clear how much of the swelling is really hematoma. I'll give it a year, and if I think it is still there, I'll mention it to my cardiologist next year. I was just curious if anyone else had any experiences with this. Thanks again.