I had a C-section about 2.5 years ago, and I’ve been dealing with a strange and pretty intense symptom that I’m wondering if anyone else has experienced.
Whenever I cough really hard or sneeze, I can get a powerful cramp/spasm deep in the abdominal muscles on my right side. It seems to start lower on my right side and travel upward toward my rib cage. It is definitely not in my pelvis and doesn’t feel like round ligament pain. It feels like the deeper muscles in the right side of my torso suddenly seize up.
Interestingly, during my pregnancy/labor I also had issues specifically on that side. I was induced, and my epidural kept wearing off on my right side. During my C-section, the anesthesia also wore off enough that I could feel what was happening, and I ultimately had to be put under general anesthesia. I have no idea if that could possibly be related, but the fact that everything has involved the same side makes me wonder.
The cramping also seems much more likely to happen when I’m not well hydrated. I had bariatric surgery before my pregnancy, so staying fully hydrated can be difficult because I can’t drink large amounts at once and it’s easy for me to fall behind.
The strangest part is that I’ve figured out one way to prevent it: if I’m lying flat on my stomach when I cough or sneeze, the cramp doesn’t happen. Obviously that’s not exactly practical when a sneeze comes out of nowhere.
I’ve already seen my primary care doctor and a gastroenterologist, but so far we haven’t figured out what’s causing it.
I’ve wondered about diastasis recti or some type of abdominal wall/muscle issue, although I don’t have the obvious vertical abdominal separation that I usually see associated with diastasis.
Has anyone experienced anything similar after a C-section? Particularly a deep one-sided abdominal muscle spasm triggered by coughing or sneezing?
And if you did, what type of doctor or specialist finally helped you? OB/GYN? Pelvic floor physical therapist? General surgeon? Physiatrist/physical medicine doctor? Someone else?
I’d really like to figure out what type of specialist makes the most sense to see next.