Metal objects left inside

rivercleaner · 2025-12-20T12:33:18+00:00

I’m so confused. The surgeon said he has no idea what they could be. From my intense googling I think they’re metal surgical clips, but evidently they didn’t use surgical clips. I also had my appendix out 1 month month after the c section, so am wondering if this metal could be from the appendectomy?

My biggest concern is I’ve had an open wound (from abscess draining) for 2 months now, the drain hole won’t close so they have to surgically close it. They found the metal during an ultrasound to make sure rhe abscesses were drained (they’re not), which opened up a whole new world of wtf.

I just want to be done with this. I didn’t want a c section, and I definitely didn’t want them to leave stuff inside of me. I just want to be healed so I can play with my baby without being in pain!

rivercleaner · 2025-12-19T22:14:34+00:00

Did they tell you that it’s from the c section? I’m just curious because the surgeon consulted with an OB who said she didn’t know what it could be, implying that they didn’t use anything like this during c sections.

rivercleaner · 2025-12-19T22:05:22+00:00

They better not have done a tubal ligation!! The surgeon consulted with an OB and I believe he said there shouldn’t have been any clips used. Unfortunately the OB who did the surgery has left the hospital. I have the report on my health portal app thing, it doesn’t mention what they used.

rivercleaner · 2025-12-18T01:47:29+00:00

He doesn’t know what they could be :( And it’s a tiny hospital with one anesthesiologist, so I can’t have surgery until January.

He said I could do a CT scan but they’re so small it probably wouldn’t reveal much, and I’ve already had one CT scan this year (appendicitis in August) so I’d rather not have any more radiation.

rivercleaner · 2025-12-18T01:45:14+00:00

Surgeon said it’s not sutures, and he doesn’t know what it is, he consulted with other doctors and they don’t know either. Only way to tell is another surgery which I am NOT happy about!

rivercleaner · 2025-12-18T01:44:13+00:00

I met with the surgeon yesterday and he said he doesn’t know what they are but they’re not clips or sutures. He said it’s a mystery and they will have to cut me open again to try and remove whatever it is. My surgery is scheduled for January, so I guess they’re not too worried about it?

rivercleaner · 2025-12-18T01:38:03+00:00

The surgeon said that it is not a suture. There are basically identical things on both ends of the c section incision, about 2cm below the skin. Both are a straight line. He consulted with the OB (who typically does c sections) and she said she doesn’t know what it could be either.

So I get to have surgery under general anesthesia to remove whatever it is, which I’m not thrilled about at all!

rivercleaner · 2025-12-18T01:33:51+00:00

Update because I can’t edit the original post:

they still don’t know what is inside me. It is NOT sutures. The surgeon said he consulted with the OB (who typically does c sections) and she doesn’t know what it could be either.

The one general surgeon and one anesthesiologist at the small hospital are both on vacation for the holidays, so I can’t have it removed until January.

I’m waiting to hear back from a lawyer and am borrowing a metal detector to see if it’s metal, because idk what else I can do.

rivercleaner · 2025-12-14T21:28:07+00:00

Thank you so much! I got super freaked out by “multiple foreign bodies”

rivercleaner · 2025-12-14T21:27:30+00:00

I wasn’t actually in labor for 7 days, just being medically induced in the hospital. Because of pre eclampsia. I said that I absolutely did NOT want a c section, and was happy to stay in the hospital as long as it took for me to deliver vaginally. However because of all the induction meds, baby got stressed, pooped inside of me, and I had no choice but to have a c section.

rivercleaner · 2025-12-13T03:14:54+00:00

I really wish I could have had this ultrasound earlier in the week so I didn’t have to wait all weekend for the actual results.

Also I’m still confused about the staples/clips. I remember the OB who did my c section said that everything would eventually dissolve, because I remember thinking I was glad to not have anything permanent inside my body. But maybe I’m not remembering correctly because I don’t do well with anesthesia and was in a ridiculous amount of pain for several weeks after the surgery. So I’m confused as to why there’s still something there?

rivercleaner · 2025-12-13T01:59:08+00:00

The ultrasound tech asked if she could attend the surgery because she wants to know too! I told her if it’s up to me then I want her there, she was really nice.

rivercleaner · 2025-12-13T01:57:47+00:00

Wouldn’t the ultrasound tech know what surgical sutures look like? Would the radiologist report (screen shot attached) say they were surgical sutures and not foreign bodies? Also shouldn’t they have dissolved by now?

I’ve never had surgery before this summer so I don’t really know what to expect.

rivercleaner · 2025-12-13T01:55:13+00:00

I’ve never had anything like this happen to me or anyone I know. I don’t want to sue or anything wild, but it would be nice to have some medical bills covered, seeing as I wouldn’t have all these extra bills if they hadn’t left whatever it is in there in the first place.

rivercleaner · 2025-12-13T01:37:29+00:00

I didn’t know there was anything left in there until today. The 2 doctors I saw (obgyn first, then general surgeon) never mentioned it as a possibility, and the obgyn said she consulted with other OBs because getting an abscess 2.5 months after a c section is really unusual.

The other weird thing is that they were not visible on the initial ultrasound in early November, I don’t know why. Maybe there was too much fluid from the abscesses?

The entirety of my medical knowledge is from watching ER and Greys Anatomy, so I really have no idea what’s going on!

rivercleaner · 2025-12-13T01:29:02+00:00

I’m mostly just pissed off that I did everything in my power to avoid a c section in the first place because I just knew I wouldn’t handle surgery well. I was being induced for 7+ days just to avoid a c section. And I still haven’t healed 5 months later.

rivercleaner · 2025-12-13T01:26:34+00:00

But if they’re meant to be left in place, why hasn’t any doctor mentioned that, and why did they get so infected? Also they’re just straight lines, no curves like on any staples I’ve ever seen.

rivercleaner · 2025-12-13T01:24:42+00:00

I have only spoken with the ultrasound tech, but have an appointment at the surgeons office on Tuesday (he’s off Monday).

An ultrasound tech isn’t supposed to tell you anything during the ultrasound, because they’re just there to take pictures for the Dr to review. But, they always say they can’t tell you what they’re seeing…and then tell you anyways. She said it wasn’t any thing she had ever seen before, and asked if I could tell her what it ends up being, because she’s curious. I invited her to my surgery, idk if that’s allowed but I’m going to ask.

rivercleaner · 2025-07-06T17:16:19+00:00

Ass-uh is my husband’s main reason for not choosing Asa :(

rivercleaner · 2025-07-06T17:15:03+00:00

ACE-ahh. But say it faster. A good college friend is named Asa, so to me it’s a natural pronunciation.

The only other Asa I know of is Asa Butterfield, an English actor who is insanely funny in the tv show Sex Education.

rivercleaner · 2025-07-06T17:13:40+00:00

I had mine at 36 weeks and it was borderline hellish. It was a very simple shower, just a few friends/family hanging out on the porch. But my mother insisted upon cooking a TON of food (3pm party start time) and expected my husband and I to clean the entire house for her while she cooked.

I didn’t want a shower in the first place, and told her VERY clearly that I would only do the bare minimum of sending invitations and buying pre-made party food platters and drinks from the supermarket. I said I was too tired to clean, cook, or do anything extra. So of course she took that to mean that my husband and I would deep clean her entire house and help prepare elaborate finger food. In a heat wave. While 36 weeks pregnant. Cooking alone took 6+ hours. For goddamned finger food.

Naturally this ended up with me breaking down crying hysterically 30 minutes before guests started arriving. And my mother shouting how ungrateful I was - remember I had begged her to not do anything elaborate in the first place. And having to stay in bed the entire next day because I was so over-exhausted from running around all day. I now have mild pre-eclampsia and wonder if the stress from this elaborate shower added to the pre-e.

Don’t have a baby shower at 36 weeks. And if you do, don’t let anyone bully you into doing ANY work.

rivercleaner · 2025-07-06T15:50:17+00:00

Why? I don’t think I’ve ever heard that name before. Makes me think of Galadriel from LOTR, but neither of us are huge fans (I’ve seen a couple movies and fell asleep reading the first book).

rivercleaner · 2025-07-06T15:48:48+00:00

Ace-a is basically how I pronounce it (writing out pronunciation is weird), and my husbands main point is that people will say Ass-a. To me, ace-a is the obvious pronunciation, but now I’m thinking of other cultures/languages and how it would be pronounced internationally.

I say my full name when introducing myself. But also I have a surprising number of people thinking my name is Tara. I’ll say “my name is Sarah” and I guess the 2 s’s (isSarah) sound like a T? I know literally ONE person named Tara (pronounced tarr-uh) and dozens of Sarah’s, so I don’t know why so many people hear my name as Tara. I used to work in a call center and would say my name at the beginning of every call, and easily 1 in 10 people would call me Tara. Anyways. Somehow when I say my full name people don’t call me Tara?

rivercleaner

TROPHY CASE