Rachel– Cesarean Scarring, Adhesions, Pelvic Pain

I want to share with you about my client Rachel. She originally came to me looking for pain relief. She had been dealing with migraines and severe head and neck pain for decades following an serious accident. She had multiple surgeries to help with the nerve pain, but it kept coming back. She made an appointment hoping to avoid another surgery. Spoiler alert: I was able to help her with all of that, and she is doing great without surgery– hurray! But something else she mentioned was pain in her pelvis, and a sharp pain with sneezing. I asked about her births, and she had two deliveries by c-section– her kids were now in their teens.

Rachel was bothered by the pain in her pelvis, but she was also unsettled by the appearance of her cesarean scar. As I examined it, I could see why. She had a lot of thick scar tissue above the incision line– like a shelf over the visible scar. The scar itself had areas that were pink or purple, and spots that were raised and thick, as well as areas where the skin was being pulled inwards. She told me that the first cesarean birth had been an emergency, and the doctor’s urgency was obvious in the incision– it was not small or neat. The second delivery had been planned, and her doctor, noticing that she had a lot of scar tissue, spent extra time trying to cut it all out. This only resulted in much worse scarring, unfortunately, and that is why her whole pelvis seemed to be affected by the scar tissue.

She had gone to a plastic surgeon to see if he could help with the appearance of her scarring, and he told her that, unfortunately, because of the way her body creates so much scar tissue with surgery, it would only make things worse.

When I started working with Rachel’s cesarean scar tissue, my goal was just to help relieve the pain and restriction she was experiencing– but I also hoped I could help with the appearance. After three sessions of working with the scar, there was a clear visible change. It wasn’t tacked down as it had been, the color was beginning to improve, and it was all becoming softer and flatter. The pulling, sharp pains in her pelvis were mostly gone, and as we continued to work on it, Rachel let me know that she noticed that she no longer had the “mommy bladder” that caused her to need to use the bathroom frequently.

This week when I saw Rachel, we were both marveling at how great her scar and the skin all around it looks! The whole scar is the same color as the rest of her skin, and the tissues all around it have flattened out. She told me that she also has regained almost all of the sensation in the skin of her lower abdomen– there used to be numbness about an inch or so above and below the scar. We are both just disappointed that we didn’t get a “before” picture so we could show you the amazing difference!

As someone who has a body with some big scars on it, I am so aware of how visible scars can affect us mentally and emotionally. Of course I am more concerned with the body’s functionality, but the visible changes in scars are also a really big deal. I love seeing a funky scar on a new client, knowing that there is so much potential for change and healing on many levels!

Here is a note from Rachel about her experience:

“My experience with Ariana can be summed up in two words, “Life Changing!” She is incredibly knowledgeable and intuitive.

I first came to her trying to find some relief from nerve pain in my neck and continue to see her for my overall wellness. Ariana’s genuine concern and welcoming demeanor makes me comfortable enough to tell her anything that ails me. Not only have the physical changes in my body been remarkable but my emotional health has also improved greatly. Not living with chronic pain I’m able to refocus that energy into personal growth.

I can not recommend Ariana highly enough. I not only got an amazing practitioner but a friend as well. “

Thank you for letting me share your story, Rachel!