Q: Three months back I underwent total hysterectomy. Although my external sutures (staplers used) have healed completely, I am experiencing pain. The pain is about 1" above the sutures that I had, travels upwards and occurs when I press, only sometimes on its own. I travelled by car 10 days back for about 2 hours which included the up and down journey and I started to get prickly pain on one of the sites near my sutures. My doctor is of the opinion that since the sutures have healed, there is no cause to worry. The wounds within are like any other wounds and take time to heal, so he has told me to give it some more time. But as far as I know from others who have undergone the same operation, their experiences are not the same as mine. I am really worried. Will I be able to do my normal routine work till I am completely rid of this pain or do I have to wait and watch? Is this pain natural to be so long after the surgery?

A:Persistent, recurrent pain can occur for several months after surgery in the area of the scar and sutures. It is important for the doctor to examine the area carefully, squeezing the scar between fingers to see if the scarred area is itself tender or pressing down with the flat fingers into the abdomen to see whether deeper structures are abnormal or sore. Quite often, at surgery, small sensory nerves are cut when making the incision. As these heal they can produce fleeting, shooting or prickly pain. If you have no other symptoms, such as bleeding, or bowel/bladder problems, my guess is that this is a somewhat longer than usual healing process - and you should wait a little longer.