BethinPA

I wear scrubs and a lab coat to work, so it was easy to hide changes through layering. So my recommendation would be to layer up, and then reduce the layers slowly, over time, so the change will appear to be more gradual.

I'm not sure what could be causing the edema either, but compression garments sound like a good idea. I had the same deep posterior opening that you are describing, and needed sutures as well. It took its sweet time, but it did close up. I can feel this hard scar tissue in its place though, which is disturbing. My surgeon says it will eventually soften up, but I don't see how. I hope the garments are the ticket for you, and know that you are not alone with the occasional pity parties for one. These complications simply can't last forever, they have to resolve. And then we will be left with an end product that we will appreciate more than ever for the effort taken to make it happen!

Thanks for checking in on me! I very much appreciate it! At this point I would call myself situationally depressed. I'm in my fifth month of this sick role, and it is really getting to me. You all are handling this stuff better than I. I miss showers, I really miss exercise, I miss the social things I used to do. I tire easily and I'm de conditioned. If my surgeon had his way I wouldn't even be working, which of course isn't an option, although I haven't worked my second job in months in my attempts to take it easy to heal. I've had my drains in for almost a month, and I'm putting out about 60mls a day. It's slowly, slowly going down, I have no idea how many more weeks it will take. I see the doctor Thursday, and I think he wants to take them out, but I want to see this through to the very end, so I never will have to do it again. I'm going to my nephew's graduation in NC this weekend, and I'm worried that all the activities will wear me out and set me back. The good news is that my spring dresses look way better than they did before the surgery, even with the drains sticking out some. So while I wouldn't even consider another procedure while you are grappling with this lymph edema, more power to you that you are going through with another procedure! You deserve for this one to be a success!

The idea that it could be permanent is scary to me! I know I'm still working through my complications, but I had wanted to get my breasts done also. At this point I would have to think long and hard before attempting another procedure. I can't go through this again.

The revision that the surgeon did at the same time looks good, thank goodness. I just hope I get to enjoy it someday soon! ????

Thanks so much for asking! I'm muddling through, trying not to get too depressed. I've had the drains in for over 2 weeks, and he says he wants to keep them in until I make less than 15 mls per day, but I seem to be holding at 75 - 90 Mls per day. The drains burn and bother me, but I have learned to strip them routinely, so they no longer leak. The surgeon says that when he went in this second time, he found that my abdominal wall had healed almost too well, because it was thick and slick, which necessitated basically flaying the top layer of my abdominal wall, which too twice as long to do, and hurt twice as much as anticipated. So I have no idea when I will be out of the woods, just the hope that some day my body will give up and give itself bask to me. Today in church I fainted, from the abdominal pain, always a good look! I think I may have a virus on top of everything else, and I thank goodness for good friends and family for sticking by me throughout all of this nonsense. I just keep telling myself that this fact can't last forever. But at this point I also think of all the fun trips I could have taken with 20k plus instead! So, I wish I had better news… how are you doing? ????

I am not a big picture taker, but for the first year after my surgery, I took a picture of myself on the first of each month. I needed to have a way of looking back, and of acknowledging my progress. It was really helpful to me to do that!

My surgeon's limit was 6 hours of anesthesia, so I just had the lower body lift, and have tabled the breast reduction for another time. So I think the answer would be individualized based on surgeon preference as well as what needs to be done on you as the patient.

I'm not ready to say that this has all been worth it, it's too early for me. But my incision opened in the back too, and I had stitches for a good while. It healed, but there is a lump of scar tissue there in its place, so I'd like to hear how things go with you, @avafern. I feel like I have this little tail now where the scar tissue is! Hopefully you will have better results!

Thanks so much for your well wishes! I really appreciate that. It went well enough, I guess. It took twice as long as was anticipated, and I have two drains instead of the expected one, but I don't really know what he found when he went in there, because he was gone when I woke up. He spoke to my friend afterwards, but he didn't really think to ask the right questions. So, I have to wait until my appt on Thursday to find out more. Meanwhile, my drains are leaking like crazy at the insertion sites. I just have rags wrapped around them that I keep changing, trying to keep dry. I'm going to try wrapping a vaseline gauze around them next, to keep them from draining. Anyone have any ideas?

Thank you for your support! I have decided that this surgery is going to go swimmingly- I won't consider another outcome. I'm glad things went so well with your recovering!

I actually haven't thought much about the numbness, I've been wearing shape wear 24/7 for 3+ months, so my sensation is off anyway. Since your surgery, has your skin stretched back out at all? And how does your belly button look? Can you see scarring there?

When this has happened to me before, I have called the manufacturer for a recommendation. I haven't been steered wrong yet! ????

My doc used doxycycline, which really hurt, but I didn't get much good from it. She had planned to do it a second time but then changed her mind. I don't think that thing would have ever healed. I'm with you, I wouldn't have wanted to go on much longer with it. I hated having it cut open, but so glad it's over!Well I had my weekly draining last Thursday and told him that I was just over it, I was done. He told me that he totally understood, and we could move forward however I wanted to. I think he was being so conservative out of respect to my finances, and was fine with doing the procedure now, rather than later. At this point, just tell me who to make the check out to, I just want my health back! So Friday morning I am going to the surgi center, and he will open me back up, introduce a sclerosing agent (I think talc), remove the outer layer of my abdominal wall and roughen up the layer underneath so that it will adhere better, and then sew me up as tight as he can, so the seroma doesn't have room to reform. He will give me a drain. I'm just trying to think really positively, because this has to work. I am so ready to move on! And I'm squeezing this in - I took off Monday, but then I have to go back to work, at least half days, for the rest of the week. God bless those of you who has multiple surgeries in stages - I just want off of this roller coaster!

Is the wait expected to be long? I ask because that's what I have always heard about The Canadian health system - the wait times for surgery can be horrendous.

Yes, my lower abdomen is still numb, which I guess is kinda good, since I'm being stuck there every week. I had my knees replaced, and it took a good year before that numbness went away, so I figure it could take a long time this go round as well. What is really gross is when he sticks me to drain me, sometimes he pushes too deeply and pokes my abdominal muscles with the tip of the needle. That I definitely feel!

As I understand it, if it is encapsulated, you can see it- it's reddened and raised and warm to the touch. Whenever he drains mine, he gets fluid wherever he sticks me, he just moves the needle around, the same way you might when you are trying to start an IV, but on a larger scale. And I can sort of push my skin towards the needle, to move the fluid towards the needle. We kind of have a routine at this point! I absolutely can feel the seroma, exactly as you described! It's kind of nice to know that someone else knows what it feels like! And when I bend over at the waist, it's like the fluid separates, and I can feel it. I'm sorry that you are feeling like a perpetual patient - I feel the same way!

That is no joke! But you have healed so well! You have been a real trooper!

Thanks so much for sharing the good, the bad and the ugly with us! I think it is important to share the real deal, and not just the glam type shots that make us feel good, but can give others a false impression of the reality of these surgeries.

I suggested an injection, but he said results were inconsistent. I wish the drain had worked, but they couldn't find a large enough pocket to insert the drain. He said if this is still present in September then he would bring me in and remove the slickened secreting lining of my abdomen al cavity and rough up the layer underneath of it, so it would then attach better to heal. Then he would do the revision at the same time. Mine is not encapsulated. When are you planning your revisions?

I'm glad things are going so well!! Are you able to start exercising yet? I still have my seroma, and the surgeon drains me weekly, last week it was 105 mls. It's not really going down very quickly at all. He says that if we are still doing the weekly draining by the end of the summer (!), there is a procedure that he would want to do to hopefully resolve this. I can't imagine still having this 5 months from now. But regardless, once the seroma resolves and the swelling goes down, he will revise the front, because the seroma stretched the skin out. This feels like an endurance test! But I have started walking and being more active again, which I really needed. At some point I will think this was all worth it, but God only knows when that will be!

How are you doing?

I would choose the hospital. You will have plenty of time to catch up on your sleep when you go home.

You look great! Hang in there and take it one day at a time. Keep looking at those before and after pictures!

The vast majority of women do just fine on generics. I say why not try it? I can think of lots of things I can do with an extra $480.00 a year!