Has anyone else experienced this?

I finally had my surgery on Tuesday. Everything went well. I came home on Wednesday afternoon. There was some gas pain and soreness around my right side, but nothing Lortab couldn't handle. I would say that I am completely recovered today, Saturday, except for one thing.

When I stand up, the site of the major incision is dimpled. It's a little more than that. That square inch and the sag below it are flat while the rest of my stomach still has rolls of fat. The top roll indents down to the incision and then pokes back up to complete itself around my stomach. The same for the giant roll of fat or flap of fat below it. It is like a tailor has taken a tuck in my skin. I have to be very careful when I move or I get a frightening pinching, stinging, burning pain almost like something is ripping. I often press my hand against that area to hold it up and that seems to help a bit. When I lie down, there is no indentation at the site. It looks as normal as a fat stomach with some bloody steristrips on it can look. It only looks strange when I stand up, and I only noticed it when I got home and stood in front of the mirror. I wanted to see if I could tell what was causing such an unsettling sensation.

I showed it to my father tonight. He is a retired GYN. He says he has never seen anything like it. He says it might be perfectly normal, but he suggests that I try to see the doctor on Monday. I'm scheduled to see him on Thursday. I plan to call on Monday to see if he can fit me in, but I wanted to reassure myself that while this might not be normal, it is not unheard of.

If you've experienced this, how long did it take before the pain went away? It is still very difficult for me to get up or down and I cannot bend over. Putting on my pants is tricky. I looked for a truss today, but I don't think they sell those anymore.

Can you post a picture? I'm having a hard time visualizing.

Indent normal.

Pulling pain normal

It will take a couple of weeks for the pain to stop

Until then be careful twisting and bending

You can buy a stomach binder and that should help "hold" things in

And it may not seem like it but your stomach is probably really swollen still.

Yup I had all that too

Took a while for the indent to resolve but it did

I used my pain meds religiously

Nurse Grace, I wanted to post a picture, but the battery on my camera is dead. I'll try to post one tomorrow. My plan was to email the picture to my doc's office before I call to see if they think I need to come in sooner.

Laura-Ven, Thank you. I feel reassured. I had been telling myself it was normal, but then when the only thing stopping me from feeling 100% was that, and since 4 days out I am so crippled, and then, of course, my dad's reaction, I began to wonder.

Would heat or cold make it feel better in the meantime?

I had surgery on Monday Feb 25th, i had the same concern and i asked my surgeon on my third day in the hospital about that and he said it was normal and I'm now 5 days postop and its gone back to normal it looks like the other incisions..

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Nurse Grace' date=' I wanted to post a picture, but the battery on my camera is dead. I'll try to post one tomorrow. My plan was to email the picture to my doc's office before I call to see if they think I need to come in sooner.

Laura-Ven, Thank you. I feel reassured. I had been telling myself it was normal, but then when the only thing stopping me from feeling 100% was that, and since 4 days out I am so crippled, and then, of course, my dad's reaction, I began to wonder.

Would heat or cold make it feel better in the meantime?[/quote']

I would say don't put either ice or heat sorry

Thank you all! I'm 4 days out, I hope I am a little bit like Sandy. I don't expect it to look like normal tomorrow, but maybe by next Tuesday . . .?

I think you are doing awesome for 4 days out!!

But the internal sutures will take a while to heal so don't be surprised if you still feel a pulling pain now and then for several weeks.

Lord knows I did!

I took Loritab for the first eight days and still felt a burning pain when moving. I would call the Dr. on Monday anyway. What can it hurt?

I had some weird lumps that didn't match up to the outside sutures and my big incision was dimpled in. After a couple of months, it was pretty much all settled.

Lynda

Has anyone else experienced this?

I finally had my surgery on Tuesday. Everything went well. I came home on Wednesday afternoon. There was some gas pain and soreness around my right side' date=' but nothing Lortab couldn't handle. I would say that I am completely recovered today, Saturday, except for one thing.

When I stand up, the site of the major incision is dimpled. It's a little more than that. That square inch and the sag below it are flat while the rest of my stomach still has rolls of fat. The top roll indents down to the incision and then pokes back up to complete itself around my stomach. The same for the giant roll of fat or flap of fat below it. It is like a tailor has taken a tuck in my skin. I have to be very careful when I move or I get a frightening pinching, stinging, burning pain almost like something is ripping. I often press my hand against that area to hold it up and that seems to help a bit. When I lie down, there is no indentation at the site. It looks as normal as a fat stomach with some bloody steristrips on it can look. It only looks strange when I stand up, and I only noticed it when I got home and stood in front of the mirror. I wanted to see if I could tell what was causing such an unsettling sensation.

I showed it to my father tonight. He is a retired GYN. He says he has never seen anything like it. He says it might be perfectly normal, but he suggests that I try to see the doctor on Monday. I'm scheduled to see him on Thursday. I plan to call on Monday to see if he can fit me in, but I wanted to reassure myself that while this might not be normal, it is not unheard of.

If you've experienced this, how long did it take before the pain went away? It is still very difficult for me to get up or down and I cannot bend over. Putting on my pants is tricky. I looked for a truss today, but I don't think they sell those anymore.[/quote']

Having the same sensations very hard to urinate. My dr told me I was sore due to him trying to get out my stomach and yes looks weird too

I had the same indent and similar pain...

When I asked my Dr about it, he said it was completely normal. I asked him about cool compresses or a heating pad. He said I could try it and if either thing helped, he could see no reason why I couldn't do them to help with the pain.

The heating pad is what ended up helping...good luck and congrats on your surgery!

I think you are doing awesome for 4 days out!!

But the internal sutures will take a while to heal so don't be surprised if you still feel a pulling pain now and then for several weeks.

Lord knows I did!

I am 10 weeks out and still feel it!

I had the same indent in the incision where my drain was and was a square about 2x2". It went away around the 4th or 5th week. It made me nervous, too! I thought it would be like that forever but was assured by my surgeon's team that it was quite normal.

I have two indents like that..makes me look like I have three belly buttons. As your internal sutures dissolve the indent resolves itself. In the meantime I make fun of my Frankenbelly!!!

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