Question:
What the Heck do I do????
I had had gastric bypass on 12/01 and got down to about 230. I went through infertility treatments and gained about 40 lbs in 4 months. after a unsuccessful pregnancy I was able to lose the weight and then some. 2 1/2 yrs after surgery i was able to get down to 201, the lowest i had been in my adult life. I had a apron that was very much getting in the way of every day function now that i was exercising daily and wearing 'normal' clothes' so i figured i would try to get my insurance to try to cover it but was not overly zealous that they would (BC/BS) i had no history of rashes since at a early age i had learned that if i put my panties between my gut and my crotch i wouldn't get them. so much for being smart. good thing thought i have a bad back and a good Nero surgeon because he could have gotten a fly a Abdominoplasty. i was in shock. the only probably is by the time all this gets approved I only have about 7 weeks left on my insurance policy (COBRA). The plastic surgeon says he will TRY to fit me in but is unable due to his schedule and the hospitals... so at this time with now 6 weeks left I have to try to fins a plastic surgeon in my plan with time on his hand who will do a HUGE apron in a madder of days. i took a whole day off from work and called 30 plus surgeons who pretty much laughed in my face and said you want what when? well of all of them ONE gave me an appointment. maybe I should have just walked away???? sure I had a tummy tuck done a week later and by a doctor in a very prominent part of NJ BUT I got these strange knobs sticking out as hips and the one side of my stomach is bigger than the other. i know i am only a week and a half out BUT these things on the ends of my hips will not be getting better. even the dr after the operation said he did not like the way my hips can out???? what can i do??? before he did the operation he said my hips looked great he said there wouldn't be any problems with them. I turn 40 on monday and am REALLY just beside myself and the whole thing. thanks for reading my long drawn on story and any info would be helpful. i will have pictures tomorrow if you are interested in what i am talking about just let me know. thank again. ann — ann M. (posted on August 7, 2004)
August 7, 2004
The strange 'knobs' on the ends are called 'dog ears' It can happen -
according to my PS they are 'avoidable' but only if the surgeon 'takes the
time'. alot of people DO end up with them to... and the ps ususally takes
'care' of them at the office... Im not sure if they consier them 'part of
the aftercare of an addtional charge :( BUT still there is swelling so
they could go down so dont panic yet! If your like me even after the
surgery - it DOES make a big difference in appearance. I dont know about
the different in size from one to the other again could be swelling; I know
I had some what I called "puckers" I thought LOOKED terrible and
they do... BUT magically they DO disappear and the scar does too after the
swelling and puckers go down/away its different! Dont right your doctor
off yet - just cause he got you in fast doesnt mean he did a terrible job.
I thought those puckers where TERRIBLE etc but found they left and all is
well now. Hopefully yours will too... Did you have the anchor cut? hip to
hip and breast to public or just hip to hip?
— star .
August 8, 2004
I agree with the previous poster--give it time. This early out, you're
still swollen and will have some uneveness (both in the swelling and the
incision puckers/dog ears). Give it a few more months before you decide if
you have a problem or not. And, if you're not happy, don't be afraid to
tell the surgeon so. My understanding is that "dog ears" are
easily correctable--often in the office. Take some deep breaths and give
it some more time. I'm a bit over three weeks out, and still have quite a
bit of puckering. Besides a tummy tuck and arms, I also had some work done
at the sides of my breasts. I have puckers along the tummy incision and on
both arms. One of the incisions at the side of my breast, that goes around
to my back, doesn't lay flat yet, but I have every expectation that it will
as I heal. My surgeon isn't worried about either the puckers or the
incision that doesn't lie flat yet. The rest of the work is fabulous--the
incision lines are perfectly straight (not with any of the jaggedness you
often see in surgical scars), and very narrow. I'm willing to give it some
more time. I already see a difference from very early post-op. My guess
is you'll be fine.
— Vespa R.
August 8, 2004
Don't panic. Less than desirable results can be fixed up at a later time.
It's also not unusual for one area to be swollen more than the other. You
won't see your real results for ages. If after a couple of months if it
looks terrible, THEN I'd panic. Hang in there! The biggest surprise for
me was how long the swelling really lasted... months!
— mom2jtx3
August 8, 2004
Things will change drastically over the next 3 months as all the swelling
subsides. Do not panic. This condition is very easily fixed and usually
in the office or a quick trip to a surgery center. You may have to cover
some facility charges if it's at a surgery center but most plastic surgeons
would revise this at no charge for their work. You did what you had to do.
Nothing is unsalvageable at this point, so don't stress out. Give it
time. I could not believe how things changed over the first 3-4 months
ater my LBL.
— zoedogcbr
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