13 Days Post Op Hernia/Tummy Tuck

Hello all, Well, tomorrow will be 2 weeks post op hernia/tummy tuck. I still have my drainage tubes in and see my surgeon this afternoon. I still have a lot of drainage but hope he will remove the drains. They are UNCOMFORTABLE! I'm doing pretty well with the surgical recovery. I have a high tolerance for pain and have to say it was pretty bad...even for me. Each day gets better and easier. When my tubes are removed, I want to start my walking again. My surgeon did a great job and removed 11 pounds of excess skin that was hanging on my belly. I may be able to wear high cut leg briefs now! heehee Dr. Scheiner re-positioned my belly button too. I'm so glad to be over this hurdle of my weight loss battle. I feel so much more feminine again. I have extra flesh on my thighs, but I'm not willing to go through another surgery. This is it for me! Dr. Scheiner now has offices in Elkton, Middletown, and Havre de Grace. He operates out of Union Hospital in Elkton. I liked him from the first minute I met him and have been pleased with him. It took less than one week from my initial consult to get an approval from BlueCross/Blue Shield. My surgery was paid for by insurance! I am very fortunate. I stayed overnight one night at the hospital and the bill was $8000. I owe nothing! If anyone wants more information, please send me an e-mail at: [email protected] Hugs, Jean

Congrats Jean! Sounds like you did well. Bet you are glad this is behind you. You are so lucky to have had insurance pay for it. Hoping your pain eases more with each passing day. Dianne

It sounds like things went very well for you. Congratulations! I am looking in to this now. My surgeon told me I would walk like a little old lady for 2 weeks and could probably go back to work after 3 weeks. Are you finding so far that to be your experience? How long will you be out of work? Again, congratulations! Gigee

Gigee, To answer your question, yes, I've not walked totally upright since surgery. I'm standing straighter today. I had my drains removed this afternoon - not too pleasant of an experience, but not too bad either. I'm having some discomfort in the drain area and have to keep sterile gauze covering the "holes" until they heal over. My belly is swollen and Dr. Scheiner said that was normal. My giant incision is healing well and he's pleased with my progress. I go back to see him in two weeks. He doesn't want me to do lifting and bending, but I can walk now. He didn't give the go ahead to return to work, but I may go in to my desk job next week depending on how I'm feeling. I have to truthfully say the pain experience has been rough this time around. I'm still taking pain meds. I stopped taking pain medication after my open RNY last year five days after surgery. I asked my surgeon why so much pain and he said its because a large portion of my body has been violated with the skin separation, and tugging and pulling as well as the hernia repair. I'm so glad to have this over with. Each day gets better, but it has been an emotional roller coaster just like the RNY was. Overall, I'm a happy person, but I can cry for no reason at all the last few days. I think it's more out of frustration than anything else. Who knows?? Let me know if there's anything you want to know. I'm an open book and willing to share with you guys! Hugs, Jean

Jean reading this does not comfort me...I am a pain wuss! Will I survive? I guess that is the question of the year for everyone contemplating the PS stuff. My Dr said I could easily lose 20 lbs with the procedures. I hope he is right. I am not venture PS shopping until the fall/winter timeframe. Right now my ticket is full. I hope I can get approval but I doubt it. Glad to hear all went well for you and you are on the mends. Debbie

Hi Jean, Glad to hear you are doing better. How bad was your hernia ? I know I am going to have to have mine taken care of . My surgeon said that it was the length of my insision. I will find out more when I see the replacement surgeon in Sept. Sandy

Hi Sandy! To answer your question, my hernia was located at the incision site from my hysterectomy 13 years ago. I didn't know I had that one because I was carrying so much extra weight. It started bothering me after I lost weight. I also had a smaller one at the site of my ruptured appendix incision, so I can't tell you how big they were, just that I had one on each side. I'm feeling better, but I have a lot of abdominal swelling. The surgeon said that is normal and it will go down in a few weeks. My tummy feels really tight like it could pop! I'm still restricted in activities, no lifting, pulling, stretching. I go back to the surgeon in two weeks but need to get back to work in about a week. I should be okay at my desk job. Again, if you guys have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask! Jean

Hi Jean... I hope that you are feeling better with each day. I wish one of my surgeons would repair my hernias~~that feeling is still unbearable most days. I have an appointment on Tuesday with a surgeon and am hoping that he will either say yes and repair it or at least go in to explore and figure out what the heck is going on. I recall the pain I had when I had a panniculectomy done in 2000. OMG~~it took weeks to heal and the doctor took the the drain out the day after surgery(too early!) so I swelled up and had to keep going in to the office to get stuck with needles to draw out the fluids for about 2 more weeks. UGH~it was awful!!! Again... hope you are feeling better!!