I definitely have buyers remorse with TT
Be assured that the VAC will speed healing considerably. I had an open RNY...infecion...had to use the vac. Had a hernia repair...infection...had to use the VAC. The combiation of VAC and antibiotics speeds healing. I will soon have plastics....I am just anticipating that a VAC will be necessary, if not great...if so...it is. It is frustrating and disappointing, but be assured the VAC will speed things along. In a few months...this will be history and you will enjoy the benefits of your procedure. GOOD LUCK. KEEP THE CHIN UP. BLESSINGS,
Fran my goodness, my heart goes out to you. I still think of my incisions, drains, oozing, wrapping, swelling .... blech ... with a bit of grief.
You are right .... this too shall pass!
My father, of blessed memory, used to say: Most problems can be solved with some combination of money and aggravation. Anything else, you don't want.
These problems are all solved with just a bit of aggravation (and help from others, of course).
Godspeed ... please do keep us posted, I am following your progress with empathy and interest.
You are right .... this too shall pass!
My father, of blessed memory, used to say: Most problems can be solved with some combination of money and aggravation. Anything else, you don't want.
These problems are all solved with just a bit of aggravation (and help from others, of course).
Godspeed ... please do keep us posted, I am following your progress with empathy and interest.
It's bad enough that I find myself crying at the drop of a hat because of this nasty development.........but then I cry even more with all the out pouring of kind words, sympathy, reassurances, and hearing that others have had similar situations that did eventually heal.
Thank you so much............now off to ask my dear husband to change my packing..........what would I do without him right now.
Thank you so much for being here!
Fran
Thank you so much............now off to ask my dear husband to change my packing..........what would I do without him right now.
Thank you so much for being here!
Fran
You are truly blessed to have someone else to do the cleaning and packing. I had to take ativan for the first two weeks after they cut all the necrotic tissue out of my TT incision because every time I had to look at it I turned into a complete basket case. My belly looked like something on a cadaver!
I just want you to be prepared... even with a wound vac, the healing process is a long one. There was a delay in getting insurance approval for mine (warning: many places will want to hook you up to the wound vac BEFORE getting insurnace approval... do not allow them to do it because the machine and the home health care nurse who must change the "sponge" twice a week is quite costly if insurance denies it!), and then by the time they approved it (and I found out how much of the total cost of the machine and home health care *I* would have to payeven WITH some insurance coverage! ouch!!!), I was having to travel for work and could not be around during the required routine days to have the home nurse change the sponge... so i was not able to use a wound vac (but yet my wound, which was deeper than that of an acquaintance who was having a similar issue and DID have a wound vac, healed only a couple of weeks later than hers).
It is a very stressful time (I cried off and on for weeks even with the ativan), but it WILL heal. (The scar I have looks more like a burn scar, but after having that gisgusting hole for 5 months, I'll take the scar. I don't really have a choice, since most PSs will not do a scar revision on an area that previously turned necrotic since the chance of necrosis in the revision incvision is so high...) Be sure to continue to get EXTRA protein and vitamins to help your healing.
Lora
I just want you to be prepared... even with a wound vac, the healing process is a long one. There was a delay in getting insurance approval for mine (warning: many places will want to hook you up to the wound vac BEFORE getting insurnace approval... do not allow them to do it because the machine and the home health care nurse who must change the "sponge" twice a week is quite costly if insurance denies it!), and then by the time they approved it (and I found out how much of the total cost of the machine and home health care *I* would have to payeven WITH some insurance coverage! ouch!!!), I was having to travel for work and could not be around during the required routine days to have the home nurse change the sponge... so i was not able to use a wound vac (but yet my wound, which was deeper than that of an acquaintance who was having a similar issue and DID have a wound vac, healed only a couple of weeks later than hers).
It is a very stressful time (I cried off and on for weeks even with the ativan), but it WILL heal. (The scar I have looks more like a burn scar, but after having that gisgusting hole for 5 months, I'll take the scar. I don't really have a choice, since most PSs will not do a scar revision on an area that previously turned necrotic since the chance of necrosis in the revision incvision is so high...) Be sure to continue to get EXTRA protein and vitamins to help your healing.
Lora
14 years out; 190 pounds lost, 165 pound loss maintained
You don't drown by falling in the water. You drown by staying there.
Lora,
After reading about the insurance and cost issues of others on this message board I have come to realize that I am a truly, truly fortunate person (even if I do have a gaping hole in my abdomen). Because my husband is retired military and we both work for the same great company with great benefits, we rarely have any co-pays when we use a military treatment facility (and this military facility is also a training facility, so I am just another "lesson" basically). So I anticipate very minimal cost to myself with the wound VAC. When I had my gastric bypass my only cost was $22.00 and I think that was for my hospital meals. But, in case I am wrong with this particular situation, I will call and confirm on Tuesday prior to seeing my surgeon on Wed.
Thank you for your concern!
Fran
After reading about the insurance and cost issues of others on this message board I have come to realize that I am a truly, truly fortunate person (even if I do have a gaping hole in my abdomen). Because my husband is retired military and we both work for the same great company with great benefits, we rarely have any co-pays when we use a military treatment facility (and this military facility is also a training facility, so I am just another "lesson" basically). So I anticipate very minimal cost to myself with the wound VAC. When I had my gastric bypass my only cost was $22.00 and I think that was for my hospital meals. But, in case I am wrong with this particular situation, I will call and confirm on Tuesday prior to seeing my surgeon on Wed.
Thank you for your concern!
Fran
Sorry for your complication!
Those anchor or "invert T" type abdominoplasty operations can really have some complications from circulation issues. I know there some fans of "south of the border" surgery around Obesity Help, but it's things like this (which are not infrequent in post weight loss patients unfortunately) that really call the safety of that into question. I would strongly suggest that this particular kind of abdominoplasty (t-scar), circumferential body lifts, or medial thigh lifts be done close to your operating surgeon.
Those anchor or "invert T" type abdominoplasty operations can really have some complications from circulation issues. I know there some fans of "south of the border" surgery around Obesity Help, but it's things like this (which are not infrequent in post weight loss patients unfortunately) that really call the safety of that into question. I would strongly suggest that this particular kind of abdominoplasty (t-scar), circumferential body lifts, or medial thigh lifts be done close to your operating surgeon.
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