Update on me...

Things are going well. I am still on the wound vac but all the tunnels are closed and now we are waiting for the opening to heal. It needs to be flush so hopefully not too much longer. I am doing lymphatic massage and it helps immensely but it did take time for it to help more than a day or two. I was still swollen today but today is the first day it's not been painfully swollen.

Even with the swelling I am weighing between 128-131. My breasts look great and all my incisions look good. My stomach is MUCH better than before he cut off 6 pounds and took 2 liters of fat but I am disappointed that due to the size of the original seroma and then the surgery and a few weeks out of compression that the results won't be as nice as I had hoped. But it's better. I am wearing an 8 and they are a tad loose so I am hoping to be between a 6-8 when this is done.

Hey Leah... I am GLAD to know things are improving and I will keep you and your continued recovery top priority in my prayers.

That is great news!!

Have you gone back to work yet??

Thanks ya'll.

If I had a normal job I'd be on sick leave/disability. I am a stay at home mom though and we own our own business and I do all the bookkeeping and payroll etc. So it's been manageable even though I was VERY behind through early March.

So glad things are getting better for you Leah!



DW

Glad to hear the opening is healing nicely. I know it can be a long and frustrating process. You mentioned not having the results you want due to not wearing your garment. I still can't believe there are drs that don't believe in having their patients wear garments at all. Where is your wound opening? Maybe you can wear a wide ace bandage around your waist wear it won't bother the opening just to have some compression. Just a thought.

Actually I did wear it til I went back into the hospital on the 1st of February. I had to take it off for surgery and then healing the new wound and because of the wound vac. I got back in it 2 1/2ish weeks later. I forced it and just got in it. It was VERY uncomfortable because of the packing and styrofoam and tubing with the wound vac but the compression felt SO much better that I dealt with it and got used to it. Right now it doesn't bother me at all. My wound is about an inch about the incision near the hip bone. REALLY bad spot. But again I've been back in it. It was just impossible right after surgery and while I was on all those fluids in the hospital.

But the surgeon here was weird about it. I had it on last week at my appt and he said do you still need this? I said yes I am obviously still swollen. That's all he said, Dr. S said as soon as I could get it back on to wear it til I wasn't swelling. I bought a Veronique garment that was different than the ones he gave me and a Marena Stage 2. I like the functionality of the Marena but the compression of the Veronique is better.

The part that doens't look great is the area right wear the seroma was. That's very misshaped. So we'll see. And the rest is just "loose" not tight.

I'm glad you continue to improve.    Can I ask what size you wore before you had your tummy done?

I was a 12 before surgery. Some skirts I could get smaller but dresses and pants had to fit that tummy I had.