Help please, pain after TT

I had a LBL 3 1/2 weeks ago. Having the normal aches from swelling and I'm OK with that. But about 3 days ago I tried to do some housecleaning and had a sharp, burning pain in my abdominal muscle, right up near my breast bone where I can feel a small lunp under the skin. My PS had already told me I would be able to feel this lump and that it's one of the stitches where the sewed the muscles together. So I said "OK you just pulled this stitch. Go relax and let the house be dirty".

But for the last three days I'm having the same pain at several stitch points along my abs: the breastbone one, then one on the left halfway down, and one down by the bellybutton. I'm not doing anything, literally just sitting around reading all day (and getting bored out of my mind).

The pain feels like someone just stabbed me with a burning knitting needle. It goes deep and burns about 10 seconds and then lets up, but I have to be careful not to touch the area afterwards or it will happen again. Wearing the binder or compression seems to make it worse so I'm going without, which means I'm having to deal with the misery of swelling, but that is better than this burning pain.

So is this normal? Also, do these stitches disolve and when do the stiches disolve? I'm hoping that this is the case and I can expect this to pass soon.

Thanks for your help!

It sounds like what I was having; the doctor said it is due to muscle spasm and that it is sensitive in those places because that is where the stitches are placed.

It hurts like a MOFO!

Mine also started around that same time, about 3 weeks out. Just when the incision was starting to feel better....

Thanks Marilyn. So give me the bad news, how long does this last? I was finally starting to feel good and now I don't want to even move!

If it is muscle spasm maybe your Dr. can prescribe valium to help w/ that. My surgeon sent me home w/ Darvocet for the pain and valium for the muscle spasm. I don't recall really having a pain like that but I did have the valium to take some of the edge off once I had stopped taking my pain meds.

Sonya

I hope you feel better tomorrow !! Hugs Des

Have you been back to your plastic surgeon since this happened?  If you are in pain, he/she can help you out.

Stitches will surface and break for awhile, it is normal.  I'm six months out from the tummy tuck and five months out from the breast reduction/lift.  I am finally getting back into my exercise groove mode and I've had a couple of stitches surface from the tummy tuck.  I've moved from Los Angeles to Kuwait since then and am leaving the stitches alone because I know they will dissolve; I saw it happen about a month ago with the breast scars.

However, if you are near enough to your plastic surgeon to go into his/her office, they can remove the offending stitch, which is a bit more comfortable.

How long did it last? A couple of weeks....maybe seven to 10 days? When it first starts happening it is AWFUL; I found it hurt less and less, a little bit better every day. I FINALLY had my first GOOD day yesterday which is 5 weeks post-op. I hope that is the start of a streak of GOOD DAYS...'cuz I"m telling you, last Monday when I lay down on the couch and CRIED from the pain and frustration, I was having a BIT of buyers remorse!!

When I post a Poor Pitiful Me Post, someone else recommended Valium; it might be worth a shot for you.

GOOD LUCK and FEEL BETTER!!

Muscle spasm.  Flexeril or Robaxin will make you feel like a new gal in a day or two !  Like any other spasm, pain and irritation cause more spams and pain. So gotta break the cycle ?

Thanks everyone. I spoke with my PS yesterday and he suggested taking ibuprofin, which is a big no-no for RNYers unless the Doc tells us to do so, so I hadn't tried it. He also agreed that hot compresses might help, so long as I remember that I have numb spots and am careful to not burn myself. And he told me to start massaging my tummy as much as I can without setting off the spasms so I can get it desensitized. He said the stitches won't dissolve until 6 months, OMG so I have to get this area used to the stitches!

So I took one Advil and got a microwavable hot pack and laid it on my tummy for several hours last evening. The warmth felt good and so far today I haven't had a single pain so maybe that fixed it (though it is only 7:30 am here).