Keep building fluid up after TT and Hernia Repair!!!! So Frustrating

Hi Everyone! Well here i am again with another pocket of fluid that showed in my CT Scan last week. Its been 9 months since the first surgery and 7 months since the last surgery and here we go again with terrible swelling in my abdoman area. Some days im in so much pain... still . My surgeon does not know what to do, he says all he can do is insert another drain. Are you kidding!! Another drain, oh no that i def dont want but i dont want to walk around with this bloated stomach. Not a good look for my TT , which i just love and adore my new body but these complications are the worst. I had a biological mesh (pig skin) used for the hernia repair and my damn body keeps building fluid. Im taking 40 mg a day of lasix which helps but not for long. Has anyone experienced this before ???? Frustrated because i still have some weight i wanted to lose to make my second Weight loss goal but every week fluid plays a big part in my weigh in's!! :(

Anyone have any suggestions or comments ? I'm almost thinking of seeing another surgeon who can tell me why does this keep happening to me.

Thanks for listening anyway

Totally understand your frustration as I have wound dehiscence issues when I do not smoke nor have diabetes a d my bloods are all good including zinc (unless I should be triple when my zinc is already high and I don't even take zinc tablets).
I recommend seeing another PS for evaluation.
Any chance you might be allergic to the pig skin mesh? My PS has thought I might be allergic to the blue thread as I my dehiscence occurs about two weeks after stitches are removed.
I hope you find answers real soon!
Mikimi in Israel

I think I'd get another opinion. Hoping you get answers soon.

thanks for the response , thats what im thinking of seeing someone else for another opinion.

I know the frustration. I had my scar revised from my TT a year ago. It looks great but I was building fluid on my whole left side. Which I still have after they drained it. I have a hole on my left hand side and have to pack it two times a day. Been doing that now for three weeks will it ever end? It hurts and I get chest pain they say from the fluid build up. I am sorry you are having problems too. Hope it will get better. I hoped to be losing the last of my weight but not able to yet.

Sorry to hear that Valerie, but yes it gets better. I had to pack my belly button from hernia surgery 3 years ago and had a nurse come to my house everyday to moniter. It's suppose to heal better when you do that , and as a precaution so infection wont back up to your blood stream. I know we are suppose to be losing the last of our weight but we both need to heal alot more. Dont worry our time will come with final results.

 

Take Care and i will keep you posted, Happy Holidays

I will guess here, but being somewhat familiar with this kind of thing, I would assume that you have non-incorporation of your biologic mesh used as an onlay over your abdominal wall (rather then placed intra-abdominally). This will produce a seroma. If this has been going on for 9 months you will need the mesh removed and replaced with a synthetic. Persistent seroma is a common complication of biologic materials, particularly when applied externally.

The alternative is that you have a "pseduobursae" that's developed around your chronic seroma which can also cause persistent collections to occur. It would need to be removed for this to resolve. Putting another drain rather then reexploring in this will only temporize but not take care of this chronic a problem.

Can a pig skin mesh be removed? I was told that the kind of mesh used will eventually disolve to be my own. My surgeon says he has never had a case like mine before and looks at me like im crazy.Im really fed up!

You're not crazy.

Absolutely that mesh can be removed. As I suggested, if it is actually the me**** likely has not incorporated (when your body grows blood vessels into it) and is now persisting as an inflammatory foreign body. This would explain the seroma issue going on almost a year to me.  If your surgeon has experience with biologic materials then he should know to consider this as a possibility as it happens not infrequently with these products (particularly with breast reconstructions). If it's not the me****'s a chronic pseduobursae which also can cause non-resolving fluid collections in that area.

BOTTOM LINE: you need a re-operation. If your mesh is external (sewn down to the abdominal wall rather then inside the abdomen with the abdominal wall closed over it) it has to come out.