Missing my flat tummy... will this swelling really go away?

Thank you for your concern. The funny things is, I was convinced this was a seroma. The is an interesting story about that which lands me in the ER at 2 am, my plastic surgeon being the one to send me. You may read it here if you like http://www.healthcentral.com/obesity/c/276918/160778/bariatric-life-tells-tummy

Unfortunately my surgeon is 700 miles away. He cannot assess me in person unless I fly back. I would do that if it was a seroma but the ultrasound showed a seroma too small to drain. In the ER they gave me a CAT scan and I was told by three doctors that I do ot have seroma. Go figure.

Those compression garments are expensive. How tight are they? Why not just get a girdle?

Thanks again!

the good things about the Compresson garments is they are made for the purpose of post operative compression.  the compression is consistent and very tight, as it should be.  it's equal in the tummy as it is in the thighs.  Easy to put on with the zippers and the opening in the crotch for potty time is the best!

I'm 2 1/2 weeks out n the doctor will not remove the drain until its 25 cc total for two days. I keep crying about removal but he will not. He said unless u want to come in every other day n get a needle stuck in my belly to drain it I will keep the drain hoping it comes out Tuesday.

I wish he had left my drains in longer. I was not asked to measure my fluids and get below a certain point before they would remove them. Since both mine clogged, it really have no idea how much fluid I would have had that day, but prior, I had quite a bit.

Hmm... very interesting

I know some surgeons are not using drains because they do special suturing.

But if they use drains they do not remove them until they are draining less then 20 cc in 24 hours.

Also compression garmentt is very important.

really I am suprised for our surgeon protocol for TT and arm lift which I had with him.

When I had my TT I had drains for 3 weeks, that drained alot, but i insisted to remove them at 3 weeks. Then i got large seroma which was drained every other day and finally was surgically removed 1 year later. My PS told me I was very juicy.

and i wore my compression garment for almost 6 month.

good luck.

That is interesting, Allah.

I had to keep track of my output.  I measured it and wrote it down to report.  My surgeon was very adamant about the drains being in for the appropriate time.  My left thigh drain was in for over 4 weeks.  My right came out prematurely because I accidently pulled on it and I ended up with a big seroma.  One of my Mons drains came out also, it got caught in the chair - horrible pain.  I got a seroma there too!  I had been putting out over 200mls a day.  My drains were clogged, but my surgeon took care of that, so I could continue using them.

Oh my gosh that must have hurt!!!!!

I'm going to the same surgeon as you and i've read your story. I'm begining to be worried : / I'm flying from TN to NJ so I'll be far far away. Were all your incisions pie crust like? Could we have worn a binder if we wanted to? 

Are you getting a TT or LBL? I believe his protocol is to have the patient stay in the area 1 week for TT and 2 weeks for LBL. Are you doing that? My PCP had told me to stay in NJ a few weeks longer. She said no one wants to fix another doctor's mistake. I wished I had followed her advice because it would have given me peace of mind. I really don't want another doctor out here to touch me and I am fortunate that i did not have a seroma afterall. That said, I still wish that my surgeon could see me, even now. I just want HIM to examine me in person and tell me that I am fine. Someone told me that you don't buy a procedure. You buy a surgeon. I fully believe that.

My incision is pie crust like. I think it is a very good approach. It does not place the tension of skin pulling on the incision, but rather on the area around the incision. My incision is healing really well and quickly, at least as it appears to me.

You will have a binder. He does not recommend compression garments but he said that if I wanted to wear one I could. I recently began wearing shape wear from Jockey because my swelling in week 3 became painful. It seems to help. I have been told by another plastic surgeon that about half the doctors use compression garments and half do not.

Both the surgeon and the PA are compassionate and kind and readily available to discuss any concerns you have. Please call them to discuss your worry. They both know that I wrote the article and I think they even read it. I also am happy to answer any additional questions you may have.

My advice would be to stay in NJ for a few weeks after your procedure. That is what I plan to do when I have more body work done with him. Otherwise, I fully appreciate his approach. Keep in mind, too, that having read my article you now know what to expect. Most of my worry was caused because I did not know what to expect. In the end there was nothing wrong with me. Well except those @&!!!? Stretch marks!

I am curious. How did you learn about him and why did you choose him?

Please let me know if I can help.