Fourteen Months after belt lipectomy and pain in stomach seems to be getting worse...

Hello all...I'm posting this on a few different forums that I use because it's an all encompassing issue (/ I have no idea what it could be from in regards to GBS, plastics, or exercise), I'm just hoping someone might have some insight...

I'm two years out from GBS and fourteen months out from a lower body lift/belt lipectomy. I've been working out pretty hard since about two months after my plastics/last August (when my surgeon gave me the ok). I still keep ab exersices to a minimum, though do some core stuff like planks.

I remember having an achy feeling in my stomach muscles starting back in March (so five months ago), and this is around the time I started amping up my running for a July race. I had had the numb/heeling feeling in my abs, but this pain came on in a very certain spot in my lower abs.  Sometimes the pain feels like a knot, sometimes it feels like gas, and sometimes it's an odd pulling feeling on the other side of my belly button. It often makes me nausheous, especially when I run. I usually just bru**** off and assosciate it with all my stomach has been through. I did go to Urgent Care back in March thinking it was a pulled muscle of some sort, but they said I was fine and just needed to rest up. Since they didn't see anything then, I continued to bru**** off, mostly assosciating it with the healing process of plastics, as I know it can take a year. Essentially, the Urgent Care visit gave me peace of mind that something was not internally wrong, even though they basically just listened to my medical history and did no internal exam.

However, recently this pain has been worse, much more sensitive especially to the touch, and I've noticed a large lump that is getting bigger and more swollen. Sometimes my entire tummy is even swollen. It has also made me significantly more nausheous the past few days. I went in today to see my GBS surgeon, as I was concerned it could be a hernia or something to do with my intenstines. I trust him, and after a physical exam he said he does not believe it is a hernia, and does not feel that exposing someone young/healthy like me to a CT scan at this time is a good idea. He could feel the lump I refer to, but just does not believe it to be a hernia, and instead thinks it is from the muscle work from my plastics. I do trust him, and since the pain is more of a sensitive spot vs. excruciating pain, I am not going to push for a CT scan. However, I can't figure out why the pain fourteen months after plastics is getting worse. Has anyone experienced something similar? Perhaps has any input or advice? Could it be from working out? I don't want to keep visiting doctors and feeling crazy when they say I am fine and just healing, but I also don't think my pain should be getting worse fourteen months after plastics...

Hi -

I had a panniculectomy in June.  My right side has been in horrendous pain off and on ever since.  Finally, my doctor did send me for a CT Scan.  She started to think that I may have appendicitis.  Instead, they found a rather large kidney stone, which they believe is the source of the pain.  Lucky me...I'm having surgery for that next week.

At any rate, I realize that your doctor is hesitant on the CT Scan, but it may be worth your while to find out if there is anything to actually be worried about.  

Good luck.

This isn't normal.  Let your plastic surgeon take a look at it and see if there's an explanation, but I also think a CAT scan is in order.  It could be something totally unrelated to your surgery, or it could be nothing at all - but the scan would at least give you peace of mind.

I had a tummy-tuck and hernia repair about 14 months ago and have had a constant tightness around my tummy area since then.  I tried physio, chiro and bio-kinetics but nothing seems to work.  There was a bit of temporary relief from massage therapy called myofascia release but it was short-lived.  I now have a sore back and hamstring pain since trying to sort my core and tummy muscles and pain out so also getting quite desperate.  Have had some success with dry-needling and kinesio-tape as well although it all seems very temporary.  Now someone is recommending deep-laser treatment as they think that it is scar tissue that is making me feel like this discomfort/pain but apparently it is quite dangerous as it can burn one.  With quite a lot of the nerves having been cut I have a fair amount of numbness in the tummy are and so am concerned that I might only realise that the laser is burning me by the smell of cooking meat - my own!!  Anyone else have this problem or even better - the solution?

I am 10 months PO from circumferential tummy tuck.  Still lots of pain and lumps.  The lumps are scars.  The other cause of my pain is adhesions.  Despite what most PS's will tell you, you CAN have adhesions from a tummy tuck, even though all the work was outside the abdominal wall.  They seem to think there's nothing inside there for adhesions to adhere to.  But there are multiple layers of fascia and muscle that can be adhered.  I have an adhesion that goes from my umbilical stalk to a rib. They also say adhesions don't hurt.  LIES!  The only thing that is helping me is myofascial massage therapy.  The same docs that don't think you can have adhesions also think myofascial massage is voodoo, so you may have trouble getting a referral from your doc, and your insurance may not cover it.  But YOU have to take charge of your health care.  If your doc won't give you a referral, make a scene.  Same goes if you think you need a CT.  But trust me, the massage works.  My post surgical pain was 90% relieved when I needed minor surgery for a bacterial infection in my abdomen.  This led to more pain, so I am on my second round of massage.  Kinesio taping also helps, but the tape has to be replaced every 2 or 3 days to stay effective.  I am told all my trouble is due to my age (over 65).  I'm sure this is true.  My advice:  if you are over 60, don't have this surgery.