Please help - severe edema & hematomas!!!!

Hello Everyone, I am finally back from my three weeks in Costa Rica. Breifly, I had all my surgeries (inner and outter thighs, stomach, butt, flanks, breasts & arms) done over the course of 2 days. My surgeon was Dr. Macayca - who I loved - and I stayed at Las Cumbres - which I also loved. (I will go into more detail later if anyone is interested.) When I woke up after the first round of surgeries, I couldn't believe it, my tummy and butt were flat. The Mickey Mouse ears that plauged my outter thighs for my entire life were gone. I cried. The next day I woke up looking like a balloon animal and have remained that way ever since. I don't mean I was puffy, or I swelled up - I mean I had to be cut out of my surgical compession garments huge. I mean I cannot fit into clothes or shoes, extremities turning purple and shooting pains huge. Dr. M said, although I'm a bit extreme, swelling is to expected and there is not much I can do about it. Eventually it will go away. Then I started developing hematomas, 6 so far. I have had all of them aspirated (which was truly hellish) but they keep coming back. This morning, the hematoma on my right arm, which is now about the size of a tennis ball and prevents me from putting my arm down, ached so badly I went to the emergency room. Basically, they refused to help me. I thought they would aspirate it, wrap it, etc.. Instead I was told to go home and call my regular doctor, my surgeon, or anyone but them since they 'don't get involved' with 'overseas surgical post operative care' unless it is 'life threatening'. So I spent about $500 this morning to be told to F myself. I am at a loss. Has this happened to anyone else??? I have swollen up 27 pounds!!! 27!!!! How can that be normal?!?!?! 6 hematomas?? Has anyone else had a similar experience? What is normal swelling? Abnormal? Dr. M told me this is just my bodys' reaction to the massive amount of surgeries I had, that eventually it will dissapate and there is not much I can do in the mean time. Please tell me your experiences, please tell me I am not alone, I am not a freak. I am up 27 pounds of fluid with 6 re-occuring hematomas, I cannot fit into the biggest clothes or shoes I own, I ache everywhere and I am very scared. Thank you for your help and comments, Lisa

Lisa, I don't have any info for you but have you posted on the Plastic Surgery board? I know there are usually people there who have had surgery out of the country. There ususally is also 1 or 2 plastic surgeons who answer questions. Good luck!

Thank you, I have posted everywhere, I am hoping others will share their stories and offer some advice. Thanks again, Lisa

Hi Lisa I got 6 procedures done in April also and I went through the same thing. In my case the Dr. were supposed to leave drainage tubes in certain areas and looks like he forgot and or he though that wasn't necessary. It takes a while for all that swelling to go back to normal and it might hurt a lot for a while but you will get better. In my case I look worst than I felt and in a week I was back to work. I wasn't looking pretty but I was feeling pretty good. Be patient and take care of yourself... Lily

Thank you so much for your reply! May I ask how much swelling you had? How long it lasted? Was there anything special you did or added to your vitamin/diet that helped? I am 18 days out from the second round of surgeries and 27 pounds heavier. I have tree trunks for legs, ooze out of every where, ache constantly and that doesn't even get into the hematomas. I hate my body so much right now. It just seems to refuse to cooperate. I would really love to hear more details about what you went through, if you feel comfortable sharing. Thank you for your help, Lisa

Good morning How you feel today?.... today it's a new day and each day you will feel better.... In my case It was pretty bad and It took almost three months to start looking normal...it took time and I got desperate. The doctor recommend for me to drink a lot of water... there is a pomade that he recommended also that helps a lot... Arnica Gel and Papaya Fruit plus every half hour a cold water compress on the affected area... Like you said it is very painful but you will look beautiful and you will forget all that you are going through right now.... It is like giving birth a new and improve you... I got done the following: Scar revision, Breast Lift and breast implants, Rhinoplasty, Eyes Upper Lids and Under Lids, Forehead and Eyebrow Lift, Neck and chin fat and excess skin removed and I will be getting a mini face lift next month. When you are overweight and you loose the weight it is when you realized how much damage you have done to your body... I am only 46 years old and I have been in surgery with local and general anesthesia 5 times in the last 2 years... it is terrible what you have to do to repair the damage.

Hello Everyone, I am sorry for the sporatic updates. I am not doing well and am not sure when I will be able to update again. I will go into more detail later, but I did see the only PS that was willing to see me. In one look, he was able to determine the reason for all my problems - I'm septic. He was actually astounded I wasn't dead. He could not believe I lived this long after surgery with this much septis, and not died. All that 'edema' was actually infection and puss. The reason my bottom opened up (about 5 inches long and four inches deep in one spot, two inches by two inches in the other), was not for 'drainage' it was because the flesh had rotted away. I am being admitted to the hospital to be put on IV antibiotics and have the wounds and skin cleaned and packed and treated daily. I now have a Plastic Surgeon, a Wound Specialist and an Infectious Disease Specialist. They have no idea how long I will be in the hospital or exactly what the outcome will be. Best case secenario, one to two weeks in the hospital, employing all three specialts, then about 6 months of out-patient care, left with a lower body full of horrible scars. Worst case, up to a year in the hospital, employing all three specialists and they can't save any tissue on my bottom and I officially become 'deformed'. Either way, all the specialists have warned me, my insurance probally won't cover any of it and I am looking at a minimum of around $100,000. I am just about at the point of a mental breakdown. I have been taking generic Valium and even it is not able to help me cope anymore. I went to CR to get everything done and save money and finally for the first time in my life - look like a normal woman. Now, I will lose my house, my car, my life savings, my job and at best, be hidesouly deformed. Hind sight being 20/20, I guess I should have spent the money and the time and had the surgery done here. Not that that would have guaranteed success, but I am thinking I would have has better follow up care and any problems would not have escalated to this point. I don't know. So, thank you all for your concern, well wishes and kind thoughts. I will write again when I can and let you know my progress. I hope that it will be soon and I hope my news will be good. Take care and I truly do thank you for all your help, Lisa Morton Smith