Question:
Anyone else have internal bleeding complication after TT?

I went in on 9/3/04 to have my tummy tuck done. It was an outpt procedure but when I was ready to leave the surgical center I passed out. They monitored my BP for a while and decided to admit me to the hospital. On the ride over to the hospital in the ambulance my BP was 50/30, yes that is correct. I was bleeding to death. They decided right away when I got to the ER that I needed emergency surgery to find the source of the bleeding. My tummy tuck took 3 hours in the morning and then I was back in surgery for another 3 hours in the afternoon. The dr. said I had a belly full of blood but said they cauterized everything in sight. I ended up staying in the hospital 4 days and had a blood transfusion too. My hemoglobin dropped dangerously low and I just kept passing out. I am home now and the BP is back in the normal range. Now I am just dealing with the pain of the incision. Wondering if anyone else has had this happen to them. I hope in a few weeks I will feel this was all worth it. I am 14 months postop WSL and now 5 days postop TT.    — Jeannie4 (posted on September 9, 2004)

September 9, 2004
Yes I had the same thing adn its actually not bleeding in the belly itself it bleeding in between the muscle flap. I had my last drain removed on day 8 and the next morning I was looking 6 months pregnant and dizzy ended up in surgery for a 2 liter hematoma which apprently got dislodged and began bleeding again when they pulled the drain. BP so low they called for teh CRASH CART I nearly freaked out. I had never felt to so crappy in my life. I had been feeling weak but had no indication of bleeding. Another 3 hour surgery, 4 drains, a central line, 4 units of blood and 4 days later I was home and on the mend but it sure took a while to feel human again so I feel for you...........this too shall pass and it is so worth it in the end. Good Luck, Lesley
   — Lesley T.

September 9, 2004
The same thing happened to me following my panniculectomy. I developed a large hematoma inside one of the large vertical abdominal muscles...even though I was having no muscle tightening or repair, only excess fat and skin being removed. This is apparently a complication or post-op risk following tummy tuck procedures that can't always be predicted. My plastic surgeon emphasized that even though every precaution is taken to tie off or cauterize all blood vessels during the procedure, post-op bleeding sometimes only becomes evident hours afterward. I had been offered the opportunity to have the surgery at the surgical suite of the plastic surgeon's office or as an over-night hospitalization. As a former ICU RN I had some second thoughts about post-op complications and adequate pain control, so I opted for the overnight stay. I didn't develop any signs/symptoms of bleeding until 24 hours post-op. I then dropped my hemoglobin to 4.0, developed a critically low platelet count, and earned myself a trip to ICU for two days, a central line, 8 units of blood and 8 units of platelets. The hematoma was so large that it simply caused enough internal pressure inside the body of the muscle that the bleeding stopped on its own. I did not require an additional surgery and was told that that hematoma would be gradually re-absorbed by my body over time. I was discharged from the hospital with a great hemoglobin, and the usual post-op incisional discomfort that would have been there whether I had complications or not...and I had no further related complications after discharge. All that being said, that was four years ago and I had great results from the surgery then and am still delighted today. As a nurse, I understood pre-operatively that a "tummy tuck" is a very major surgery, and not the simple "nip and tuck" that some folks think. I am comfortable with the fact that this complication could not likely have been predicted and I was completely comfortable, then and now, that I had chosen the best plastic surgeon in my region. Having the plastic surgery (including brachioplasty that same day) was still the best decision that I ever made, except for the WLS...and I would do it again tomorrow. I sympathize with you, but hope (and trust) that you will have the same great post- op results that I have experienced. Best wishes! Feel free to email me privately if you have any further questions or concerns :-)
   — Diana T.

September 12, 2004
A lady I work with had a hernia repair and tummy tuck in Aigust and she said she ahd to go abck to thehospital after discharge fro bleeding. She had a trasnfusion. I don't know all the details, but she will be returning to work after just 4 weeks so that's not too bad. Good luck.
   — catleth