The Imperfect Community

Petulant Pixie · Posted: Wed Dec 28, 2005 5:24 pm Post subject: Hows everyone doing?

Yeah, I wouldn't consider this a free tummy tuck though. For one thing, it's necessary. Hernias aren't things to mess around with. Secondly, I really don't know how it's going to look. Yes, absolutely, inches will be taken from my waistline, but this guy isn't a cosmetic surgeon. I have no idea what the scar or the surrounding area will look like after he's done. I've expressed my anxiety about it and he comes across as feeling confident it will be fine, but I don't know. I think it has the potential to be horrific. I've called around to plastic surgeons and nobody will touch it because of the hernias. The one in my lower abdomen is big (like the size of a lemon).

Also, this is a serious inconvenience. I will be in the hospital 2-3 days (the doctor said overnight, the scheduler laughed at that and said that in his orders, he left it open-eneded). I cannot lift anything more than 20 lbs for 4 weeks, or I could do serious damage to my abdomen that maybe they can't repair ever. So, given the choice, I'd just rather not do this, certainly not now!

Rebecca_R · Posted: Wed Dec 28, 2005 8:29 pm Post subject: Hows everyone doing?

PP, I think you should seriously reconsider getting plastic surgery from this guy. You need a plastic surgeon, otherwise there is just a higher chance you can get botched! Can't you go to your PCP and get a recommendation for a plastic surgeon who also has experience with general surgery to take care of the hernia? Loads of them exist, I think because they do general surgery before they actually get into plastic surgery.

Petulant Pixie · Posted: Thu Dec 29, 2005 10:06 am Post subject: Hows everyone doing?

Nope, no plastic surgeons will touch it! This guy isn't just a general surgeon, he specializes in bariatric surgery, which is abdominal/intestinal surgery.

He won't be doing "plastic surgery", he's really just doing hernia repair, but since the whole fascia is shot, he's tying the abdominal muscles together, rather going in and fixing each individual hernia by itself, since it seems likely that more will happen in the near future if he does that. There's a 20% chance that this will herniate anyway. What he's doing is the normal procedure for this type of situation. The result happens to be the same as what they do in a tummy tuck--tighter ab area, inches lost. His incision is definately different than a plastic surgeon would do though.

Really, I've covered my options here and the answer I get from everyone (my OB, and the plastic surgeons I have called--I've only seen my primary care doctor once ever, so I don't know her to trust her opinion anyway) is that I need to be most concerned about the hernia repair and make sure I have a specialist for THAT, because the relapse incidence is so high. I just have to hope and pray that he makes the skin look decent, or at least not hideous. I just have his assurance that he does these operations every single day of the week and he knows what he's doing, and he's aware that I'm very concered about the appearance of it. I plan on reminding him when I see him right before surgery, too!

Anthromomma · Posted: Thu Dec 29, 2005 11:22 am Post subject: Hows everyone doing?

Petulant Pixie-- my sister in law had a very similar surgery a few years ago (although, in her case, she had lost a substantial amount of weight previously, and the excess skin in her abdomen area was actually causing the hernias). In her case, which was pretty extreme given the amount of repair she had to have done, she had to have a second surgery-- she was 'lopsided' after the first one Confused

. But really, she looks fine now. I mean, you can definitely tell that she's had surgery, but she doesn't look freakish or anything. Just a scar, really.

Petulant Pixie · Posted: Thu Dec 29, 2005 2:19 pm Post subject: Hows everyone doing?

That's reassuring! I know there will be a scar, a pretty big one, and I'm all right with that. I'm more worried about puckering and bulging, because I have the horizontal c-section scar, too. But, I have to trust that he knows what he's doing. The only other option would be for him to do the hernia repair and a plastic surgeon to close up the incision, but my insurance won't cover that.

MainstreamMom · Posted: Fri Dec 30, 2005 10:01 am Post subject: Hows everyone doing?

To answer the OP...

HORRIBLE! I suck! I went to the gym Monday and Wed but blew it off today b/c I have a cold. My friend just got a family membership to my gym so we are going to try to do spinning on tues/thurs. Hopefully that will kick up my fat burning!